Meat, Poultry and Fish

Eat lean meat, poultry and fish in moderate amounts. Most fish and poultry have fewer calories than fatty cuts of red meat. They do contain cholesterol, though, so keep portions the same as for red meat. Lean red meat is available; look for it at your meat counter.

Here are some tips about choosing and preparing meat, poultry and fish:

1. Select meat with the least amount of visible fat. This means buying meat with little marbling (fat in the muscle tissue) and not much fat around the edges. Before eating beef, pork or lamb, trim off as much fat as you can. When buying ground beef, choose the leanest meat available and drain off the fat after cooking it.
   
2. Prepare meats using low-fat preparation methods. (Broil or bake instead of frying.)
   
3. Chill meat juices and skim off the fat before adding them to stews, soups and gravy.
   
4. Avoid high-fat processed meat products such as bologna, frankfurters, salami and bacon. Use chicken, turkey or fish as sandwich fillings instead.
   
5. Liver, tongue, kidneys, sweetbreads, heart and brains are very high in cholesterol, so don't eat them often. Liver is an especially good source of iron, so you can eat it in small amounts occasionally. But don't eat more than three ounces of liver per month.
   
6. In poultry most fat is right under the skin, so remove the skin before or after cooking (except when roasting a whole chicken).
   
7. Shrimp and crayfish are higher in cholesterol than other seafoods. Eat them less often and in smaller amounts.
   
8. Meat 'shrinks' when cooked. For each three-ounce serving of cooked meat, fish or poultry, buy an extra ounce or two to allow for shrinkage and waste. Allow two extra ounces for meat with bone.
   
9. Limit your consumption of eggs to three a week, counting those used in cooking. Be sure to eat only cooked (not raw) eggs and egg whites.

Examples of Three-Ounce Servings (approximately):

• Half a breast, or leg and thigh, of 2 1/2- to 3-lb. chicken
• Two slices of roast beef or pot roast, 3 X 3 X 1/4-inch thick
• One medium loin pork chop, 3/4-inch thick
• One hamburger patty three inches across and 1/2-inch thick

Examples of One-Ounce Servings (approximately):

• 1/4 cup canned tuna or salmon, drained
• 1/4 cup chicken meat, loosely packed
• 3 medium sardines
• 3 to 4 medium shrimp, scallops, clams or oysters
• 1/4 cup lobster, shrimp or crab meat
  

Substitutes For One-Ounce Servings of Meat or Fish Include:

• Tofu (2 1/2" X 2 3/4" X 1")
• 1/2 cup cooked dry beans, peas
• One ounce of processed cheese with no more than 5 g of fat

Vegetables and Fruits

Vegetables and fruits are important parts of a weight-reducing diet because they're low in calories and high in nutrients.

In selecting vegetables and fruits to eat each day, choose at least one that's a good source of vitamin A and one that's a good source of vitamin C.

A serving of vegetables is 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables or one cup of raw vegetables. Each serving contains approximately 20 calories. Here are some common vegetables that are good choices.

	Vegetables
Asparagus* Bean Sprouts Beans, green Beans, waxed Beets Beet greens* Broccoli*** Brussels sprouts*** Cabbage Carrots* Cauliflower** Celery Collards*** Cucumbers Dandelion greens* Eggplant Endive* Kale*** Lettuce (leaf) Mushrooms Mustard greens*** Okra Onions Parsnips Peas* Peppers (green)** Peppers (hot red)* Radishes Sauerkraut** Spinach* Squash, summer* Tomatoes*** Tomato juice*** Turnips** Turnip greens*** Vegetable juice cocktail*** Zucchini

	Fruits
Fruits and fruit juices should be unsweetened, fresh or canned without sugar. The following servings contain an average of 60 calories. Apple, raw, 2 3/4" diameter (1) Apples, dried, uncooked (4 rings) Applesauce, canned, unsweetened (1/2 cup) Apple juice or cider (1/2 cup) Apricots*, medium, raw (4) Apricots, dried, uncooked (7 halves) Banana, 9" long (1/2) Blackberries, raw (3/4 cup) Cantaloupe*** (1 cup cubes) Cherries*, sweet, raw (12) Dates (2 1/2) Figs, medium, raw (2) Fruit cocktail, canned, juice-packed (1/2 cup) Grapefruit** (1/2) Grapes, raw (15) Honeydew melon** (1 cup cubes) Kiwifruit (1 large) Mango, raw (1/2) Nectarine, 2 1/2" diameter (1) Orange**, 2 1/2" diameter (1) Orange juice** (1/2 cup) Papaya (1 cup, cubes) Peach*, 2 1/2" diameter (1) Peaches, canned, water-packed (2 halves) Pineapple, raw (3/4 cup) Pineapple, canned, juice-packed (1/3 cup) Pineapple juice (1/2 cup) Plums, raw, 2 1/8" diameter (2) Pomegranate (half) Prune juice (1/3 cup) Prunes, uncooked (3) Raspberries, raw (1 cup) Raisins (2 Tbsp.) Strawberries**, raw, whole (1 1/4 cups) Tangerine**, 2 1/2" diameter (2) Watermelon (1 1/2 cups cubes)

Breads, Cereals, Pasta, Starchy Vegetables and Soups

To get the maximum nutritional benefit, use whole grain or enriched products. Any of the following counts as one serving and has, on average, 80 calories.

	Breads
Bagel (1/2) Bread sticks, 4" long 3 1/2" diameter (2) Bread, white, whole wheat, rye, oatmeal, pumpernickel (1 slice) Croutons, plain bread crumbs (1 cup) English muffin (1/2) Hamburger or hot dog bun (1/2) Pita, 6" diameter (1/2) Roll, plain, 1 oz. (1) Tortilla, corn, 6" diameter (1)

	Cereals, Pasta and Rice
Bran cereals (1/3 cup) Flake-type cereal, ready-to-eat, unsweetened (1 cup) Cooked cereal, bulgur, grits (1/2 cup) Pasta (1/2 cup) Rice (1/3 cup)

	Crackers
Animal crackers (8) Graham crackers, 2 1/2" square (3) Matzoth, 4" 3 6" (3/4 oz.) Melba toast (5 slices) Oyster crackers (24) Popcorn, popped, no fat added (3/4 oz.) Pretzels (3/4 oz.) Saltine-type crackers (6)

	Starchy Vegetables
Baked beans (1/ 4 cup) Corn (1/2 cup) Corn on cob, 6" long (1) Dry beans, peas, lentils (1/3 cup) Green peas (1/2 cup) Lima beans (1/2 cup) Potato, baked, 3 oz. (1) Potato, mashed (1/2 cup) Squash, acorn or butternut (3/4 cup) Sweet potato or yam (1/3 cup)

	Commercial Soups
*prepared with water Bouillon, broth, consomme (as desired) Chicken noodle, gazpacho, minestrone, onion, tomato, vegetarian (1 cup) Beef noodle, chicken rice, chunky-style turkey noodle, oyster stew, split pea (may use milk allowance) (3/4 cup)

Dairy Products

Use skim, 1/2% or 1% fat milk fortified with vitamins A and D. Each of the following is a serving and has an average of 100 calories.

	Dairy Products
Skim, 1/2% or 1% fat milk (1 cup) Nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt (1 cup)

	Cheese
Cottage cheese, 1% fat or dry curd (1/2 cup) Mozzarella, part-skim milk (1 oz.) Ricotta cheese from whole milk (1 oz.) Low-fat cheese, 3 g fat or less per oz. (1/4 cup diced) (1 oz.) Dry, grated cheese, e.g., dry Parmesan or Sap Sago (1 Tbsp.) (1/4 oz.)

	Frozen Desserts
Frozen nonfat or low-fat yogurt (1/2 cup) Sherbet (1/3 cup) Nonfat or low-fat ice cream (3 g fat or less) (1/2 cup)

Poly- and Monounsaturated Oils and Margarines, Nuts, Seeds, Salad Dressings, etc.

The following portion sizes have an average of 45 calories.

	Oils and Margarines, Nuts, Seeds, Salad Dressings, etc.
Vegetable Oils (1 tsp.) Safflower Corn Sunflower Soybean Cottonseed Olive Canola Peanut Margarines Margarine with no more than 2 grams of saturated fatty acids per tablespoon (1 tsp.) Diet margarine (2 tsp.) Nuts and Seeds Chopped nuts, except coconut (1 Tbsp.) Seeds, any variety, without shells (1 Tbsp.) Salad Dressings French (1 Tbsp.) Italian (1 Tbsp.) Thousand Island (1 Tbsp.) Mayonnaise-type salad dressing (1 Tbsp.) Mayonnaise (2 tsp.) Shortening Soybean (1 tsp.) Cottonseed oil (1 tsp.) Other Fats Olives (10 small or 5 large) Peanut butter (2 tsp.) Avocado (1/8 medium)

Optional Items

Most desserts have been eliminated from this guide because they're very high in calories and low in nutrients. For example, 1/6 of a 9", two-crusted apple pie contains about 400 calories.

Any one of the sweets on the next page contains about 75 calories and 0 to 1 gram of fat. Each counts as one portion of optional foods.

	Sweets
Carbonated beverage (sweetened) (6 fl. oz.) Lemonade (sweetened) (6 fl. oz.) Candy made primarily with sugar (e.g., candy corn, gumdrops, mints and hard candy) (3/4 oz.) Angel food cake (1 slice -- 1/24 of a cake) Gingersnaps (2) Fruit ice (1/3 cup) Sherbet (1/3 cup) Fruit-flavored gelatin (sweetened) (1/2 cup) Sugar, syrup, honey, jam, preserves or marmalade (1 1/2 Tbsp.) Newton cookie (1)

Miscellaneous Items

You'll be more successful at losing weight if you divide your daily allotment of calories into scheduled meals. Eating at scheduled times will help you avoid impulsive eating.

If you want between-meal snacks, save foods from your regular meals.

Skipping meals during the day isn't advisable, because doing so often leads to evening binges.

The following foods and drinks contain fewer than 20 calories and no fat per portion.

	Miscellaneous Items
Sweet Substitutes* Candy, hard, sugar-free Gelatin, sugar-free Gum, sugar-free Jam or jelly, sugar-free (2 tsp.) Pancake syrup, sugar-free Sugar substitutes (saccharin or aspartame) Condiments Catsup (1 Tbsp.) Horseradish Mustard Pickles, dill, unsweetened Salad dressing, oil-free Taco sauce Vinegar Drinks Bouillon or broth without fat Carbonated drinks, sugar-free* Carbonated water Club soda Cocoa powder, unsweetened (1 Tbsp.) Coffee or tea Drink mixes, sugar-free* Tonic water, sugar-free* Fruits Cranberries, unsweetened (1/2 cup) Rhubarb, unsweetened (1/2 cup)

It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the number of calories contained in different foods. Several books listing the caloric values of foods are available. The American Heart Association Brand Name Fat and Cholesterol Counter is one such source. It's available in local bookstores.

The information contained on this page is not intended to provide medical advice, which should be obtained directly from your physician.