Salads can hide calories with the mask of eating healthy. All that green crunch has to be good for you right? Well, just 2-tablespoons of the salad dressing you drizzle on top can contain up to 140 calories if it’s creamy. A lot of times you don’t even realize how much you put on, especially when it’s at a salad bar. You really don’t need to drench every bit of salad with goo. Vegetables really do have flavor. The dressing is supposed to just add to the flavors, not mask them.
Here’s a tip to help you use a LOT less dressing, yet still enjoy the flavors you savor. Put a small amount of dressing in a cup on the side. Then dip the tip of the tines of your fork into the dressing before gathering a portion of the lettuce and veggies. The flavorful dressing will dance on your tongue before mingling with the cool stuff. It’s that easy. Use less dressing and cut calories with your fork.
TODAY: REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF DRESSING YOU USE ON SALADS.
British scientists have found that women who skipped breakfast ate more calories during the rest of the day and also had higher fasting levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and total cholesterol compared with the women in the breakfast-eating group. The researchers found that skipping breakfast could lead to weight gain. So get your metabolism revved up and quell those hunger pangs early. Just make sure breakfast isn’t the famous British “bangers and mash”.
TODAY: EAT A SMALL PROTEIN FILLED BREAKFAST AND TAKE A WALK.
In the United States, clean water is readily available yet people insist on carrying bottles with them everywhere. The trend to drinking bottled water is just a few years old. I remember when I first heard of Perrier. Then I tasted it and wondered what all the fuss was about. Others decided that they didn’t need fizzy bad tasting water in a bottle, but maybe nice clean spring water would be good. And so it came to be. We started paying the same for plain water as we used to pay for a soda, or even a beer! It’s nuts. It also contributes to massive ecological damage in the form of tons of waste.
When I was a kid I remember getting thirsty when out and about with friends, (Yes actually outside playing, talking directly to them without text messages or online chat.) we’d head to a hose on the side of the house and get a cold swig (when was the last time you heard that word) of water. Amazingly, we actually thrived on it.
Dad always kept a water bottle in the refrigerator. Mom always told him to pour it in a glass before drinking. It never happened.
So in our quest for eight glasses a day, there is no need to spend big bucks on bottles. Just turn on a tap. If you want to use a filtered container that’s great too. Of course they’re too hard to drink out of, so you’ll have to use a glass.
TODAY: DRINK TAP WATER.
As we add fruits and veggies to our diet to meet the five (or more) a day goal, let’s look at lunch.
- Salad bar? Stack on the dark green leaves and other vegetables instead of so many of the extras like eggs, bacon and cheese.(keep the dressing ON THE SIDE)
- Add frozen veggies to any pasta. (Even the canned stuff.) You get more good stuff and more flavor too.
- Skip the fries and add a vegetable. Most all restaurants will do that. (Even the fast food places offer a value size salad.)
- SMACK! Have a V8!
- Have fresh fruit for desert.
TODAY: LOOK FOR WAYS TO ADD MORE FRUITS AND VEGGIES TO YOUR LUNCH.
Eat your vegetables! I’ve never had to be told more than once. I’ve always like veggies, but I couldn’t be a vegetarian. (Have you ever seen an overweight vegetarian?) Three servings used to be the norm. Now the USDA says eat five. That’s a good thing. Though you may think it’s a lot, it’s easy to do. I’ll give you some suggestions over the next few days.
Let’s start with breakfast.
- Add fruit to your cereal, oatmeal, waffles or pancakes.
- Punch up you eggs with fresh sliced veggies or some frozen spinach.
- Top whole grain toast with raisins and cinnamon.
- Create your own yogurt flavors with plain yogurt and different of fresh fruit.
- Wrap a banana in a whole wheat flour tortilla with some peanut butter for a quick grab and go meal.
- Don’t forget the juice!
Lunch tomorrow.
TODAY: START ADDING MORE FRUIT AND VEGGIES TO YOU DIET.
Don’t deprive yourself of your favorites just because you’re dieting. You can eat anything you want. Just do it every now and then rather than all the time. Keep the portions reasonable too. No huge bowls of ice cream with chocolate sauce every night! A scoop or so every now and then is okay. If you deny yourself all the time you’ll end up resenting your healthier lifestyle. Just continue to eat les and exercise more and it will all work out. So go ahead, have a treat this weekend, and even during the week sometimes. Make sure you enjoy it. You may find it better than you remember when you were having it all the time.
TODAY: DO JUST A LITTLE MORE WALKING THAN YESTERDAY.
Eating less doesn’t mean you will weigh less. Starving yourself isn’t healthy and can lead to craving and binging. (Followed by severe guilt.) A moderate, healthy diet is best. So stay satisfied by eating food that is low in calories but high in bulk anD fiber like veggies, whole grains and low fat soups. Add a reasonable amount of healthy fats like olive oil, nuts and protein with some cheese and you are on your way. By the way, that’s sometimes called a Mediterranean diet. In addition to being satisfying it’s very healthy.
TODAY: TAKE THAT WALK… EVEN IF IT’S A LAP AROUND THE MALL.
Daily Nag, Tips & Tricks | Diet Nag | 
January 12, 2016 6:19 am | 
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