Plan your meals easily with the food replacement system
If you are a dieter, Are you bored of your usual meals and want a change? The food replacement system is your best friend to plan your next meals without boredom or restriction.
What is the food replacement system?
It is a system used by dietitians to plan meals for patients. One of its most distinctive features is that it contains a variety of foods that can be used to plan healthy and balanced meals.
The system is divided into food groups, Each group contains several foods that share the number of grams of sugars, protein, fat, and calories they contain.
Sections of the food alternative system
The groups are divided into several groups, namely:
carbohydrate substitutes
The first section of the food replacement diet is the carbohydrate substitutes. In order to obtain a balanced diet, it is recommended to eat 6-11 servings of starches , and the food portion is estimated with one slice of bread, for example, a quarter of a loaf of bread, or half a loaf of bran bread, or half a cup of rice, pasta, cooked grains, and starchy vegetables.
This portion contains 15g of carbohydrates, 3g of protein, 0-1g of fat, and 80 calories. Among the starch alternatives, we mention
| food | The amount of food portion |
| Cooked rice | A third of a cup of rice or two tablespoons |
| cooked macaroni | Half a cup or three tablespoons |
| peas | Half a cup |
| Microwave popcorn or without fat | Three cups |
| Uncooked oats | 3 spoons |
| cooked oats | Half a cup |
| boiled potatoes | Half a cup |
| Cooked noodles | Half a cup |
| Sesame cake | one piece |
| cake | one piece |
| Crisp | 10 fingers |
| maize | Half a cup |
vegetable alternatives
The second part of the diet of food alternatives is vegetables. As for vegetables, it means non-starchy vegetables , so it is recommended to eat 3 to 5 servings per day. The food portion is estimated at one cup of fresh vegetables and half a cup of cooked vegetables. As for leafy vegetables, the share is estimated at 2 cups.
One serving of vegetables contains 5g of sugars and 2g of protein and provides about 25 calories. These vegetables include: eggplant, mint, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables, Cucumber, tomato, mallow, zucchini and lettuce.
After the vegetables group, comes the fruits group, where experts recommend eating 2-4 servings per day. The nutritional value of a serving is estimated by a medium piece of fruit. One serving of fruits contains 15 grams of carbohydrates and provides the body with 60 calories.
| food item | Period |
| apple | one piece |
| Small banana | one piece |
| Fresh apricot | 4 pills |
| Fruit cocktail | Half a cup |
| grapefruit | Half a pill |
| Blackberry | Three quarters of a cup |
| blueberry | Three quarters of a cup |
| grapes | 18 tablets |
| date | 3 pills |
| fig | 2 medium tablets |
| dried fog | One and a half pills |
| orange | Medium grain |
| watermelon | single slide |
| peach | 1 tablet |
| canned pineapple | Three quarters of a cup |
| Fresh pineapple | Half a cup |
| strawberry | A cup and a quarter |
Milk substitutes and its derivatives
Nutritionists recommend 2-3 servings of milk and its derivativesOne portion is approximately one cup of milk or its substitutes, and the portion contains 12 grams of carbohydrates and 8 grams of protein. As for fats and calories, it depends on the percentage of fat in milk, as the food alternative system is divided into fat-free, low-fat and full-fat milk derivatives.
A serving of skim milk contains 1-3 grams of fat and provides 90 grams of calories.
| food | Period |
| skimmed milk | cup |
| Skimmed yogurt | cup |
| Skimmed milk powder | A third of a cup or two tablespoons |
As for the low-fat milk alternative, it contains 5 grams of fat and provides 120 calories.
| food | Period |
| Low fat milk | cup |
| Low fat yogurt | cup |
| Soy milk | 1 cup |
As for the whole milk alternative, it contains 8 grams of fat and provides 150 calories.
| food | Serving size |
| full-fat milk | 1 cup |
| Full fat concentrated milk | 1/2 cup |
| Full fat yogurt | 1 cup |
Meat and legume substitutes
Nutrition experts recommend eating 2-3 servings from the meat and legume group. This group is rich in protein, as each serving contains 7 grams of protein. As for fat, it depends on its fat content, so it is divided into a very low-fat group. and a low-fat group, a medium-fat group and a high-fat group.
A group that is very low in fat and contains 0-1 gram and contains 35 calories
| food | food ration |
| Cooked legumes (chickpeas, beans, lentils) | 1/2 cup |
| Chicken breast | 30 gr |
| Fresh tuna | 30 gr |
| Low-fat cheese | 3 gr |
| Egg whites | Two pills |
| Low fat sausage | 30 gr |
Lean meat contains 3 grams of fat and provides 55 calories
| food | food ration |
| Beef after removing the fat | 30 gr |
| Lamb leg or leg | 30 gr |
| Tuna fish in oil | half a can |
| Sardines canned in oil or fresh | half a can |
| chicken meat, Thigh without skin or breast with skin | 30 gr |
Medium-fat meat contains 5 grams of fat and provides 75 calories
| food | food ration |
| Feta or mozzarella cheese | 30 gr |
| brick | About a quarter cup or two tablespoons |
| eggs | one piece |
| lamb (ribs) | 30 gr |
| Veal | 30 gr |
| chicken leg or thigh meat with skin, Fried chicken with skin | 30 gr |
| Minced chicken or minced turkey | 30 gr |
| Sausage 5 grams of fat | 30 gr |
| Cow or goat white cheese | 30 gr |
| Fried Fish | 30 gr |
High-fat meat contains 8 grams of fat and provides 100 calories
| food | serving size |
| white cheese (ewes) | 30 gr |
| Fried white cheese | 30 gr |
| spreadable cheese (cheddar cheese) | 30 gr |
| Peanut butter | 1 spoon |
| Mortadella | 30 gr |
| chicken sausage | 1 finger |
| meat sausage | 1 finger |
List of fat substitutes
The fat servings do not contain any grams of protein or carbohydrates but contain 5 grams of fat and provide 45 calories per serving.
| food | serving size |
| butter | 1 tsp |
| coconut | 1 tbsp |
| cream | 2 tbsp |
| Medium sized avocado | 2 tablespoons (grams) |
| Olive | 1 tsp |
| black olive | 8 pills |
| Almond and cashew nuts | 6 pills |
| Peanut (Pistachio) | 10 tablets |
| Sesame seeds | 1 tbsp |
| Tahini | 2 tsp |
| Vegetable ghee | 1 tsp |
| mayonnaise | 1 tsp |
| Walnuts or walnuts | 4 halves |
| Corn, sunflower or soybean oil | 1 tsp |
| Sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds | 1 tbsp |
How to estimate portions in a food replacement system
Although the food alternative system offers wide options for dietitians to diversify meals so that the patient does not get bored, the problem is that some patients do not have a scale to measure the size of portions accurately, for example 30 grams is estimated to be approximately the size of two thumbs or a matchbox, which applies to portions of cheese and meat. As for a 60-gram serving, it is estimated in the palm of the hand without the fingers.
As for estimating the size of starches, half a cup of rice and pasta is approximately equal to the size of a fist. Fat servings are measured in teaspoons or the size of the tip of your thumb.
finally, Some may find it difficult to plan a diet at first. But it will become easier as you continue to implement the diet in your daily regimen.