One of the most common questions that I get asked from my eating disorder clients is how normal meals at home can fit into an eating disorder recovery meal plan. Therefore, over the next 10 blog posts (this is post # 8), I will be breaking down 10 everyday meals into an exchange based eating disorder meal plan.
For example purposes, I will be using the same mock meal plan (and specific exchange system) that I provided in the blog post titled Meal Plans for Eating Disorder Recovery. *Please remember that I am providing the following meal plan as an example only (as nutritional needs are based on multiple factors including gender, age, height, weight, and activity level). To determine an eating disorder recovery meal plan for your own individualized nutritional needs, visit a registered dietitian that specializes in eating disorder treatment.
Meal # 8 Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
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Lunch (2 grains, 2-4 oz protein, 1 fruit, 1 vegetable, 3-4 fats, 1 milk):
-grilled cheese sandwich made with 2 slices of lightly buttered bread and 3 slices of cheese (2-4 ounces protein, 2 grains, 3 fats)
-sliced apple (1 fruit)
-1 cup raw vegetables (1 vegetable)
-1 cup skim milk (1 milk) or 3/4 cup tomato soup (1 grain)
*having the tomato soup, milk, grilled cheese sandwich, apple and raw vegetables would put this lunch meal over by 1 grain exchange. However, many people would prefer to have tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. Therefore, if my client really wanted the soup with the sandwich, I would say go for it and just leave off the milk exchange. Why? Because this food combination makes sense, the calories are essentially a wash between the two exchanges (a grain versus a milk exchange), and calcium is being consumed through the cheese. It will all even out and we all need to be flexible sometimes!
Dinner (3 grains, 2-4 oz protein, 1 vegetable, 3-4 fats, 1 milk):
-grilled cheese sandwich made with 2 slices of lightly buttered bread and 3 slices of cheese (2-4 ounces protein, 2 grains, 3 fats)
-3/4 cup tomato soup (1 grain)
-1 cup raw vegetables (1 vegetable)
-1 cup skim milk (1 milk)![]()
For example purposes, I will be using the same mock meal plan (and specific exchange system) that I provided in the blog post titled Meal Plans for Eating Disorder Recovery. *Please remember that I am providing the following meal plan as an example only (as nutritional needs are based on multiple factors including gender, age, height, weight, and activity level). To determine an eating disorder recovery meal plan for your own individualized nutritional needs, visit a registered dietitian that specializes in eating disorder treatment.
Meal # 8 Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Lunch (2 grains, 2-4 oz protein, 1 fruit, 1 vegetable, 3-4 fats, 1 milk):
-grilled cheese sandwich made with 2 slices of lightly buttered bread and 3 slices of cheese (2-4 ounces protein, 2 grains, 3 fats)
-sliced apple (1 fruit)
-1 cup raw vegetables (1 vegetable)
-1 cup skim milk (1 milk) or 3/4 cup tomato soup (1 grain)
*having the tomato soup, milk, grilled cheese sandwich, apple and raw vegetables would put this lunch meal over by 1 grain exchange. However, many people would prefer to have tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. Therefore, if my client really wanted the soup with the sandwich, I would say go for it and just leave off the milk exchange. Why? Because this food combination makes sense, the calories are essentially a wash between the two exchanges (a grain versus a milk exchange), and calcium is being consumed through the cheese. It will all even out and we all need to be flexible sometimes!
Dinner (3 grains, 2-4 oz protein, 1 vegetable, 3-4 fats, 1 milk):
-grilled cheese sandwich made with 2 slices of lightly buttered bread and 3 slices of cheese (2-4 ounces protein, 2 grains, 3 fats)
-3/4 cup tomato soup (1 grain)
-1 cup raw vegetables (1 vegetable)
-1 cup skim milk (1 milk)