Lighten up Foods

I am seeing lots of tips online lately for how to eat foods that will help you lose all the lovely holiday pounds you accumulated. The dreaded diets after the new year… I don’t swear by a particular type of diet because every type can usually be just followed temporarily and you don’t want to start, stop, start, and stop again. The cycle will drive you insane. Instead, if you make choices that are better for you in the long run, you don’t have to worry about indulging in whatever you want every now and then. That’s what I do. This means I eat pizza, cakes, and carne asada fries until I’m a happy camper, but I also make smart food choices for my other meals.
Here are some substitutions I use when I shop or cook:

-       Buy nonfat milk and cheese if available – I still use regular cheese but get the nonfat milk

-       Buy medium size eggs instead of jumbo or large as it helps keep your cholesterol down if you eat less of them (if that is even an issue for you)

-       Instead of thickening soups or sauces with heavy cream, use a mixture of flour and water instead, or flour and whatever soup you are making; works like a charm

-       Cut back on meat by making stir-frys and using lots of veggies with a few strips of meat thrown in

-       For lunches, make thick soups that are filling but are full of vegetables (blend stock with veggies – no need to add any kind of thickener)

-       If you crave sugar, have a cake but don’t go crazy with the whip cream or ice cream; eat ice cream on its own later instead of doubling up on calories in one sitting

-       Try to go for fruity desserts instead of heavy, sugary ones – example, apple pie instead of bread pudding or chocolate cake (alternate if you like the chocolate, one time this, one time that)

-       Cook shrimp and scallops instead of expensive and heavy to digest steaks (I can’t cook a good steak to save my life so I don’t make it at home, but I’ll order it sometimes at restaurants)

-       Substitute grains in traditional dishes that are “by the book” – I use brown rice to make risotto and it works out just fine (traditional risotto recipes call for Arborio rice, oh well)

Make one change at a time and you won’t even notice the effort of changing.