Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid: A sample menu

This sample menu shows you how the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid can help you plan daily meals and snacks.

By Mayo Clinic staff

The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid is a tool that helps guide you toward eating a balanced, nutritious diet while achieving a healthy weight. The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid illustrates the types and amounts of food you need to eat every day from each of the six represented food groups. The healthy weight pyramid also includes a physical activity component, which is an important part of weight loss and maintenance of weight loss.

Illustration of Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid

A sample menu under the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid

This sample menu for a day follows the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid. The sample menu shows you how to fit in servings from each category in the healthy weight pyramid. You can adjust the menu to suit your own tastes and calorie needs.

Example of an approximately 1,200-calorie menu
Breakfast
1 small banana
1/2 cup bran cereal
1 cup fat-free milk
Herbal tea
Lunch
Turkey sandwich made with 4 ounces sliced turkey breast, 1 tablespoon low-calorie mayonnaise, tomato slice, leaf lettuce and 2 slices whole-grain bread
2 cups raw baby carrots, jicama and bell pepper strips
1 small apple
Water
Dinner
2 ounces broiled beef tenderloin
2/3 cup steamed green beans
3 baby potatoes with 1 teaspoon trans fat-free margarine
Salad made with 2 cups butterhead lettuce (bibb, Boston, etc.) or leaf lettuce, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes and 2 tablespoons fat-free salad dressing
1/3 cup lemon sherbet
Sparkling water with lemon
Snack (any time)
1 small pear
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References
  1. Nutritionist Pro Diet Analysis (computer program). Stafford, Texas: Axxya Systems; version 2.5.0 — 2010. http://www.nutritionistpro.com/index.php. Accessed Dec. 16, 2010.
  2. Zeratsky KA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 20, 2010.
  3. Nelson JK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 16, 2010.
SA00103 Jan. 20, 2011

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