1,200-calorie Seafood Diet

No one-size-fits-all 1,200-calorie seafood diet plan will work for everyone. The nutritional needs of a full-time mom in her 40s and a male triathlete in his 20s are just too different, so the proportions of seafood to other necessary foods will also differ. According to the Harvard School of Public Health's Healthy Eating Pyramid, the main thing to remember in creating seafood diet menus is to get most of your calories from fruits and vegetables, followed by whole grains, seafood and healthy fats. Centering a balanced, 1,200-calorie diet around seafood is a healthy plan for losing weight.

Benefits

Seafood has less cholesterol than beef or poultry, according to the American Hart Association. Most varieties of fish also have heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. You don't have to lose a drastic amount of weight to improve your health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you only need to lose 5 percent to 10 percent of your total body weight to start seeing a reduction in your risk for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. A diet that includes protein based on seafood can help support those improvements.

Seafood

Most fish has about 200 calories per cup, according to FitDay.com, though that number varies among the different kinds of fish. You should have at least two servings per day of protein, so depending on what a comfortable serving size is for you, between 200 and 400 calories of your 1,200-calorie seafood diet should come from fish or shellfish. Serving your fish baked, broiled or steamed without oils or cream sauces will help you keep your calorie count in line.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are necessary to a healthy diet and are simple to incorporate into a seafood diet. Broiled scallops on lightly steamed spinach, shrimp stir-fried with mixed peppers, baked salmon with asparagus and broiled swordfish with onions and mushrooms are just a few of the fish and vegetable combinations that can be part of a 1,200-calorie seafood diet. Green beans tossed with almonds and blackberries is a colorful accompaniment for salmon. Get creative with fruits and vegetables, and you will not miss heavy cream sauces.

Whole Grains

Whole grains are important for energy, and the fiber they contain helps keep you full. Fish and grains complement each other in taste and texture. Put your stir-fried shrimp with mixed peppers over brown rice, top with sunflower seeds and a splash of soy sauce, and you have a healthy, filling, low-calorie meal. Broil salmon and fold it into a corn or whole wheat tortilla with black beans and pico de gallo for a spicy lunch. Tuna salad on toasted whole grain raisin bread with carrot and celery sticks and an apple is another low-calorie, balanced lunch. Fish and rice are a traditional Japanese breakfast, so don't limit your seafood to lunch and dinner.

Healthy Fats

Cutting fats entirely out of your diet is not healthy, because they are necessary to help your body process vitamins like A, E, D and K. Many kinds of fish, like salmon, have enough natural oils that they don't need added fat when cooking them. Squeeze a little fresh lime or lemon on top, add a sprinkle of herbs and you have flavor with no added calories. You can also reduce your fat intake by substituting nonfat plain yogurt for mayonnaise when making tuna, crab or lobster salad.