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