The best and most nutritious foods to eat on a low calorie diet plan are vegetables and fruits. Green vegetables contain fewer calories than red or orange vegetables in most cases. Lettuce is a very low calorie food. One entire cup of strawberries only has about 40 calories.
The low-calorie diet is useful in the treatment of obesity, but it may also be used to regulate weight in medical conditions such as arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, cardiac disease or hypothyroidism. A loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week is the medically acceptable limit for weight reduction. A low-calorie diet consists of 1,000 – 1,800 calories per day. Calorie levels are determined by physicians and dieticians to help the person meet specific individual patient weight-loss objectives. The daily consumption of proteins needs to be at least 0.8 g/kg of standard body weight. Supplemental vitamins may be ordered if the prescribed diet is lower than 1,200 calories.
Patients on low-calorie diets need to be instructed by the dietician (if available) or other medical personnel knowledgeable in appropriate eating habits. The dietician conducts patient interviews to determine the patient’s eating behaviours, usual portions, preparation of foods, meal patterns, nutritional adequacy, exercise and so forth. Individual programs should then be recommended to assist patients to achieve and maintain their ideal weight.
When reducing calorie consumption, intake of essential nutrients may also be reduced, in particular fat-soluble vitamins, which require fat for proper absorption and other nutrients generally linked to high calorie foods, for example oils, nuts, meat and dairy products.