The Mini-Meal Diet
The mini-meal diet is a plan designed to encourage weight loss by preventing cravings. With the mini-meal diet, a person eats six small meals a day instead of the traditional three large meals a day. By eating six small meals throughout the day, a person does not experience bouts of extreme hunger and sugar or carbohydrate cravings. The six mini-meals keep the body's blood sugar level, which prevents food cravings.
Calculating Meal Size
Each meal in the mini-meal diet should consist of healthy, low-fat food items. To determine how much food you should eat in a day, determine your daily calorie intake goals. Your daily calories should be divided six ways. Each mini-meal should consist of 1/6 of your daily calorie intake. For example, if your daily calorie intake is 1,200 calories, each mini-meal should contain 200 calories. Some people do not count calories on the mini-meal diet, but instead focus on keeping the mini-meals small and low-fat. A mini-meal can consist of a small bag of almonds and an apple, a mixed green salad, a tuna salad, or a small portion of pasta.
Eating a Balanced Diet
It is important to remember to eat a balanced diet. Eating on the mini-meal diet can feel like eating six snacks a day. It is important that you do not think of the mini-meals as snacks. They should be thought of as small meals. Pay attention to what you eat so that you can make sure to eat a balanced diet that contains foods from all of the food groups.
Meal Preparation
Eating the mini-meal diet does not eliminate your favorite healthy foods. You can eat your favorite meals, just in a smaller amount. A convenient mini-meal preparation method is to cook your favorite meals, package them mini-meal size in plastic containers and stick them in the refrigerator. When meal time comes, you pull a container out of the fridge and you have a ready-made mini-meal.
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