The 1500 Calorie Diet Plan

The 1500 Calorie Diet Plan is based on a cookbook written by Nancy Hughes who also wrote recipes for the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association. Present in the said cookbook are several recipes all under the 1, 500 Calorie Diet Plan.

The great thing about the 1500 calorie diet plan is that it could be customized depending on the person. Its basic structure is a three 400-calories meal and two 150-calories snack. Notice that with the 1, 500 Calorie Diet Plan there is no starving involved and people under this plan still eats three times a day and even with a couple of snacks in between moderate meals. With this kind of diet plan, there will no hunger pangs and cheating on foods. With the stabilized supply of food, the energy level as well as the blood sugar of the body remains steady allowing the person on the plan to feel great throughout the day.

Create your own 1500 Calorie Diet Plan

Since the 1500 Calorie Diet Plan depends on the person creating the program, the person could design exactly as how he or she wants itbut of course still adhering with the 1, 500 calories limit. It is also recommended for a person who wants to go through the 1, 500 Calorie Diet Plan to request assistance from a professional nutritionist or doctor, just to be sure.

In creating a customized 1500 Calorie Diet Plan, one of the first things to do is to make a list of foods that you would want on your diet. These must be healthy foods and must be readily available. The next step is to know the nutritional value and calorie numbers of each food. There must also be a weighing scale on the kitchen for you to know the amount of food you are preparing. The total calories present on the diet must not exceed 1, 500 daily.

Some of the foods recommended on the 1, 500 Calorie Diet Plan are whole grains, beans, fresh fruits, non-fat dairy products, vegetables and lean meat, fish and poultry. In preparing vegetables and meat, it is best to boil or bake it to keep the calorie low. Avoid adding butter. On the other hand, some of the food that are not advised on the 1, 500 Calorie Diet Plan are fried foods, salty foods, sweets, desserts and rich sauces. However, every once in a while, a person can enjoy desserts and sweets but only with limited calorie content and definitely not in excess amounts.

Pros and Cons

In reality, everything has pros and cons, and the same goes for the 1, 500 Calorie Diet Plan. Some of the good sides of the 1500 Calorie Diet Plan are that: there is a variety of foods so you will not have the same food over and over again, the meals are quick and easy to prepare, the portion sizes are filling enough for the body, and that the recipes could be enjoyed by the whole family. On the other hand, the downside of the 1, 500 Calorie Diet Plan are that the recipes on the cookbook are mostly based on meat and that it could decrease energy especially for very active individuals.

Here is an example of a typical 1500 Calorie Diet Plan recipe. Note that there are three full meals and two snacks throughout the day.

         1^st meal: cup strawberries, 1 cups shredded wheat cereal, 1 cups skimmed milk

         2^nd meal: large grapefruit, scrambled eggs composed of 4 egg whites and 1 whole egg

         3^rd meal: 180 grams of green beans, 110 grams of grilled chicken breast, cup brown rice

         4^th meal: 1 cup broccoli, 150 grams yams, 150 grams salmon

         5^th meal: 2 cups of large mixed green salad, 110 grams of grilled chicken breast, 3 tbsp non-fat Italian dressing