We now have a scapegoat for the obesity epidemic in the US – the USDA! According to researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the national dietary guidelines advising Americans to eat low-fat may have contributed to the obesity problem. People have replaced fat with sugar and carbohydrates which has increased Americans’ total caloric intake and set them up for a host of metabolic disorders, say the study’s authors, adding that low-fat foods are not diet foods. Instead, your diet should emphasize vegetables, fruits, beans, unrefined whole grains, and mono- and polyunsaturated fats, as well as lean proteins.
Eating soup as an appetizer will cut your calorie intake for that meal by 20 percent according to a study conducted at Penn State. After serving men pasta lunches for a month, the researchers found that the study participants ate an average of 135 fewer calories when they started their meal with 1 1/2 cups of a broth-based vegetable soup (approximately 150 calories of soup). Eating soup forces you to slow down, allowing your body to recognize that it is becoming full before moving on to the next course. The same held true in a University of Texas study of fatty soups like a clam chowder – men consumed 227 fewer calories when a pizza meal was preceded by soup.
So drink up a cup of homemade vegetable soup before your lunch and dinner as a sneaky way to get vegetables into your daily diet and to help you eat less overall calories.
When I eat out I want it to be special, consequently I don’t eat out often. You may have seen the advice on how to shave calories at restaurants but really, are you wanting to pay high restaurant prices for undressed salads and plain steamed vegetables? If not, how then can you solve the dilemma of too many calories when you eat out?
Here are six tips for getting the calories out of restaurant meals while still ordering your favorites.
Say NO to super sizing: The size you ordered is already too big. Stop super sizing and you’ll save money. Better still, order one dinner and ask for an extra plate. Many restaurants will do this for a dollar or two, and it’s well worth it. Then share the meal with your friend and you split the cost straight down the middle. Another option is to order from the so called “appetizer” menu. Two people could order three entrees, one dessert and split the whole thing and it’s still a ton of food!
Skip the bread and rolls: Many family restaurants still serve a bread basket with your meal. Unless it’s a fresh baked loaf or some really special bread, just skip it. You don’t need to fill up on ordinary bread when you’re paying good money for a meal. Just ask for it to be taken away if you can’t resist, but frankly, you’re an adult, you can resist, if you want to. You can simply choose not to put a roll on your plate. Try it, just once and see if you don’t walk out of that restaurant feeling strangely powerful.
Stop Ordering Drinks: Soft drinks are a huge cash cow for restaurants. For pennies they sell you a squirt of syrup and carbonated water and act like they’re doing you a big favor by only charging you $1.29 for a giant 64 ounce soda. Start saving those dollars. Especially if you’re ordering “to go” skip the drink. If you’re eating it there, ask for water, or at least switch to diet drinks. Never drink “fat pop.”
Slow Down You Eat Too Fast! What’s the rush? Take your time, savor the moment, enjoy the flavors. A big part of getting in touch with your hunger signals and learning to eat what really will satisfy is learning to recognize the subtle signs of hunger. You won’t know when you’re approaching satisfaction if you’ve gobbled everything down in five minutes. Take a bite then notice how many times do you chew before you start wanting to swallow? Once, twice? Make an effort to chew your food and your body will be much happier. A very large part of digestion begins in your mouth, not to mention you’ll get much more pleasure if you let the food linger.
Ask for a Doggie Bag at the Beginning of Meal: When the food is served, immediately portion off some to take home for tomorrow. Most restaurants in the US serve way too much. There is no law you have to eat it all. Do this frequently and soon you’ll find you’re getting an extra lunch out of that meal.
Get a copy of Eat This, Not That! or Restaurant Confidential, and start checking out how many calories you’re really eating. If you eat out frequently and you carry extra weight, then that’s probably the problem right there. These books can help you realize why it seems you don’t eat that much yet you can’t lose any weight. Hardees recently introduced a new burger that clocks in at just under 1200 calories all by itself! Now that’s frightening.
If you really want to get a handle on your weight problem, look first to where you eat, second at what you eat, and third how much you eat. Where, What and How Much? Try these steps choosing one tip at a time, and see how easily you can take some of the calories out of restaurant food
