The 500 calorie diet, also known as the HCG diet plan, has had a lot of controversial reviews.  Some say that a 500 calorie diet can be detrimental to your health, while others have another point of view.  The facts are that a 500 calorie diet without HCG is dangerous and could cause serious health issues.  Therefore, it is critical that you take HCG, whether by drops or injections, so that your body is able to release the fat reserves as opposed to your body stealing from your lean muscles for nourishment during the phases of the diet.

500 Calorie Diet Food List

The 500 calorie diet consists of specific foods you can eat.  Anything not on the list is not permitted.  If you do eat something that is not on the list, the diet would not only be ineffective, it could possibly make you gain weight.  Here are the foods you can eat while on the HCG diet:

• Free Foods – These are foods that you can eat as much as you want.  These foods include:  Miracle Noodles, organic low sodium vegetable, chicken, and beef broth, sugar-free Jell-o.
• Beef – 100 Grams – These foods include:  lean ground beef, cube steak, top round steak, sirloin tip steak, veal, and veal chop.
• Fowl – 100 Grams – This only includes chicken.  Turkey or any other fowl are not allowed on the HCG diet.
• Seafood – 100 Grams – These foods include:  crab meat, cod, flounder, haddock, halibut, lobster, red snapper, shrimp, tilapia, lemon sole, monkfish, and whiting.
• Vegetables – 100 Grams – These foods include:  asparagus, broccoli, celery, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, lettuce, red radishes, spinach raw, spinach frozen, and tomatoes.
• Fruit – 100 Grams – These foods include:  apples, navel oranges, Florida oranges, strawberries, and grapefruit.
• Bread – 1 serving – There are only two forms of bread you can have and these include:  Grissini breadstick and Melba toast.

These foods must be weighed on a food scale.  Never guess the amount of food that is on your plate while doing this 500 calorie diet.  Pay close attention to the amount of food and know the calories for each food item.

Spicing up the 500 Calorie Diet Food List

While you may only consume what is on the above list, you do not have to have boring and bland meals.  You are allowed to use pretty much any type of seasoning to spice up your meals.   In fact, it is highly recommended that you research the Internet for HCG diet recipes before you even begin your HCG 500 calorie diet plan.

One of the main reasons why people fail on this diet is because they simply become bored with the meals and do not want to take the time to mess with creating new ideas.  An effective way to keep motivated during the 500 calorie diet phase is to write up a menu with the new recipes on them.  You can make up a weekly or monthly menu that lists every single thing you will eat each day.   Knowing what you can eat along with knowing how to create exciting recipes will help to ensure your 500 calorie diet plan is a complete success.