Your Dot Name

Archive for the ‘Healthy Food’ Category

D-I-E-T is a 4-letter word that so many of us wish didn’t have to exist. But, since it is a necessary part of life, regardless of your metabolic make up, it would really be convenient to know what to substitute when cooking or preparing foods that will make them more wholesome with fewer calories, less sugar and more fiber. Diet is not only defined as that “thing” that you must endure in order to lose weight, but as your daily intake of foods, which if done in moderation and with a few simple substitutions can make either your maintenance of, or your achievement of your weight loss goals a reality.

The goal here is to lower your fat, sugar and salt intake while also lowering your calories and increasing your fiber, without sacrificing taste, which so many diet foods lack.

The following ingredients or foods are things you can either consume in place of or utilize in recipes as a substitution for the “fatter” alternative:
All-purpose flour-Whole-wheat flour. In baked goods you can substitute half of the flour with whole-wheat flour. You might want to use whole-wheat pastry flour in cakes and muffins as it is less dense and will produce a ‘lighter’ product. Bacon-Canadian Bacon, Turkey Bacon, Smoked Turkey or lean Proscuitto Butter, Shortening or Oil-Use Applesauce or Prune Puree for half of the butter, shortening or oil that is called for in a recipe. Oil is not an adequate substitution for butter or shortening though. If using it to prevent sticking, use a cooking spray and/or a non-stick pan instead Creamed Soups-Fat-Free Milk-Based Soups, Mashed Potato Flakes, Pureed Carrots, Potatoes or Tofu. Creamed soups are usually used as a thickening agent, so consider one of the substitutions, maybe adding a bit of low-fat, low-sodium liquid with the mashed potato flakes and adding fresh ingredients such as broccoli, chicken or cheese when those flavors are called for. Dry Bread Crumbs-Rolled Oats or crushed Bran Cereal. You can use these substitutions measure for measure. Eggs-Two Egg-whites per egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute for one whole egg. Enriched Pasta-Whole-wheat Pasta Evaporated Milk-Evaporated Skim Milk Fruit-Flavored Yogurt-Plain Yogurt with Fresh Fruit Slices. Cream Cheese-Low-Fat or Fat-Free Cream Cheese; Low-Fat Cottage Cheese or Neufchatel pureed until smooth. Sour Cream-Low-Fat or Fat-Free Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt. Ground Beef-Ground Chicken, Ground Turkey or Extra Lean or Lean Ground Beef. Main Ingredient Meat-Three times as many vegetables as what meat is called for can be used on pizzas or in casseroles, stews and soups. Margarine in Baked Goods-Butter Spreads or Shortenings that are Trans Fat-Free and formulated especially for baking or you can also experiment with the same substitutions used for Butter above. Oil-Based Marinades-Wine, Fruit Juice, Balsamic Vinegar or Fat-Free Broth. Garlic, Celery or Onion Salts-Garlic Powder, Celery Seed, Onion Powder or Finely Chopped Garlic, Celery or Onions. Soy Sauce-Hot Mustard Sauce, Low-Sodium Soy Sauce or Sweet-and-Sour Sauce.

Further options are to always opt for the low-sodium or reduced sodium versions of your favorites and stop cooking with additional salt, especially if it is an “option” in a recipe. The taste difference is negligible when compared to the health benefits. Sea salt is also an option as it has less sodium, but you need the iodine in salt to some degree in your diet. You can use sea salt in a grinder on your table and iodized sea salt in your cooking if you wish. You can also easily cut calories and fat by using low-fat, reduced-fat or fat-free dairy products and whole-wheat to replace plain old white bread. Rice is also a preferred option to pasta and can fill out or extend a recipe, but use wild rice, brown rice, bulgur rice or pearl barley instead.

Now, isn’t that easy? These are the most common “healthier” substitutions, but any time you are looking to cut fat, calories, sugar or salt, look closely at your recipe first and then think what you may be able to substitute instead. You may just like the new recipe much better and your family doesn’t even have to know.

Chances are if you’ve been on the diet train, you have heard about negative calorie foods. But what are they and do they work? Negative calorie food is considered to take more calories to burn off and digest than are actually in the food -thus rendering it negative. Any vegetable is depending on how you prepare it. If you steam them, then it will take more calories to eat and digest it than is in the vegetables. If you slather them in butter, or roast them in olive oil it won’t be a negative calorie food.

These negative calorie foods are also considered fat burning foods because your body will be burning the fat in your body to help digest the food! I’m sure you’ve heard of the famous cabbage soup diet? The theory behind this diet is that your body will be burning fat to digest the soup. The ingredients in the cabbage soup are cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, celery and onions. It’s full of vitamin and minerals and is very healthy.

All well and good, but is the food sustainable? Will you be hungry five minutes later? You may be. You have to eat a lot of the soup to ward off hunger so you may get sick of it. It’s a good diet if you need to lose a few quick pounds for that special event, but it may be difficult to maintain for a long period of time.

If you need to lose weight, it is always best to eat a healthy diet consisting of protein, fruits, vegetables and grain. Whole, healthy foods are the best way to lose weight instead of a fad extreme diet. A 3-4 ounce piece of lean protein at each meal, a cup of grain and a cup of vegetables is the best balanced way to lose weight and keep it off for good!

The Best Techniques in Losing Weight Successfully

The most important reason you should have when dieting is not to have a gorgeous looking body or fitting into those sexy skinny jeans but instead you should look at losing weight as something you need to do in order to save yourself from the dangers of various illnesses associated with being obese or overweight. This is why having a healthy diet of low calorie meals and regular exercising are considered to be important factors in maintaining a healthy body.

You don’t have to starve yourself to death or tire up your body with excessive exercising in order to get your desired body or weight. All you need to do is eat the right kinds of foods that are low in calories yet will satisfy your hunger so you stay healthy and energized in doing your daily work out routines.

Attain Your Ideal Weight with Low Calorie Meals and Daily Exercise

The secret to a long term weight loss success is through good eating habits and a healthy lifestyle. You should learn how to discipline yourself from eating unhealthy foods and in not skipping your exercise programs. Consuming dishes or foods that are not loaded with calories are highly recommended by majority of health experts. It will be risky for your health if you have an unstable weight, hence upholding your ideal weight is important.

You don’t need those miracle pills or supplements, weight loss belts or creams and purchasing those expensive fad diet programs in order to achieve an ideal weight that will be beneficial both to your body and health. All you have to do is let go of those unhealthy snacks and foods you often munch on and replace them with low calorie meals that are also delicious yet very effective in helping you lose weight. You don’t have to sacrifice your cravings for yummy dishes because low calorie foods are usually made up of great tasting recipes that will fill up your hunger so you don’t have to eat excessively. Just be careful about your calorie intake and make it a point to count or list down how much calorie you have consumed in a day.

Examples of satisfying low calorie foods include fruits, whole grains and vegetables that are high in fiber. Another group of foods you should add on your daily diet are low fat dairy like yogurt, low fat cheese and skim milk. You also need to eat lean meat, fish, turkey, and white meat chicken because they contain low fat proteins. You can try combining these low calorie foods and make your own delectable recipes out of them.

Maintaining Your Ideal Weight is Never an Issue Anymore

Although eating low calorie meals seems like a traditional kind of dieting, it is still considered to be the most effective way of losing weight the healthy way. These low calorie dishes are also great for maintaining your body’s health so you are getting two wonderful benefits out of eating something nutritious and delicious.

Many of us enjoy summer barbeques. For some, this event is a yearly summer tradition where the entire family gets together. However, an important thing to remember during these particular events is that majority of the foods we consume are laden with calories and unwanted fats. So what can you do in order to make the next backyard barbecue a low calorie fest?

Let’s start with appetizers. At a regular calorific barbecue, some of the items we may see on the picnic table include salty chips, creamy dips, and fried finger foods. Although all of these snacks are delicious, they can sure help you pack on the pounds. So instead of these greasy entrees try to cut up some fresh veggies or create your own garden fresh salsa or low calorie dips. Simply make your dip with low calorie ingredients and opt for baked chips instead of their greasy counterparts. As for the grill part of the meal, most popular items include hamburgers, fatty sausages, and steaks. All of these choices go completely against a slim waist. So what can you place on the grill so that you don’t feel guilty about abandoning your diet? Some great alternatives include skinless chicken breast, fresh fish, pork tenderloin and fresh veggies. Your meal will still be delicious but your calorie intake will be cut in half.

Dessert is one of the most exciting parts of a barbecue, especially for the kids. However, your kids have a higher chance of burning off those calories during a barbecue. Some great alternatives for those of us with a slower metabolism include watermelon wedges, chilled fruit medley or a low calorie gelatin snack. Who knows, maybe even the kids will love a cool watermelon wedge on a hot summer day. These are just a few ideas towards a low calorie barbecue.

Wherever good taste and low calories are required; a delicious vinaigrette salad must be tried. This recipe is a great low-calorie fat-free food and will go splendidly on a variety of salads. Fresh lettuce, handpicked from your garden requires, almost mandates that a vinaigrette salad dressing be its companion. The dressings are easy to make and are some of the lowest caloric-valued items that can be consumed that also taste terrific. In order to learn how to make vinaigrette salad, all one has to do is read below.

‘Vinaigrette’ is not a single type of dressing or food item, in fact, any number of combination of lemon juice and oil plus a few spices can create a wonderful vinaigrette salad dressing. Any fruit or vegetable will do just fine as a standard for the vinaigrette base. The choice is up to the consumer and the sky is the limit when it comes to creating a great vinaigrette salad dressing.

The goal of any serious dieter is to have a great low- calorie fat-free item and this is exactly what vinaigrette salad is. The best way to demonstrate how to make a lemon zest vinaigrette salad is to read below.

Lemon Zest Vinaigrette Salad

Shaved Lemon Zest 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil 1 Tablespoon Mustard 1 Tablespoon Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice Freshly Ground Black Pepper Dash of Salt

Once all the food items are accumulated it is time to grab the largest mixing bowl and whisk and get to ‘churning’. Once all the food items are smelling great and looking even better, it is time to locate a relatively larger ‘Mason’ type jar and as long as a screw lid is accompanied with the jar, deposit all the vinaigrette yummy salad dressing into this receptacle. Give the vinaigrette a few upside-down turning shakes, in order to better dissipate the oil, and then open the jar slowly. Now it is time to add the spices that are the family favorite, such as bay leaves or oregano or maybe even some of the leftover lemon zest, just to add a bit more kick. Once everything is added to the dressing it is time to place it in the refrigerator and await the production of the star of the show, the salad.

As mentioned earlier, vinaigrette salad dressing is a wonderful way to have a great taste experience and also cut down on the caloric intake. Many dieters swear by the use of vinaigrette as the tasteful concoctions spice things up and liven up a rather dull dietary plan and one that needs some extra care from time to time. That is the problem with a lot of diets, the food tastes like wood or worse rice cakes, and eventually individuals lose interest. By making this lemon zest vinaigrette dressing, that will not be a problem as the whole family will simply adore this handmade and low calorie favorite food item.

If you are fat then it is clear that your body burns less calories than your body is consuming. However, Many people are not aware that what a calorie is.

A calorie is a unit to measure energy. It is known as an amount of heat required to raise one degree temperature of one kilogram water. The important part is that your body require certain energy level according to your day to day activities and that energy level requires certain calorie in your food. If your food has more calories than you need then that extra calories go into your safe that is called fat.

So, you should have food with required amount of calories as per the requirement of your day to day activities, like a sports involved person will need much more calorie in his or her food than a software professional.

Some specific Low calorie foods are:

Red Peppers,

Swede,

Mushrooms,

Tomatoes,

Celery,

Broccoli,

Boiled potatoes,

Brussels sprouts,

Water cress,

Famous fruits with low Calories are:

Crape,

Coyote,

Melon,

Currants apricot

Some Non-Veg low calorie foods are:

Low fat Cheese,

Egg’s whites,

Beef,

Canadian bacon,

Ground turkey,

Lower fat hot dogs,

Low calorie drinks:

Soft drinks with low calories,

Coffee & tea with no sugar

Water

Water doesn’t contain any calories at all. One personal experience is that you can use warm water with lime, this alone can reduce your weight up to 10 to 20 percent in few weeks.

I hope this article will give some awareness about low calorie foods and bit about calorie.

Wishing You success.