| A food's fat content is important, but when | | | | dinner plate? Five ounces of wine in your |
| it comes to weight loss, total calories are | | | | stemware? You can mark your dinnerware and |
| more important. So many of the low fat | | | | glassware with a dot or dash of nail polish |
| products on the market aren't calorie | | | | to remind yourself. If you have oversized |
| reduced. For example, 2 tablespoon of | | | | dinnerware, use the salad or dessert plates. |
| reduced-fat peanut butter have the same | | | | You may even consider buying a luncheon set, |
| number of calories as the regular kind. And | | | | which has smaller plates. |
| replacing a tablespoon of butter on a bagel | | | | |
| with 2 tablespoons of jelly eliminates the | | | | Dining in the Dining Room |
| fat but doesn't change the number of | | | | |
| calories. Let's explore some calorie-cutting | | | | When you bring the plates to the table |
| tricks. Paying attention to the Nutrition | | | | already filled, you won't be tempted to pick |
| Facts. | | | | from serving bowls and platters in front of |
| | | | you. You're also forced to go out of your way |
| Seemingly healthy foods can be surprising | | | | for seconds and thus have the chance to |
| sources of calories and fat, so make sure to | | | | reconsider. An added benefit: Because you |
| check out the details on the Nutrition Facts | | | | don't have to dirty the serving bowls and |
| panel on the food label. A container of Ramon | | | | platters, you have fewer dishes to wash. |
| noodles, for example, packs 15 grams of fat | | | | Eating Slowly |
| and 400 calories; a bran muffin can top 10 | | | | |
| grams of fat and 250 calories. Portion sizes | | | | Your brain takes a full 20 minutes to |
| can be deceptively small, too. A serving of | | | | register the fact that your stomach is full. |
| sugar-sweetened ice tea contains 60 calories, | | | | Try putting your fork down and taking a sip |
| but each bottle often contains two servings. | | | | of water between bites. Chew your food well |
| And a serving of ice cream or other frozen | | | | and don't load up your fork or spoon until |
| dessert is a skimpy ½ cup. | | | | you swallow what's in your mouth. Doing so |
| | | | enables you to more easily recognize when you |
| Limiting alcohol | | | | are full. |
| | | | |
| Alcohol, although fat free, delivers 7 | | | | Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains without |
| calories per gram or about 70 calories per | | | | butter, dressings, or sauces take up stomach |
| ounce (2 tablespoons). The higher the proof, | | | | space, leaving less room for denser |
| the more calories alcohol has: 80-proof | | | | high-calorie foods. They also take more time |
| alcohol averages 65 calories per ounce, and | | | | to chew and ea. Consider the fact that a |
| 100-proof alcohol comes in at 85 calories per | | | | teeny little pat of butter has as many |
| ounce. The average light beer has about 150 | | | | calories as 3 cups of broccoli or that 1-inch |
| calories. And don't forget, usually the | | | | cube (1 ounce) of cheddar cheese has the same |
| nibbles served with alcohol are high in | | | | number of calories as 1 cup - that's 8 ounces |
| calories. | | | | - of bran flakes. |
| | | | |
| In addition to the calorie wallop, alcohol | | | | Switching to Low fat Dairy Products |
| whittles away your resolve to stay in control | | | | |
| of your eating. And any cardiac benefits you | | | | Dairy is one place where going with the |
| may derive from drinking such as that seen in | | | | reduced-fat, low fat, or fat-free variety |
| men who drink a daily glass of red wine, are | | | | makes sense, because the calories are |
| not nearly as important as those you derive | | | | significantly reduced in the low fat version. |
| from weight loss and exercise. | | | | For example, an 8-ounce glass of whole milk |
| | | | contains 150 calories, but the same amount of |
| Switching to smaller plates | | | | fat-free (skim) milk has only 85. One ounce |
| | | | of regular cheddar cheese has 114 calories, |
| Serve yourself in a salad-size plate, about 8 | | | | but reduced-fat and low fat varieties contain |
| inches in diameter, rather than on a dinner | | | | 80 and 49 calories, respectively |
| plate, which is typically 10 to 12 inches in | | | | |
| diameter. Your portion sizes will be closer | | | | Note one exception, however: Dairy products, |
| To those suggested in the Food Guide Pyramid | | | | such as ice cream and flavored yogurt that |
| and more in tune with the number of calories | | | | are marketed as reduced-fat, low fat, or |
| you should be eating. | | | | fat-free often contain added sugar to make up |
| | | | for the loss of flavor and texture that fat |
| Asking for the kid size | | | | provides. Don't be fooled into thinking that |
| | | | they provide fewer calories, too. Always |
| It may seem like a bargain, but is an extra | | | | check the calorie content on the Nutrition |
| 240 calories for 49 cents really a good way | | | | Facts panel of the food label. |
| to spend your calorie budget? That's the | | | | |
| difference between a small order of fries and | | | | Remembering That Dull Is Better |
| large one. Kid-size popcorn at most movie | | | | |
| theaters contains 150 calories, but a large | | | | Not dull as in boring, but dull as in not |
| size can top 1,000 without the | | | | shiny. At the salad bar, shiny means a thick |
| butter-flavoured topping. A child-size soda | | | | coating of oily (high-calorie) salad |
| (8 ounces) has about 95 calories; a large | | | | dressing. Vegetables that shimmer usually |
| soda measuring 36 ounces or more contains at | | | | have butter added to them. Muffins that leave |
| least 400. | | | | a grass slick on your napkin have more |
| | | | calories than ones that don't. Bread or rolls |
| Eating Proper Portion Sizes | | | | that are slick with butter...you get the |
| | | | idea. |
| Nibbling from packages of crackers and | | | | |
| shaving "tastes" from the brownie pan or | | | | Cooking Meats with Methods That Start with |
| forkfuls of cake from the platter can add up | | | | the Letter B |
| to plenty of calories and more than you think | | | | |
| you've eaten. Portion out everything you eat | | | | Broil, barbecue, bake (on a rack), or braise |
| onto a small bowl and put the package and pan | | | | meats, and you save many calories over |
| away. | | | | frying, sautéing, and stewing, because the |
| | | | fat and therefore its calories) has a chance |
| Use measuring cups and spoons to portion out | | | | to drip away from the meat. |
| a serving onto your dinner-ware. Study and | | | | |
| memorize how it looks. What does ½ cup of | | | | Cooking chicken and other poultry with the |
| ice cream look like in your dessert dishes? | | | | skin on and removing it after it's been |
| One cup of whole-wheat cereal in your | | | | cooked is fine, because the meat absorbs |
| breakfast bowl? One cup of pasta on your | | | | little of the fat but stays moist. |