Health and Diet Articles

Posts Tagged ‘dieting’

How to Add Flavor to Foods Without Adding Calories

Monday, February 2nd, 2009

seasoningsLow fat foods don’t have to be low in flavor! There are many techniques that can be used to infuse the flavor into low fat foods, without upping the value of the meal in calories. Use these techniques to keep your food interesting and your diet on track. Here are some easy ways to add the flavor into food without adding that fat:

Use fat Free Salad Dressings
There are very few times that a salad can be enjoyable without the dressing that comes along with it. Fat free salad dressings are a great way to reduce the fat that is associated with salad dressings that can contain up to one-hundred calories per serving! This can significantly increase the calories that are coming from your so-called healthy lunch idea!

Use Seasonings
Seasonings can be used on meat to enhance the flavor of the food. Experts recommend that leaving the meat juicy, while avoiding cooking the food until it reaches the point of well-done can be a great way to reduce the calories that are absorbed into the meat with the use of sauces that are high in calories. Seasonings and spice mixtures can be created from your own special blend – by trial and error!

Citrus Flavors
Citrus flavors are a great way to add flavor to fish, chicken and even vegetables with the juice and rind from oranges, lemons and limes. Citrus juice can be used after the fish has been cooked, even through the cooking process to implement juice and high flavorings into the fish! Combinations such as lemon and pepper have been proven crowd pleasers that add flavor without the fat! 

Use Fake Bacon
Fake bacon bits are actually made from vegetables and flavored to taste like bacon, as opposed to bacon which can come with high levels of fat and grease. Using this bacon can reduce the calories in salads and side dishes without causing you to be at an increased risk for a heart attack! Believe me, your waist line will thank you!

Use Olive Oil
Get rid of the butter in your pantry and use heart healthy olive oil. Oil can be an increasingly popular alternative to butter that comes without the fat of the butter. Butter should be used on sparing occasions – if at all! Olive oil contains high levels of the fatty omega acids which are actually beneficial to the body – compared to butter which can increase weight and the risk of disease.

Use Chicken Broth when Cooking
There are many ways that chicken broth can be used within the diet as an alternative to many other cooking aids – such as butter and high fat sauces. Chicken broth can be low in fat and low in sodium and is a healthy way to start your new lifestyle of lighter cooking!

An Introduction to Calorie Counting

Monday, February 2nd, 2009

usda-calorie-counting-tips-1Thousands of dieters are all too familiar with the process of counting calories – with weight loss journals and calorie counting tools – which leads to exasperating meal planning and extensive dieting. Counting calories can be a positive tool in weight loss that allows the dieter to gauge just how much food that they are consuming on a daily basis, but is it an effective way to curb weight gain in the future?

Before many dieters begin the calorie counting process they are unaware of just how many calories they are consuming on a daily basis. Are you one of these dieters? In many popular fast food combinations, there are up to ninety percent of the daily recommended calories! If you consume these meals on a regular basis as well as maintain your regular diet, you will soon be able to measure the effects of weight gain from over eating.
Your body consumes calories which are than processed into energy. After these calories are consumed – the excess calories are converted into fat within the body. It is important to consume a low amount of calories to maintain weight loss.

You have to burn more than 3,500 calories than you consume in order to burn just one pound of fat from the body. Keep this in mind the next time that you are foregoing a workout to sit down and eat that meal with friends at the fast food joint.

Counting calories is indeed an effective tool in weight loss and in weight management. The truth is that calories must be cut in order to lose weight. Here are some ways that you can begin to count calories – find out about the truth in your meal plan and stat down the road to weight loss.

1. Determine the amount of calories that you require through the day and don’t go over this amount. A simple calculation that can be used to determine the amount of calories that you require is to multiply your weight by ten. This number will be the amount of calories that you should be consuming in your regular diet on a regular basis.

2. Determine how many calories should be cut from the diet. Most diet plans have a consumption of less than 1,200 calories per day to ensure that the weight loss goals are achieved. This, combined with a regular exercise program can lead to a healthy weight loss of one to two pounds per week.

3. Start keeping track. Buy an inexpensive notebook and track the amount of calories that are being consumed on a daily basis. It can be helpful to track the types of foods that are being consumed along with the number of calories that are found in each meal or food.

4. Learn where to find the caloric information. Reading the nutrition label is an essential part of calorie counting. Be sure to determine how many grams or ounces are in a portion size and calculate the correct amount of calories that are based on the portion size. For example, many people count calories in cereal, but do not realize that these calories are based on serving sizes of about a quarter of a cup!

Counting calories is an essential part of weight loss. Learning which foods you are consuming as well as the calories in each can lead to an informed dieter that can lose weight effectively!

Five Ways to Resist Diet Temptation

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

victoria_cake1Temptations can be the downfall of every dieter. Whether you are facing salty temptations at the movie theatre with a large order of popcorn filled with butter or resisting the tempting brownie at the bakery – there are ways to avoid temptation, as to not ruining the diet. Use these methods when dealing with diet temptations to help you on your quest to weight loss:

Fill up before going out. Before going out with friends for dinner or to a cocktail party, fill up on good snacks that you can eat without guilt. Popcorn with butter, veggies and fruit as well as whole grains can be used to stock up the body so you will not be tempted with food that could ruin your diet. If friends ask what’s up, just explain that you are following a diet and trying to eat healthier while avoiding these foods. Friends and families are some of the worst enemies or dieters, without knowing it – they can advise you to have that extra slice of pie with dessert or the third glass of wine. Explaining your goals in health and weight loss to friends and family members can go a long way in solving the problem.

Indulge in Small Portions. When you allow yourself small portions of the foods that you have come to love such as a small piece of pie, a brownie or even a handful of baked potato chips it can reduce the chances that you will create a smorgasbord of these foods later. Rather than depriving yourself, when you give in to these small temptations you can avoid the pitfalls that come with binge eating.

Explain your Health and Fitness Goals. When you make those around you aware of your goals – they will be less likely to offer you these tempting treats that they know you will have to try so hard to resist. Explaining your weight loss goals can mean that you can have moral support at home, at the office and even within your group of friends. Who knows, if you are open with the weight loss goals you could inspire friends and coworkers to take the initiative and get their health in check as well. When you have a support group, avoiding temptations can be even easier.

Create Alternatives. There are alternative to your high calorie favorites. For example, apples in the microwave with cinnamon and sugar substitutes with fat free cool whip can be just as satisfying as a slice of apple crisp – with a percentage of the calories that come with the popular dessert. Finding these alternatives to your favorite foods can stop temptations when you know that you have something just as sweet to look forward to for dessert.
Using these tips, hopefully you can face the temptations that come with dieting head on. Having alternatives and using these techniques can bring you success in overcoming the temptations that come with such diets.