You can choose a dinner to suit your way of life and your pocket too. Choose a high protein menu to low-fat diet, to vegetarian diet.
Armed with the facts about food value, figures and fads, calories and health, you choose a menu not only to delight but welcoming enough for the guests who are fussy or watching their diet.
A well-balanced dinner can include bread and potatoes. There are good low-calorie recipes including both these foods. No foods is fattening unless you eat too much of it. Include less high-calorie foods such as sugar, cakes, pastry, rich desserts, fats, fried foods including potato crisps and doughnuts, chocolate and alcohol, Choose a Wine that is light and has less alcohol content
The quantity of food eaten has to be reducing enough to allow your guest to enjoy dinner without having to worry about intake.
Calculate portions to be part of the calories allowance, an average adult woman needs between 1,000 and 1,250 calories per day. And men needs between 1,250 and 1,500 calories per day.
The selection starts with:
- Breakfasts and Light Snacks and Lunches
- Main dishes and condiments plus delicious every day recipes
- Vegetable recipes and vegetable allowance
- Fruits and Desserts
- Sauces herbs and Spices
- Recipe Solutions
Daily Serve Allowances
Aim to eat small 4 - 6 serves per day
- Apricots Stewed 120g
- Bacon Grilled or lean Fried 2 rashes
- Beans Lentils, chickpeas, split peas, canned beans etc... 1/2 Cup
- Big Mac One serve 205grams
- Biscuits Plain or Cream filling 2 only
- Bread White or whole meal 2 Slices
- Bread roll Preferably wholemeal 1 only
- Butter Low-Fat 30g
- Canned Fruit With Syrup 1 Cup
- Cereal With 125ml mild and ½ teaspoon sugar 30g
- Cheese Low- Fat 2 Slices
- Chicken Noddle Soup Purchased packet or can 1 cup
- Chicken Nuggets Purchased Frozen or Take away 6 Nuggets
- Chocolate Plain preferably Dark Chocolate 55grames
- Chops (Meat) Medium 2 only
- Croissants Small / Medium 1 only
- Donuts Cinnamon 1 only
- Cake Plain or otherwise 4cm x 4cm
- Eggs Dairy product 2 daily
- Evaporated milk Canned 1/2 cup
- Fish 120 grams
- Fried Rice 1 cup
- Fruit Banana, Orange, Pear, etc 1 medium
- Fruit Juice Any 1/2 cup
- Fruit small Apricots, Kiwi, Plums etc 2 small
- Grapefruit Fresh 1/2
- Ham Thinly cut 2 Slices
- Honey 15g
- Ice Cream 2 scoops
- Juice Fresh 1 average glass 125ml
- Kipper Fillets Medium 90g
- Lamb Roast Oven roast 3 small slices
- Lamington Dessert or Tea Break 1 average
- Liver 60g
- Marmalade Average teaspoon 15g
- Meat Poultry, nuts, legume, Pork, Red Meat 100 grams
- Meat Roast Oven roast 2 slices
- Milk Full Cream 1 glass full
- Milk & Yoghurt 1 cup
- Mince 1/2 cup
- Mushrooms Grilled or Fried with little low-fat butter 60g
- Nuts 1/3 cup
- Peanut Butter 1 Tablespoon
- Potato 1 small
- Rice Pasta, Noodles & Rice 1 cup
- Salads Assortment 1 cup
- Spinach Pie Serve 1 average
- Vegetables Assorted 1/2 cup
- Yoghurt Any Flavour 1 small
Healthy Eating
Plan a range of food; from 5 separate categories
Breakfast
- High fibre cereals are a good choice.
- ½ grapefruit will provide vitamin C
- Orange juice a glass fresh juice
- Muesli and wholemeal toast
Eggs are very high in cholesterol
Lunch
- Plenty of vegetables and salads, as much as you can eat
- Choose lean meat
- A glass of milk provides an excellent source of protein and contains carbohydrates and can be added with cornflour to thicken any vegetable sauce.
- Fresh made soups contains vitamins and minerals you will find there are a lot of vegetable recipes where you can replace cream with milk and cornflour
- Chicken is a good source of protein.
Dinner
- Fish is healthier and lower in calories than red meat. Finish your meal with fruit rather than rich desserts that are high in calories
- Although alcohol is harmful if taken in excess a 1 glass of wine with your meal will aid digestion.
- Use yoghurt in place of cream
Water
Place a jug of mineral water on the table
Snacks
If you do snacks, choose fresh fruit, raw vegetables or yoghurts to provide you with essential vitamins minerals and fibre.
What's in a Serve?
Bread, Cereals, Rice, Pasta and Noodles
- One cup 180g cooked rice, pasta or noodles.
- One cup 230g cooked porridge, 1 & 1/3 cups of ready to eat cereal
- Half cup 65g muesli
- 1/3 cup or 40g flour.
Vegetables, Legumes
- ½ cup 75g cooked vegetables
- ½ cup 75g cooked dried beans, peas or lentils
- 1-cup salad vegetables
- 1 small potato
Fruit
- Fruit as in apple, banana, orange or pear should weigh 150g
- Small fruit such as apricots, kiwifruit or plums should weigh 150g
- 1 cup 150g diced pieces of canned fruit
- 1½ tablespoons sultana or four pieces of dried fruit such as apricot halves
- ½ cup 125ml fruit juice
