Dietary Advice: Meal ideas for food re-introduction stage of Low Calorie Diet

The meal ideas mentioned in this leaflet can be used when reintroducing food to your diet following an 800 kcal treatment plan.

• All meals in this guide contain less than 400kcal.
• Start by swapping one shake at a time for a meal. For example, having a meal at lunchtime instead of a shake for 2 weeks then adding 2 meals with 1 shake for the following 2 weeks.
• By week 16, most people have 1200 to 1500kcal each day from food.
• Your dietitian will support you to agree a calorie intake according to your individual goals and activity levels.

Key things to remember:

• Aim for 5 portions of fruit and vegetables daily (these foods are filling and very low in calories).
• Aim for 2 to 3 portions of protein daily, having protein at breakfast is a great way to start the day (these foods help keep you full).
• Include small amounts of carbohydrates in your diet and preferably wholemeal ones (these foods give you energy but we don’t need too much of them).
• Remember, different branded foods will have different amounts of calories so check your labels.
• Portion sizes, portion sizes, portion sizes! This is the foundation to your diet, smaller portions = smaller waists.
• Keep sugary foods to a minimum (these foods provide empty calories, which are calories that have no nutritional value but give the body a lot of fat and sugar).

What can I eat for breakfast?

Breakfast muffins (272kcal) makes 3 muffins

2 eggs

30g grated mozzarella cheese

1 rasher of bacon or vegetarian alternative

1 tomato.

Mix all ingredients together, pour into a greased muffin or Yorkshire pudding tray and cook for around 15 minutes

Bacon sandwich (329 kcal)

2 rashers of bacon or vegetarian alternative

1 slice of medium wholemeal bread or a sandwich thin  

5g butter (this can be used to cook the mushrooms or on the bread)

2 flat mushrooms (chopped and cooked in pan with bacon)

Half an avocado

Scrambled egg on toast (263 Kcal)

1 slice of medium wholemeal bread

2 eggs

5g unsalted butter

2 tomatoes

10g tomato ketchup

Beans on toast (272 kcal)

1 slice of wholemeal bread (medium sliced)

Half a tin of beans

Overnight oats (280 kcal)

30g uncooked porridge oats

2g cocoa

15g peanut butter

125 ml milk

Place all the ingredients in a jar and let soak overnight

Banana and peanut butter on toast (268 kcal)

1 slice of wholemeal bread

15g peanut butter

1 small banana (6 to 7 inches)

What can I eat as a small meal?

Fish finger sandwich (348kcal)

3 fish fingers

2 slices of wholemeal bread (medium sliced)

Jacket potato with salad and optional toppings (199kcal)

200g plain jacket potato

Half a bag of mixed salad

4 slices of cucumber

7 cherry tomatoes

Top with half a tin of beans (add 184 kcal)

100g cottage cheese (add 110kcal)

30g grated mozzarella cheese (add 94 kcal)

1 tin of tuna in brine or spring water and 15ml mayonnaise (add 268kcal)

Tuna salad (328kcal)

1 tin of tuna brine/spring water mixed with 15ml mayonnaise

Use salad as advised in the jacket potato option

Ham and cheese salad (283kcal)

30g grated mozzarella cheese

2 slices of cooked ham or vegetarian alternative

Mixed salad

15ml of mayonnaise

Tin of vegetable soup (288kcal)

400g tin of soup

1 sandwich thin

Ham and tomato sandwich (247kcal)

2 slices of wholemeal bread

2 slices of cooked ham or vegetarian alternative

1 sliced tomato

Mackerel on toast (383 kcal)

1 tin of mackerel in tomato sauce

2 small slices of seeded bread

What can I eat as a main meal?

Fish and vegetables (327 kcal)

1 Basa fillet with parsley and 5g of butter

80g peas

10 pre bought potato slices baked in an oven

Sausage and mash (307kcal)

2 low fat chicken sausages or vegetarian alternative

200g raw potato boiled or steamed

80g peas

1 cooked carrot

100ml of gravy

Chicken and mushroom supreme with vegetables (334 kcal)

150g Chicken breast or vegetarian alternative

Quarter of a tin of condensed cream of mushroom soup mixed with curry powder

80g peas

1 bag of frozen cauliflower rice

Place the chicken in a slow cooker with the soup and curry powder, add a small amount of water and cook for 2.5 hrs.  This could be cooked in larger amounts and used the next day.

Tandoori chicken with rice and salad (429 kcal)

150g chicken breast cut into pieces or vegetarian alternative

Tandoori spice (Mix chicken with tandoori spice and oven bake)

Serve with half a packet (125g) of microwave wholemeal rice

Cucumber

1 tomato

Red onion

Vegetable stir fry (353kcal)

Half a packet of prepared stir fry vegetables

150g Egg noodles

Quarter of a jar of black bean sauce

Mixed bean chilli (466kcal)

Half a tin of mixed beans

1 tin of tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

1 onion

Quarter of teaspoon of mild chilli powder

Half a teaspoon of cumin powder

Coriander leaves to garnish (optional)

Half a packet of microwave wholegrain rice.

Cook the onion in a small amount of water once cooked add the spices and garlic, cook for 1 minute.  Add the tinned tomatoes and beans, simmer for around 15 minutes adding small amounts of water if needed.  Serve with rice and add coriander leaves.

The bean chilli might be enough for 2 portions and can be frozen for another day.

Contact numbers

If you need further help or advice, please contact:

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist Services Admin Hub

Telephone: 01429 522471

Opening hours: 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays)

Information and references used in the development of this leaflet

1. Food Standards Agency (2021) McCance and Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods: Seventh Summary Edition. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry; https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/60538e66d3bf7f03249bac58/McCance_and_Widdowsons_Composition_of_Foods_integrated_dataset_2021.pdf
   
2. The British Dietetic Association (2016) Carb & Calorie Counter: Count Your Carbs & Calories with Over 1,700 Food & Drink Photos! United Kingdom: Chello Publishing Limited

In the production of this leaflet, a lot of nutritional food labels were used to count the calories of meals.

Comments, concerns, compliments or complaints

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Leaflet feedback

This leaflet has been produced in partnership with patients and carers. All patient leaflets are regularly reviewed, and any suggestions you have as to how it may be improved are extremely valuable. Please write to the Clinical Governance team, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospital of North Tees, TS19 8PE or:

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Leaflet Reference: PIL1275
Date for review: January 2027