Food Facts

1000 Calorie Menu Plan

• By Rich Health Editorial Team
• July 02, 2025

What is Calorie

Calorie is a unit of measurement by means of which the amount of energy produced in the human body by different kinds of food is calculated.

 

Calories [1] are not nutrients but simply units of measurement that determine the energy value of food. One calorie, when used as a dietary unit, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree centigrade.

 

Amount of Calories the Body Needs

A person’s calorie needs depend on his activity and such other factors as age and body build. A man doing very heavy work may need as much as 3,500 calories daily. An elderly, inactive woman may need less than 2,000 calories. 

 

If the food you eat supplies more calories than you need, the excess is stored as fat. You gain about 0.45kg for every 3,500 calories in excess of your needs.

Many people control their weight by counting up their daily calorie intake. The number of calories supplied by average servings of all kinds of foods has been determined; a boiled egg, for instance, supplies about 80 calories, and a pat of butter, about 100 calories.

 

The caloric values of food must be considered in planning diet. Young persons need more calories and older ones fewer. If your diet supplies more calories than required, the result may be obesity.

 

Calories in Common Food

Carbohydrates, obtained from starchy foods such as bread and potatoes, provide most of our energy. They supply between 40 and 50 percent of the calories needed each day. Fats provide about 35 to 40 percent, and the remainder is supplied by proteins, from food such as meat, fish and cheese, which build new body tissues.

 

 

Fats are the most concentrated source of calories and can supply twice as much energy as can a similar weight of carbohydrates or protein. As long as the correct balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins is maintained, the most important aspect of planning a daily intake of food is to ensure that it contains the right number of calories to meet your individual calorie requirement.

 

Fattening Foods

If you are concerned about excess weight and know that it is not caused by any functional disorder of your body, you can easily set up a regime of regular exercise combined with dieting that should result in a slow but steady weight loss.

Before you plan your diet, you should know what types of food are high in calories and fattening so that you can avoid them as much as possible.

Generally, all foods that are rich in fat are fattening. These include:

Butter, margarine, cream

Certain cheese

 

Oils, salad dressings, mayonnaise

Food fried in deep fat

Ice cream

Nuts

Chocolate 

Fatty meat

Foods that are heavy in starch or sugar are equally fattening. The chief ones are:

Potatoes

Bread, crackers

 

Cookies, cake, pastries, candy

Rice

Noodle, macaroni

Carbonated drinks

Alcoholic drinks

On the opposite side of the caloric scale, there are many nourishing foods that will add minimal number of calories to your diet:

Eggs

Lean meat

Skim milk and all skim-milk products

Fresh fruits

Vegetables

Please note that the way food is prepared may add calories to your diet. A boiled egg has about 77 calories; fried, it has 110 calories. A half-cup of boiled potatoes equals 55 calories; when fried, it has about 150 calories.

 

High Calorie Diet

High calorie foods are usually rich in fat or contain large amounts of carbohydrates or protein that have the same number of calories per gram. Your body requires a certain number of calories in order to function efficiently. If your diet provides too few calories, your body will begin to consume its stored proteins and fats in order to supply the energy it needs.

 

If you eat more calories than your system can use, however, your body will store the excess food as fat.

 

The amount of calories you need is determined by your body size and the kinds of daily activities in which you participate. For example, a six-foot-tall footballer obviously needs more calories than a five-foot-tall chess player.

 

Men generally need more calories than women. Active children and growing teenagers must have them in abundance.

 

If you feel that you are too heavy, or not heavy enough, you can adjust your caloric intake to compensate for the discrepancy. Check your weight using our Ideal Weight Calculator. If there’s a marked difference between your actual weight and the desirable weight given for a person of your gender, height and age, you should consider going on a diet.

1000 Calorie Menu Plan

If after checking your weight and you decide that you need to lose weight in an effective manner, this sample 3-day menu [2] will cut your calories intake to 1,000 per day and still provide all necessary nutrients:

DAY 1

MEAL	FOOD	NUTRIENTS
Breakfast	• 1 cup fat-free or 1% cottage cheese  • 1 cup blueberries	240 calories  28 g protein  26 g carbohydrate  4 g fiber
Lunch	• 4 ounces baked or grilled chicken breast (or 1 cup diced breast meat)  • 1 cup fresh or frozen green beans, steamed  • ⅓ cup steamed brown rice	290 calories  40 g protein  23 g carbohydrate  5 g fiber
Snack	• Kashi TLC Chewy Granola bar	140 calories  7 g protein 20 g carbohydrate  4 g fiber
Dinner	• Chinese Chicken Salad  • 3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped  • ½ cup cilantro leaves, shredded  • ¼ cup scallions, chopped  • 2 tablespoons almonds, sliced or slivered  • 3 ounces chicken breast, roasted and cubed  • 1 tablespoon Trader Joe’s Lemon Ginger Sesame Dressing or Newman’s Own Lighten Up Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette	290 calories  32 g protein  19 g carbohydrate  5 g fiber
Snack	• 1 medium fresh peach (about 3 ounces)	40 calories  1 g protein  11 g carbohydrate  2 g fiber
	Total Calories for the Day	1,000 calories  108 g protein  100 g carbohydrate  20 g fiber

 

DAY 2

MEAL	FOOD	NUTRIENTS
Breakfast	Granola Berry Yogurt  • 1 cup fat-free plain Greek style yogurt  • ½ cup blueberries or sliced strawberries  • ½ cup Kashi GoLean high protein, high fiber cereal (6 to 8 g protein in ½ cup)	235 calories  20 g protein  42 g carbohydrate  8 g fiber
Lunch	Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Sandwich  • 4 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast  • ½ teaspoon salt  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes) – brush chicken and pineapple with juice while cooking  • ½-inch-thick slice pineapple, grilled (mango is good too)  • 1 medium whole-wheat hamburger bun, toasted  • 2 large basil leaves	290 calories  30 g protein  30 g carbohydrate  4 g fiber
Snack
Dinner	Maple-lemon Glaze Grilled Salmon with Vegetable Stir-fry and Cous Cous  • 5 ounces salmon (best if wild) • 10-minute marinade, about 1 tablespoon each of: - lemon juice - 1ight maple syrup - cider vinegar (with no salt added)  • ½ cup fresh or frozen green beans  • ½ cup sliced red peppers  • ½ cup broccoli or cauliflower florets  • ⅓ cup whole-wheat cous cous	390 calories  47 g protein  23 g carbohydrate  5 g fiber
Snack	• 1 medium fresh peach (about 3 ounces)  • ½ cup fat-free plain cottage cheese	100 calories  15 g protein  15 g carbohydrate  2 g fiber
	Total Calories for the Day	1,015 calories  112 g protein  110 g carbohydrate  19 g fiber

 

DAY 3

MEAL	FOOD	NUTRIENTS
Breakfast	Eggs and Bacon  • 2 large eggs, poached, or scrambled or fried using olive oil cooking spray  • 1 slice Canadian bacon (1 ounce)  • ½ whole-wheat English muffin	290 calories  21 g protein  15 g carbohydrate  2 g fiber
Lunch	• Wendy’s small chili or 1 cup Campbell’s Roadhouse Beef and Bean Chili Soup  • ½ whole-wheat English muffin • Add ½ cup fresh or frozen green beans	300 calories  21 g protein  38 g carbohydrate  10 g fiber
Snack
Dinner	Ancho-rubbed Flank Steak with Roasted Vegetables  • 4 ounces flank steak rubbed and pan fried with light olive oil • Ancho Rub: - ½ teaspoon brown sugar - ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder - ¼ teaspoon ground cumin  • Roasted vegetables: - 1 zucchini, thickly sliced - ½ cup cherry tomatoes - 1 cup sliced asparagus Toss vegetables with light olive oil, salt, and a squeeze of lemon; roast in the oven at 500°F for 10 minutes	320 calories  30 g protein  18 g carbohydrate  7 g fiber
Snack	• 1 medium fresh peach (about 3 ounces)  • ½ cup fat-free plain cottage cheese	100 calories  15 g protein  15 g carbohydrate  2 g fiber
	Total Calories for the Day	1,010 calories  87 g protein  86 g carbohydrate  21 g fiber

 

 

REFERENCES

[1] Calories by Eva Osilla, Anthony Safadi and Sandeep Sharma

[2] University of Washington, Medical Center, UW Medicine, Food and Nutrition Services