Sample Menu
Here’s a look at a 3-day diet’s menu from www.3daydiets.net.
Day 1
Breakfast
Black coffee or tea, with 1 or 2 packets of artificial sweetener
½ grapefruit or juice
1 piece of toast with 1 tsp. peanut butter
Lunch
½ cup tuna
1 piece of toast
Black coffee or tea, with 1 or 2 packets of artificial sweetener
Dinner
3 oz. of any lean meat or chicken
1 cup green beans
1 cup carrots
1 apple
1 cup regular vanilla ice cream
Day 2
Breakfast
Black coffee or tea, with 1 or 2 packets of artificial sweetener
1 egg
½ banana
1 piece of toast
Lunch
1 cup cottage cheese or tuna
8 saltine crackers
Dinner
2 beef franks
1 cup broccoli or cabbage
½ cup carrots
½ banana
½ cup vanilla ice cream
Day 3
Breakfast
Black coffee or tea, with 1 or 2 packets of artificial sweetener
5 saltine crackers
1 ounce of cheddar cheese
1 apple
Lunch
Black coffee or tea, with 1 or 2 packets of artificial sweetener
1 boiled egg
1 piece of toast
Dinner
1 cup tuna
1 cup carrots
1 cup cauliflower
1 cup melon
½ cup vanilla ice cream
Every day, drink 4 cups of water or another no-calorie drink
Nutrition
Here’s a breakdown of the nutritional content of the first day’s menu (above), alongside recommendations from the government’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
| 3-Day Diet | Recommended | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 949 | Women | Men |
|
21-25: 2,000 26-50: 1,800 51+: 1,600 |
21-40: 2,400 41-60: 2,200 61+: 2,000 |
||
| Total Fat | 15% | 20%-35% | |
| Saturated | 5% | Less than 10% | |
| Trans | 0% | N/A | |
| Total Carbohydrates | 59% | 45%-65% | |
|
Sugars (total except as noted) |
22% | N/A | |
| Fiber | 35 g. | Women | Men |
|
19-30: 28 g. 31-50: 25 g. 51+: 22 g. |
19-30: 34 g. 31-50: 31 g. 51+: 28 g. |
||
| Protein | 29% | 10%-35% | |
| Sodium | 1,088 mg. | Under 2,300 mg., under 1,500 mg. for 51+ | |
| Potassium | 1, 470 mg. | At least 4,700 mg. | |
| Calcium | 295 mg. |
19-50: 1,000 mg. 51+: 1,200 mg. |
|
| Vitamin B-12 | 2.3 mcg. | 2.4 mcg. | |
| Vitamin D | 3.5 mcg. | 15 mcg. | |
Recommendations apply to adults 19 and older except as noted. Recommended calories assume a sedentary lifestyle. g.: grams. mg.: milligrams. mcg.: micrograms. Because of rounding, protein, fat, and carbohydrate content may not add up to 100 percent.
The macrobiotic diet mimics vegetarian and vegan eating approaches. Dieters can expect to eat lots of organic, whole foods on this diet.
The Mayo Clinic diet plan focuses on lifelong healthy eating. It's rated high in nutrition, safety, and diabetes, but only moderately effective for weight loss.
The Dean Ornish Diet can be tailored to your specific health issues. The strictest version is challenging because it severely reduces fat intake.
