All of us wish we could eat healthier and some of us wish we could lose weight. There are millions, maybe not quite that many, of diets out there that offer us everything from the glycemic index to packaged food programs
All of these diets have their good points and their bad points, but the thing that we must remember is “Our food choices affect our health, weight, mood, and ultimately our self esteem”.
Another important point to consider is “If you take in 2000 calories, you will keep most of them” This is a broad statement and can only be calculated accurately by using some complex computations. I will save this topic for another blog (but send me a nudge if you need this information sooner rather than later). The point I am making is “No matter what diet you use, if you take in more calories than you need or use, the rest is stored as fat”!
This does not have to be a daily calorie counting nightmare. Just try to find some foods that you like that can be substituted for the ones you eat now that could save you some, fat, calories, carbs, etc. There are plenty of choices out there, and here is one http://living.health.com/2008/05/08/learn-to-substitute/
I have listed a few choices below that I think you might use in every day life.
Breakfast
- Instead of instant Apple-Cinnamon oatmeal
- Try Steel-cut oats with 1/4 cup fresh chopped apples and a dash of cinnamon.
- Why? You’ll still taste the apple cinnamon, but you’ll feel full longer because they take longer to digest
- Instead of corn flake cereal
- Try Bran Flahe cereal with raisins
- Why? You’ll get 1/4 your daily fiber from the Bran Flaked where the corn flakes have very few
- Instead of cottage cheese (1% fat) with bananas
- Try Part-skim ricotta cheese with bananas
- Why? There is 2-1/2 times the calcium in the ricotta
- Instead of nonfat strawberry yogurt
- Try nonfat Greek yogurt with sliced fresh strawberries
- Why? Greek yogurt has almost twice the protein of regular yogurt, and the fresh berries have antioxidants.
Lunch
- Instead of vegetable soup
- Try split pea soup
- Why? you get 10 grams of protein, which is equal to a glass of milk or an egg
- Instead of buffalo wings with ranch or bleu cheese dressing
- Try shrimp cocktail with cocktail sauce
- Why? You’ll get rid of the bad fat in the dressing and skin and gain inflammation fighting Omega-3′s
- Instead of chicken salad sandwich with regular mayo
- Try Tuna salad made with canola oil mayo
- Why? You get a double dose of heart-healthy omega-3 fats
- Instead of a crispy chicken wrap
- Try a kid-sized hamburger
- Why? It will save you 90 calories and 8 grams of fat.
Dinner
- Instead of meatloaf using 85% lean ground beef
- Try meatloaf using ground turkey (white meat)
- Why? Not only will you save 100 calories you’ll save 13 grams of fat (per slice)
- Instead of Meat lasagna
- Try cheese ravioli
- Why? It has about 1/2 the total and saturated fat
- Instead of tossed salad with iceberg lettuce
- Try using spinach leaves
- Why? It has antioxidants to keep your eyes healthy
Snacks
- Instead of cheese crackers
- Try cheese and an apple
- Why? Apples contain a cancer fighting agent
- Instead of 1/2 cup chocolate ice cream
- Try 1/2 cup fat-free chocolate pudding
- Why? You’ll lose 7 grams of fat
- Instead of 1 oz cashews
- Try 1 oz almonds
- Why? You gain 2 grams of proteins and 2 grams of fiber
Like I said at the beginning “Just try to find some foods that you like that can be substituted for the ones you eat now that could save you some, fat, calories, carbs, etc.”.
