3000 Calorie Menu

I was wondering if you could help me prepare a 3 meal menu for a correction facility with a 3000 calorie intake. Having some diabetics, no meat diets.

Erick Shouse

Hi Erick,

Here are some ideas:

For 3000 calories/day serve this many servings of each food:

Vegetables 8
Breads 11
Meats 5 (based on medium-fat choices--you can balance high-fat and very lean/lean choices throughout the day)
Milk 6
Fruits 8
Fats 6

The following resources will help you determine what counts as a serving:

https://wcuvax1.wcu.edu/~kawhite/classes/exchanges.html

https://www.diabeteslibrary.org/news/news_item.cfm?NewsID=54  (detailed lists of foods and serving sizes)

Here's a sample menu.  Carbohydrate groups can be interchanged (fruits, milk, starches) with what is termed "other carbohydrates" (foods like jam, ice-cream, potato chips.  Where "junk" foods are using up one of the carbohydrate (CHO) groups, I've noted it by using the following notation: (fruit:CHO).  This menu will work for diabetics; no changes needed.  Replace the meat for No-meat eaters with 1/2 cup meat-free chili in the dinner menu.  They can top their baked potato with it.

Breakfast:

1-1/2 cups oatmeal (3 bread)
2 cups milk (2 milk)
1/2 cup orange juice (1 fruit)
1 slice whole-wheat toast (1 bread)
1 tsp margarine or butter (1 fat)
1 tablespoon jam (1 fruit:CHO)

Snack:

3 graham crackers (2-1/2-inch square) (1 bread)
1 cup milk (1 milk)
1 apple (1 fruit)

Lunch:

4 slices whole-wheat bread (4 bread)
2 tablespoons peanut butter (2 meat)
2 tablespoons jam (2 fruit:CHO)
1 oz potato chips (2 fats, 1 fruit:CHO)
1 banana (1 fruit)
1 cup vegetable juice (2 vegetables)

Snack:

1 cup sugar-free yogurt (1 milk)
2 cups baby carrots, celery sticks, broccoli and cauliflower florets (2 vegetables)
2 tablespoon reduced calorie salad dressing (1 fat)

Dinner:

1 dinner roll (1 bread)
3 oz baked chicken breast (3 meat)
3 cups tossed green salad (3 vegetables)
1 small baked potato (1 bread)
1/2 cup green beans (1 vegetable)
1 tsp butter or marg (1 fat)
2 tablespoon sour cream (2 fat)
2 tablespoons reduced calorie salad dressing (1 fat)
1 tablespoon jam (1 fruit:CHO)

Dessert:

1 cupcake (2 milk:CHO; 1 fat)
(if I counted correctly . . . Equals:)
11 breads
5 meats
6 milk
6 fat
8 fruit
8 vegetables

Other Ideas:

For no meat menus:  egg salad sandwiches; cottage cheese with peaches; grilled cheese sandwiches; grilled tofu, meatless chili.

Good luck,