How to Make the Foods You Love Healthier
Can You Eat the Same Foods You Love and Still Lose Weight?
Well, yes, no and maybe. “Weight Loss cooking” involves substituting ingredients in recipes with similar healthier foods. Small substitutions can greatly increase nutrient content and reduce calories in the foods you already love. For example, one cup of regular mac-n-cheese has about 540 calories. If you substitute skim milk for whole milk, light cheddar cheese for full-fat cheddar cheese, and add more vegetables like broccoli; then, one cup of mac-n-cheese can go from 540 to 315 calories! Or eating a can of Tuna in water instead of oil saves you around 80 calories! You can also practice eating the SAME foods you love until you are satisfied by using mindfulness techniques. I talk more about mindfulness in other posts. However, you may want to try both mindfulness AND altering some of your cooking techniques and ingredients to tweak your favorite recipes.
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You can make the foods you love healthier by either adding nutrients or, if needed, decreasing the calories. Some people may only want to increase the amount of nutrients while others may feel that they are eating calories in excess. Many tips below provide ways to increase essential nutrients in foods; while other tips provide ways to decrease calories. Many of these tips will do both! Pick a few ideas to implement based on your needs.
How to Make the Foods You Already Eat Healthier: The Basics
- Add more vegetables to recipes. When you add more vegetables the same amount of food will have more nutrients and fewer calories per serving . For example, one cup of mac-n-cheese without vegetables will be more calories than 1 cup of mac-n-cheese with vegetables, or 1 cup of noodle soup with added vegetables is going to have fewer calories than a cup of noodle soup without vegetables. See how that works?
- Eat fruits and vegetables at every meal. Even better, fill half your plate with a fruit or vegetable.
- Choose the whole-wheat/whole grain version of rice, pasta, cereals, snacks, and breads. Remember to look for whole grain or whole wheat on the label. Multi-grain does not always mean whole grain.
- Use a pressure cooker to cook flavorful meals.
- Microwave, steam or boil vegetables in a small amount of water or stir fry vegetables in cooking spray.
- Have more vegetables than meat.
- Always drain off fat after cooking. Blot food with a paper towel before eating. For ground beef, drain meat in a colander after cooking.
- Cook foods and prepare recipes using the healthier version of your favorite foods and sauces. Examples would be mayo made with olive oil instead of regular mayo or no sugar added ketchup.
- Add flavor to salad with Lemon Juice, vinegar, and olive oil or use light dressings.
You Want More? Below is a HUGE List of…
Dietitian Approved Packaged Snacks
Find No Bake Energy Bite Recipes Here.
My Favorite Whole Wheat Tortillas are the Xtreme Wellness Whole Grain Tortilla Wraps
How to Make the Foods You Love Healthier
Need More?
The Nourishing Meal Builder
The Nourishing Meal Builder gives you everything you need to start creating EASY nourishing meals at home.
What’s Included:
- An evidence-based list of foods that boost mood; promote cognitive function, focus, attention, alertness, and memory; support the immune system; aid in weight loss; reduce the risk of chronic diseases, autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, joint pain, and even seasonal allergies.
- A simple meal plan checklist that will help you eat balanced meals on a daily basis that fuels your mind, body, and spirit.
- A faith-based mindfulness and mindful eating guide: These are actual steps and strategies that will help you implement mindful eating and mindful living into your life. Also explore how faith-based mindfulness can help with our moods, behaviors, and even our health
- Printable Meal Builder cards: This is an amazing tool that takes the stress out of creating healthy meals everyday. With the meal builder cards, you will be able to put together meals on the fly, without even needing a recipe.
Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals
Sometimes we might want to prepare our favorite foods in a more healthy, nutritious way, but with our busy lives we just don’t have the time to cook! Or we are so stressed and mentally drained by the end of the day that we don’t have enough energy or creativity left to think about “what’s for dinner.”
I am both a dietitian who actually LOVES to cook, AND a busy mom who couldn’t find the time to cook! I knew I needed to figure something out! This is how the “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook was born.
What is the “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook?
This ebook shows you how to make ALL you breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for the WHOLE month in one day.
This ebook is for moms and families looking to
- Decrease stress,
- Lose weight,
- Have more daily free time,
- Reduce the grocery bill,
- Simplify your day, and
- Mindfully ENJOY eating healthy meals in the presence of God.
To find all the details about “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” click here.
Want Even More?
Get the Mindful Planner free downloadable printable and join the Mindfulness in Faith and Food Family!
Related Posts
Trick Your Body into Eating Less: 55 Portion Control Tips
12 Essential Freezer Meal Products and Cookware
Make A Month’s Worth of Freezer Meals in Under 3 Hours: Recipes and Grocery List Included
Over 40 Snacking for Weight Loss Tips
Grocery Shopping Tips for Weight Loss and Saving Money
Dietitian Approved Healthy Packaged Snacks
- If you would like to evaluate your own diet and determine which tips work best for you, please take the free Christian Wellness Self Assessment and Evaluation developed by a registered dietitian.
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