Patient was educated on planning for dinner on ADA diet as follows:

  1. Plan to have around an average of 400 – 500 calories on your dinner. This calorie measure could slightly vary depending upon sex, activity levels, calorie requirement, and other factors guiding your maximum daily calorie allowance.
  2. Men have more muscle mass and therefore, could have a higher calorie requirement. Also, individuals with active lifestyle need more calories versus someone with a sedentary lifestyle.
  3. Plan to have a decent blend of protein, fiber, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates for your lunch.
  4. Some examples of an ADA dinner could be as follows:
  5. Have 2 baked salmon filets, seasoned with extra-virgin olive oil, ground pepper, garlic powder, basil, lemon salt, and parsley. You can choose to have some baked potato or ½ cup cooked brown rice for carbohydrate along with one cup of steamed green beans or cooked cauliflower for vegetables.
  6. You can have a cup of non-starchy vegetables, such as, cucumber, cauliflower, beets, mushrooms, tomatoes, and beans along with some greens, such as, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, and kale. Add a piece of rotisserie beef sirloin or pork tenderloin or chicken breast for protein.
  7. Try having roast chicken breast meat with a piece of lavash bread or a soft corn shell taco or whole wheat tortilla. You can choose to add tomatoes, lettuce, low-fat cheese, guacamole, onion, garlic powder, steamed green beans, and fresh cilantro for seasoning.
  8. You can choose to have half cup of rice, stir-fried in tomato-basil sauce, with two eggs beaten. Add a cup of boiled vegetables, such as, mushroom, green peas, and carrots, to the rice. Preferring brown rice over white rice can add some fiber to the diet.
  9. You can choose to add a cup of mixed vegetables, such as, lima beans, mushroom, and cauliflower, to be sautéed on the stove in extra-virgin olive oil, along with some shrimp, catfish, or tilapia. Have this medley with some steamed white or brown rice.
  10. You can have a vegetarian chili, by having 2 vegetarian burger patties cooked in tomato paste, seasoned with extra-virgin olive oil, onion, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin. Add a one fourth cup of red kidney beans, black beans, or pinto beans. You can choose to top it with low-fat or zero fat plain yogurt, instead of sour cream.