Patient/caregiver was educated on planning for lunch on ADA diet as follows:
- Plan to have around an average of 400 – 500 calories on your lunch. This calorie measure could slightly vary depending upon sex, activity levels, calorie requirement, and other factors guiding your maximum daily calorie allowance.
- 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.
- Plan to have a decent blend of protein, fiber, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates for your lunch.
- Some examples of an ADA lunch could be as follows:
- You can have a sandwich with 2 slices of whole wheat bread, one slice of lean cut turkey or chicken. You can add some salad with lettuce or spinach, bell pepper, sprinkled with some low-fat cheese or light dressing.
- Make a tuna salad with a can of tuna, light mayo, broccoli, shredded cheese, and ground black pepper. You can choose to add 2 tablespoonsful of hummus with some baby carrots. On salads, ask for low-fat cheese to help cut down on calorie count. Opting for steamed or baked meat against fried can help further cut on calorie intake.
- You can eat a cup of steamed rice with lentils, mushroom, and a boiled egg. You can also choose to eat a cup of steamed rice with a piece of baked chicken breast meat mixed in tomato-basil sauce for flavoring. Preferring brown rice over white rice can add some fiber to the diet.
- Make a vegetarian salad by mixing some cooked quinoa or couscous or barley with cooked red kidney beans, chopped bell pepper, sliced baby carrots, and steamed asparagus. You can choose to add some lemon juice and ground black pepper for seasoning.
- You can have a half bowl of beef chili 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.
- You can make a quick lunch by wrapping baked chicken seasoned with lemon salt and pepper along with some sliced tomatoes, low-fat cheese, guacamole, and steamed green beans in a taco.
