Best 1500 Calorie Diabetic Meal Plan

Finding a good 1500 calorie diet meal plan can be a challenge. This difficulty exists despite the 1500 calorie diet being one of the most popular weight loss diets in America. The problem seems to stem from the lack of understanding surrounding the diet.

Most people looking to lose weight hear about various fad diets that have much better marketing. By comparison, the 1500 calorie diet receives little fanfare except among health professionals.

Nonetheless, the popularity of the diet amongst health professionals is because 1500 calories is considered the LEAST amount of calories most men should consume to achieve health weight loss. For most women, the smallest number of calories they should consume is 1200 calories. Before thinking about

How do the experts come to this magic 1500 calorie diet number? It becomes very difficult to put together a nutritious diet for a man that is less than 1500 calories, so this diet is considered the lowest amount you want to consume.

Furthermore, the fundamental principle of weight loss is that you must consume less calories than you burn. To burn 1 pound of fat, it takes 3500 calories of expended energy. If the standard recommended daily allowance of calories is 2000, then to lose 1 pound of weight (i.e. fat!) per week, then you need to consume 500 calories less per day (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories).

However, please be aware that depending upon the circumstances, a 1500 calorie diet may be appropriate for women as well. The bottom line is that you should work with a nutritionist to get it right.

It is very difficult to find a sample 1500 calorie diet meal plan. The following diet plan was published by the National Institute of Health. It is actually 1600 calories, so you would need to shave off 50-100 calories to have it conform to your needs.

Breakfast	Energy (Kcal)	Fat (GM)	%Fat	Exchange for:
Whole-wheat bread, 1 med. slice	70	1.2	15	(1 Bread/Starch)
— Jelly, regular, 2 tsp	30	0	0	(½ Fruit)
Cereal, shredded wheat, ½ C	104	1	4	(1 Bread/Starch)
— Milk, 1%, 1 C	102	3	23	(1 Milk)
Orange juice, ¾ C	78	0	0	(1½ Fruit)
Coffee, regular, 1 C	5	0	0	(Free)
— Milk, 1%, 1 oz	13	.03	23	(¹⁄₈ Milk)
Breakfast Total	402	5.2	10

Lunch	Energy (Kcal)	Fat (GM)	%Fat	Exchange for:
Roast beef sandwich
— Whole-wheat bread, 2 med. slices	139	2.4	15	(2 Bread/Starch)
— Lean roast beef, unseasoned, 2 oz	60	1.5	23	(2 Lean Protein)
— 1 slice low-fat/sodium American cheese (¾ oz)	46	1.8	36	(1 Lean Protein)
— Lettuce, 1 leaf	1	0	0
— Tomato, 3 med. slices	10	0	0	(1 Vegetable)
— Mayonnaise, low-calorie, 2 tsp	30	3.3	99	(²⁄₃ Fat)
Apple, 1 med.	80	0	0	(1 Fruit)
Water, 1 C	0	0	0	(Free)
Lunch Total	366	9	22

Dinner	Energy (Kcal)	Fat (GM)	%Fat	Exchange for:
Salmon, 3 oz edible	155	7	40	(3 Lean Protein)
— Vegetable oil, 1½ tsp	60	7	100	(1½ Fat)
Baked potato, ¾ med.	100	0	0	(1 Bread/Starch)
— Margarine, 1 tsp	34	4	100	(1 Fat)
Green beans, seasoned with margarine, ½ C	52	2	4	(1 Vegetable) (½ Fat)
Carrots, seasoned with margarine, ½ C	52	2	4	(1 Vegetable) (½ Fat)
White dinner roll, 1 med.	80	3	33	(1 Bread/Starch)
Ice milk, ½ C	92	3	28	(½ Fat)
Iced tea, unsweetened, 1 C	0	0	0	(Free)
Water, 2 C	0	0	0	(Free)
Dinner Total	625	28	38

Snack	Energy (Kcal)	Fat (GM)	%Fat	Exchange for:
Popcorn, 2½ C	69	0	0	(1 Bread/Starch)
— Margarine, 1½ tsp	28	6.5	100	(1½ Fat)

Grand Total	1,613	50	28

Calories:	1,490	SFA, % kcals:	8
Total Carb, % kcals:	55	Cholesterol, mg:	142
Total Fat, % kcals:	29	Protein, % kcals:	19
Sodium,* mg:	1,341

Note: Calories have been rounded.

1,600: 100% RDA met for all nutrients except: Vit E 99%, Iron 73%, Zinc 91%

* No salt added in recipe preparation or as seasoning. Consume at least 32 oz water.

While we are happy to provide the above example of a 1500 calorie diet meal plan, this doesn't cut it if you are serious about sticking with the diet and losing the weight. You need something more.

If you don't want to go it alone, check out the 36 week meal plan system put together by NutriDIET Pro. This company is an expert in developing meal plans, not only for consumers, but seasoned Registered Dieticians as well. In fact, Nutridiet has been helping professional dieticians formulate meal plans for over 20 years!

Their 1500 calorie diet meal plans program has the following advantages:

Recognized Nutritional Expertise (they are not a fad diet program)
Different Food styles (Asian, Italian, Spanish, Indian)
Different Eating Styles (heart healthy, vegetarian, etc.)
Recipes are designed to use foods you can easily find in your grocery store.

If you have tried some of the various fad diets, you will know how important that last bullet point is.

Click here to view more 1500 Calorie Meal Plan Details

Comprehensive Diabetic Diet Meal Plan Option

If you are interested in this meal planning option, you should be aware that there is also a more comprehensive option. The 1500 Calorie Diet Meal Plan has 36 weekly plans for $34.99.

The comprehensive program is only slightly more expensive, yet if you have multiple people looking to diet (such as yourself and spouse) you end up saving money. Moreover, if you anticipate losing the weight and then want to have a meal plan for a higher calorie amount, then you should consider this option.

The all inclusive option has over 1250 meal plans for $79.99. While you won't probably need all of these plans (e.g., one plan is a 3,000 calorie plan), it is a less expensive option than buying some of these plans a la carte.

Click here to Review the Comprehensive option