A 1600 calorie diet is a fairly low calorie plan to lose weight or maintain an average healthy weight.

To make sure that all the dietary needs including minerals and vitamins are met, the 1600 calorie diet includes food items from all categories:

1. A healthy breakfast that has about 500 calories is preferable to avoid a heavy meal for lunch.
2. 1 cup of oatmeal topped with 2 tablespoons of raisins and 12 chopped almonds, served with 1 cup of skim milk and a banana is a good breakfast option.
3. Lunch should also contain 500 calories.
4. A healthy and filling lunch for this diet plan might include cup of broth-based soup, such as chicken noodle, 2 cups of mixed greens topped with 3 ounces of grilled salmon and 2 tablespoons of low-fat salad dressing, one-half of a whole-wheat pita and 1 cup of nonfat yogurt.
5. Dinner needs to have around 500 calories; one can have 4 ounces of tofu stir fried with a 1 1/2 cup mixture of onions, peppers and Chinese cabbage and 1 cup of brown rice for 480 calories.
6. Daily snack should be limited to 100 calories. One can make snack count by filling it with nutrient rich food. One small apple with 2 teaspoons of peanut butter will be apt for 100 calories.

1. Avoid candy, soda, sugar, white rice, white pasta, white bread, sweet syrup, breakfast cereal, desserts, and pastries contain simple carbohydrates.
2. Avoid margarine, butter, eggs, milk, cheese, and red meat are high in saturated fat.
3. Avoid eating red meat as it contains high levels of saturated fat that shoot up the cholesterol levels in the blood.
4. Avoid eating fried foods such as fried chicken, deep fried foods, and potato fries.
5. Avoid alcohol
6. Avoid aerated and artificially sweetened drinks.

Do's:

1. Eat Healthy Fat to Lose Weight
2. Eat 2-3 hours before going to sleep
3. Make Healthy Swaps
4. Follow Smart Tips for Dining Out

Don'ts:

1. Don't starve yourself
2. Dont dehydrate yourself
3. Dont eat if your are not hungry
4. Dont eat too much saturated fat

1. Non-starchy fruits and vegetables
2. Complex carbohydrates, found in whole grain bread and pasta, bran, etc.
3. Use olive oil, vegetable oil, rice bran oil, canola oil, mustard oil, and peanut oil.
4. Eat lentils, beans, soy, mushroom, tofu, fish, turkey, chicken breast, and lean cuts of beef.
5. Have five or six small meals throughout the day.
6. Eat a heavy breakfast