Dietary Guidelines in Weight Management

GENERAL NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES

* Total fat intake should be 30% of calories or less.

* Carbohydrate 4 Cal./gm.; Protein 4 Cal./gm.; Fat 9 Cal./gm.

* Bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group:
6 servings daily
Serving size: 1 slice of bread, 1/2 bagel or muffin, 5 saltine crackers,
1 small dinner roll
1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal (Rice Krispies, Special-K, Cheerios)
1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta
* Vegetables:
3 to 5 portions daily
Serving size: 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
1/2 cup of other vegetables, cooked or chopped raw
3/4 cup of vegetable juice – V-8
* Fruit Group:
3 portions daily
Serving size: 1 medium apple, banana, orange
1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit in it’s
own natural juice (not heavy syrup)
1/2 cup of fruit juice (cranberry, apple, orange juice)

* Meats, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts:
Protein intake should be maintained at moderate levels.
2 to 3 servings daily
Serving size: 2 to 3 ounces of cooked, lean meat, poultry or fish,
lamb, lean beef, veal, chicken, turkey, or duck.
1/2 cup of cooked, dry beans, one egg, or two
tablespoons of peanut butter count as one ounce of
lean meat.

* Milk, yogurt, and cheese group:
2 to 3 servings daily
Serving size: 1 cup of skim milk or yogurt
1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese
2 ounces of processed cheese

* Generally lean toward bulky/high fiber foods.

* Alcoholic beverages should be limited to less than 1 ounce of absolute alcohol, 200 proof liquor, per day (equivalent to 2 cans of beer, 2 glasses of wine, or two average cocktails).

* Desserts: include gelatin, plain cake, water ices, puddings with skim milk

* Snack suggestions: pretzels, cereal, raisins, dried fruit, oatmeal, raw vegetables, fresh fruit, yogurt, air-popped popcorn, low-fat bran muffins, whole grain crackers, graham crackers, fig bars.

* Restaurant recommendations: grilled food, salads, vegetable side dishes, “heart healthy choices”. Avoid regular soft drinks, creamy dressings, fried foods, most desserts. Also avoid “all you can eat” specials, open buffets, and salad bars. Don’t be afraid to take home leftovers.

* In general, when eating, eat slowly with lots of liquids in between bites. Chew food thoroughly. Stop eating when full. Eating on-the-run is a source of many problems with diets such as choosing fast foods, inadequate chewing, inadequate fluids, and over-eating. This can lead to poor weight management, gas, and other digestive disorders.