(MayoClinic.com) The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid is a tool designed to help you eat a balanced, nutritious diet while achieving a healthy weight. It illustrates the types and amounts of food you need to eat every day from each of the five represented food groups.
This sample menu shows you how the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid can help you plan daily meals and snacks. Note that if you're hungry, reach for more fruits and vegetables. But make sure your fruit is fresh or is canned in water or juice with the liquid poured off. Limit dried fruit and fruit juice to no more than one to two servings a day because they're high in calories and low in volume. Regular vegetable juice is high in sodium, so you may need or wish to choose a low-sodium variety.
Example of a 1,200-calorie menu
| Breakfast |
| 1 medium banana |
| 1 cup bran cereal |
| 1 cup fat-free milk |
| Herbal tea |
| Lunch |
| Tuna salad sandwich made with 1/2 cup water-packed tuna, 1 tablespoon low-calorie mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, chopped celery as desired, leaf lettuce and 2 slices whole-grain toast |
| 2 cups raw baby carrots, jicama and bell pepper strips |
| 1 small apple |
| Water |
| Dinner |
| 3 ounces broiled cod sprinkled with juice of 1 lemon wedge and 1 teaspoon drained and rinsed capers |
| 3/4 cup steamed green beans |
| 1/2 cup sliced beets |
| Salad made with 1 cup bibb, Boston, butterhead or leaf lettuce, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, a splash of balsamic vinegar and 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil |
| Sparkling water with lemon |
| Snack (anytime) |
| 1 small pear |
| Nutrient Analysis |
| Calories |
1,237 |
Cholesterol |
81 mg |
| Protein |
70 g |
Sodium |
1,549 mg |
| Carbohydrate |
208 g |
Fiber |
38 g |
| Total fat |
21 g |
Potassium |
3,433 mg |
| Saturated fat |
3 g |
Calcium |
542 mg |
| Monounsaturated fat |
9 g |
|
|
| Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid servings |
| Vegetables |
5 |
| Fruits |
4 |
| Carbohydrates |
4 |
| Protein and dairy |
3 |
| Fats |
3 |
©1998-2009 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER).
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