10 Sneaky ways to cut 100 calories and eat Healthier 6-27-08

The tips are my comments.

Breakfast
Flavor your coffee with cinnamon and nutmeg instead of flavored syrup.

The evidence that coffee is healthy for you just keeps mounting. Consuming two to three daily cups of caffeinated drinks, including coffee, can cut your risk of dying from heart disease. Coffee may also significantly lower your likelihood of developing colon cancer.

Tip: You can also sweeten with stevia and organic raw milk, almond or hazelnut milk yum! (make sure it is unsweetened) or rice milk.

Other sprinkles to try organic cocoa, carob, allspice for a Chai flavor or  Singing Dog Vanilla; use you imagination!

Lunch
Enjoy your salad without the croutons.

To get that crunch you’re craving, toss in some extra carrots and celery instead. Carrots are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fibers. Celery contains pthalides, compounds that lower your blood pressure by relaxing artery walls.

Tip: Sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, almonds, walnuts, raisons, etc.. Your imagination is your limit!

Dinner
Order pizza with grilled chicken instead of pepperoni.

Chicken is an excellent source of selenium, niacin and vitamin B6 and a good source of zinc. Make sure it’s cooked until well done at 165 degrees F (or 74 degrees C) and no longer pink inside.
 

Tip: Turkey pepperoni is just fine if you prefer pepperoni!

Portion control
Leave 3 or 4 bites on your plate.

Only eat when hungry! Always eat breakfast, munch on fiber all day long, include healthy protein at each meal and refuel every four hours. You must learn to recognize the physical cues that signal a true need for nourishment.

Tip: In our house we use salad size plates for dinner plates. This definitely helps with portion control. Even if you go back for seconds you are getting exercise and allowing extra digestion time to feel full.

Side dishes
Season steamed vegetables with fresh lemon and herbs instead of butter.

In some vegetables, flavors intensify as the plant matures, which is why the so-called baby versions have wider taste appeal with just as many health benefits. Experiment with baby artichokes, squashes, turnips and carrots (the small ones sold in bunches, with greens still attached) and you may also like the more tender texture.

Tip: Nothing wrong with good organic butter but to increase you intake of omega 3 and healthier fats; replace half of what you usually use with olive oil. No one will know the difference.

Desserts
Choose your piece of sheet cake from the middle, where there’s less icing.

A sweet new trend may help keep your waistline in check: mini-desserts! Portion size is key to keeping calories in check for a healthy dessert. Also, watch for hidden sugar in prepared foods. Many contain hefty amounts of sugar, but it’s hidden under aliases (such as barley malt, corn syrup, dextrose, fruit juice concentrate, maltose, maple syrup, molasses) on ingredient panels.

Tip: Once you are eating healthier you wont be able to handle the sickening sweetness of frosting anyway. Enjoy a gluten and sugar free cheesecake instead.

No Bake Wheat Free Sugar Free Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cup crushed ezekial brand "nutty type" cereal
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 packet stevia
• 8 ounces Neufchatel cream cheese
• 6 Stevia packets or to taste
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice or 1 drop lemon essential oil or 1 tsp almond flavor
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl, mix together crushed ezekiel cereal with melted butter and the 1 packet stevia.
2. Press into a 7 inch springform pan. Place in refrigerator until ready for use.
3. In another bowl, beat cream cheese, 6 Stevia packets or to taste and lemon juice, oil or almond flavor.
4. Whip cream, and fold into cream cheese mixture.
5. Spread into pan.
6. Top with sliced strawberries (optional). Freeze for 1 hour, covered with foil.
7. Place in refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

Freshen your drink
Add a splash of 100 percent fruit juice to sweeten fresh brewed iced tea in place of sugar.

Enjoy at least one cup of tea every day. Whether it’s iced or hot, tea delivers a blast of antioxidant compounds. Tea helps to keep blood vessels relaxed and prevent blood clots. Flavonoids, the major antioxidants in tea, have been shown to prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol that leads to plaque formation on artery walls. These powerful antioxidants may even reduce cholesterol and even lower blood pressure.

Tip: 1 Packet stevia would be healthier.

Snacks
Control your portions by pouring an individual serving of pretzels or chips into a bowl instead of eating from the bag.

For some people, snacks between meals curb their appetite so they eat fewer calories overall. But for others, it can substantially increase the amount of calories they consume and lead to weight gain. So small portions are crucial. Buy whole grain pretzels or baked varieties of potato chips whenever possible.

Tip: Buying whole grain isn't healthier eating no grains or gluten free is healthiest. Nana bananas whole food fruit roll-ups are to die for as well as her flax snax. There are really delicious gluten free snacks like rice chips and nut-thins.

Eating Out (Dinner)
Ask for the bread basket to be removed from the table.
Order one or even two salads and your favorite burger or sandwich without the bun. To fill yourself up, create a big salad using protein from your sandwich. Avoid anything fried, and stay away from special sauces. Use two tablespoons of sauce, and ask the waiter to take the rest away to avoid dipping.

Tip: Don't be so hard on yourself if it is a special night out or occasion unless you have allergies!

Be dip-savvy
Dip fruit into fat-free yogurt, and veggies in bean dip or salsa.

Beans are a great source of protein, fiber and folate. Most healthy salsas are only 80 calories a cup. The tomato-based versions are loaded with lycopene, a plant chemical linked to lower risks of cancer and heart disease.