One Day Meal Plan | Start Eating Right!

Breakfast – Start Eating Right!

• Cook in the microwave: ½ cup whole-grain oats and 1 cup water. Top with nonfat milk or soymilk, and fruit, such as sliced strawberries and sliced bananas. By switching from a bowl of cold, dried cereal to one of hot whole-grain cereal and fruit, you’ll take in approximately 100 fewer calories each day. That one simple change to your daily diet could help you drop about 10 pounds in one year. Plus, hot cereal has more “staying power.” It tends to fill you up better – and longer – than dried cereal.
• 1 cup tea or coffee with, if you desire, a little nonfat milk or soymilk and 1 packet of sugar substitute (a good choice is Splenda)

Midmorning Snack

• 1 large navel orange or 2 tangerines
• 1 steamed 6-inch corn tortilla with fresh or grilled vegetables (such as onions, green bell peppers, and mushrooms), no-salt-added salsa, and one thin slice of fat-free cheese. Good fat-free cheese brands include Alpine Lace, Lifetime, and Smart Bea. Warm the tortilla between slightly moistened paper towels in the microwave for about 1 minute, then top with veggies and salsa, and fold.

Lunch

• 2 cups mixed greens with 1 cup of other veggies (such as cucumbers and tomatoes), dressed with aged balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon canola oil. Canola oil is a healthier choice than olive oil, but always keep in mind that no oil, even so-called “good” ones, should be considered a weight-loss food. Coating your salad with oil can tally up as many calories as a scoop of premium ice cream.
• 1 or 2 cups hearty bean soup, such as the Black Lentil Soup. The soup makes 8 cups. Freeze what you don’t eat today in single-serving containers for easy-to-thaw-and-heat-up soup for later in the week.
• 1 ear of corn on the cob

Midafternoon Snack

• 6 ounces of nonfat plain or no-sugar-added yogurt (good choices include Dannon Light & Fit, Stonyfield Farms, and fat-free, plain Greek-style yogurts such as Chobani and Fage)
• 1 apple

Dinner

• A gigantic Farmer’s Market-style salad with a variety of fresh seasonal produce and herbs, such as fresh baby arugula and radicchio, and red wine vinegar sassed up with a little horseradish, all topped with a few slices of avocado. Enjoy visiting your local Farmer’s Market every week and asking the vendors, “What’s new and tasty this week? What would make great ingredients for my salad?”
• 4 ounces of Braised Fish with Marsala, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Spinach. When dining out and ordering seafood, request that your seafood not be salted or basted in calorie-dense ingredients like olive oil and butter.
• 1 baked potato with 2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream. (Contrary to popular belief, potatoes are a great food for helping you lose weight. It’s what we put on top of it – butter, cheese, and bacon bits – that turns a potato into a waistline-busting food.)
• 1, 2 or 3 cups (you can never go overboard on fresh veggies!) ofsteamed fresh vegetables, such as asparagus or broccoli, with lemon juice and sautéed garlic

Dessert

• No-sugar-added frozen 100% fruit bar