Planning Lacto vegetarian menu for weight loss

This diet is based on 2005 USDA food intake patterns for 1000 to 1600 calories

You don't have to count calories, all you need is a 8oz cup to measure.
1. Eat from each food group
2. Eat as much variety as possible within the group. This averages out calories, and provides wide variety of micronutrients.
3. As a caution, it is recommended that user take one multi vitamin supplement every day with this diet. The vitamin supplement should be taken with food.
4. User should engage in physical activity and about 8 cups of water every day. Always follow a meal with a glass of water.
5. No deep fried foods such as Pakora or Samosa.
6. No griddle fried foods, such as Paratha
7. If you must, use extra virgin olive oil to baste the top of the Roti.
8. Dairy products are the only source of dietary Cholesterol and saturated fats. You don't have to worry about dietary Cholesterol if the milk is taken in moderation.
9. Also see Lacto vegetarian healthy cooking.

Fruits 1 Cup to 1½ cup per day
During dieting, eat fresh fruits, avoid fruit juices, and dried fruits.
Vegetables: 1 cup to 1½ cups per day
It is essential to eat Dark green and Orange vegetables. Incorporate a small salad of uncooked vegetables (Spinach, carrots, bell peppers). They have numerous amount of nutrients and low calories.
Dark Green: 1 to 2 cups per week
Example are Paalak Saag, Sarson Saag. Paalak & Tofu makes an excellent choice.
Orange Vegetables: ½ cup to 1½ cups per week
Examples are Gajar Methi bhaji
Avoid vegetable juices.
Legumes & Nuts: 1 cup to 3¾ cups per day
Half of the legume should be whole with skin, examples are Rajma, Cholay, Whole Urad (Black matpe), whole Mung beans.
Milk: 2 to 3 cups per day
Drink Chach, or low fat (up to 1%) milk. If Chach is not available, make yogurt out of 1% milk with live culture. Chach is low in lactose and more readily digestible.
Grains : 3 to 5 oz per day
This gives you an allowance for Roti, Rice, and breakfast items such as Dalia and Oats.
Avoid refined grain flours
Make Roti from whole-grain or whole-meal flours. Missy Roti has more nutrition than single grain flour Roti. Missy Roti is made by combining various grain flours.
Avoid white rice including Idle and Dosa
Eat Brown Basmati Rice
For South Indian Cuisine, do not exceed the total number of servings of Dosa and Idli, than the total number of whole grain Chapati during one day.

Oils: 3 to 5 teaspoons per day
Oils are very important to diet. You must consume oils to provide you with adequate energy. This is amount of vegetable oil you should use in your cooking vegetables, legume, basting breads, and salad dressing.
Use unrefined vegetable oils (Mustard seed oil, Peanut oil, Cotton seed oil, Canola oil, or Olive oil) when needed.

Discretionary calories: 165 to 182
This is the number of calories you can use and still stay within your diet. You may use it for simple sugars or solid fats.
Honey 140calories/40 gram
Table sugar 20cal/teaspoon

Fruits 1 Cup (8 fluid ounce size)
Apple: ½ Large (3.25" diameter), 1 small (2.5" diameter), 1cup sliced
Banana: Sliced one cup, 1 Large (8" to 9" long)
Cantaloupe: 1 Cup diced
Grapes: 1 cup, 32 seedless grapes
Grapefruit: 1 Medium (4" diameter)
Orange: 1 Large (3 1/16 diameter)
Mango: 1 Large, 1 Cup sliced
Papaya: 1 Cup sliced
Peach: 1Cup sliced, 1 large (2 ¾" diameter)
Pear: 1Cup sliced, 1 medium pear (2.5 per lb)
Pineapple: 1 Cup sliced, chunks or crushed
Plum: 1 Cup sliced, 3 medium, or 2 Large
Strawberries: 1 Cup sliced, or 8 large berries
Watermelon: 1 cup sliced, or one wedge 1" thick
Dried fruits:1/2 cup of fresh fruits
Fruit juices: 1 Cup of Fresh fruit
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Vegetables 1 Cup (8 fluid ounce size) Equivalent
Dark Green
Broccoli raw/cooked : 1 Cup chopped , 3 spears 5" long
Leafy cooked (Mustard greens, Collard Greens, Turnip Green, Kale, Spinach Cooked/Raw: 1 Cup
Spinach raw: 2 Cups
Avoid vegetable juices. They have little or no fiber.
Cooking destroys many vitamins, incorporate at least one salad of raw vegetables (Spinach, tomatoes, Cucumbers, Carrots).
Use Tofu in place of Paneer when possible.
Paalak Paneer: Make Paneer from 2% Milk. Do not use Cream. Use corn starch dissolved in water to add body.
Orange Vegetables
Carrots raw/cooked: 1 Cup, 2 medium size
Pumpkin cooked: 1 Cup
Sweet potato cooked: 1 Cup, 1 large (2 ¼” or more diameter)
Winter squash (acorn, butternut, hubbard) cooked : 1 Cup cubed
Starchy Vegetables
Corn: 1 Cup, 1 large ear (8" to 9" long)
Green peas: 1 Cup
White potato cooked: 1 Cup, 1 medium size (2 ½ " to 3" diameter)
Other Vegetables
Bean sprouts cooked: 1 Cup
Cabbage Green (Bandh Gobi) raw or cooked: 1 Cup
Cauliflower (Gobi) raw or cooked: 1 Cup
Celery raw or cooked: 1 Cup diced, 2 stalks (11" to 12" long)
Cucumbers raw: 1 Cup sliced
Green or wax beans cooked: 1 Cup
Bell peppers, red or green, cooked or raw: 1 Cup, 1 large pepper (3” diameter, 3-¾” long)
Lettuce chopped raw: 2 Cups
Mushrooms (Khumbi) raw or cooked: 1 Cup
Onions raw or cooked: 1 cup
Tomatoes: 1 cup chopped raw or cooked, 1 large raw whole (3")
Vegetable Juice: 1 cup
Summer squash or zucchini cooked: 1 Cup cooked
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Legumes 1 Cup equivalent
1 cup of cooked dry beans Urad (Ma ki Dal), Red Kidney Beans (Rajma), Cholay (Chick peas) without oil
2 Cups Dal (Pigeon pea soup, Mung soup, Lentil soup)
1 cup Tofu ½" cubes (about 8 ounces)
Peanuts dry roasted: ¼ cup = 1 oz =  3 teaspoon = 14 grams has 165 calories
Cashews dry roasted: ¼ cup = 1 oz =  3 teaspoon = 15 grams has 170 calories
Almonds dry roasted: ¼ cup = 1 oz =  3 teaspoon = 15 grams has 170 calories
Hazelnuts: ¼ cup = 1 oz =  4 teaspoon = 18 grams has 185 calories
Sunflower seeds: ¼ cup = 1 oz =  3 teaspoon = 14 grams has 120 calories
½ ounce of nuts (12 almonds, 24 pistachios, 7 walnut halves)
½ ounce of seeds (pumpkin, sunflower or squash seeds, hulled, roasted)

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Milk 1 Cup (8 fluid ounce size) Equivalent
One Cup serving equals
8 oz Chach
8 oz fat free or 1% fat milk
8 oz plain low fat or no fat Yogurt
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Grains 1 oz equivalent
Bread whole grain: 1 Slice
Oat meal whole grain: 1/2 cup cooked from 1 oz dry
Popcorn whole grain: 3 cups
Brown rice cooked: 1/2 cup from 1 oz dry
Roti: 1 (small 6" diameter) 38 gram Roti. Its normally called Phulka
Naan: 1/2
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