6 Easy Food Choices for Weight Loss

Show your friends that it's possible to get rid of extra pounds without sticking to a strict diet plan. The following 6 easy food choices for weight loss help you revolutionize your nutritional habits.

At first, it may seem that there's no other method to shed pounds just to stick to a famous and time-tested diet plan. However, nutritionists have a different opinion and are here to teach you how to build up your own eating plan.

Rule out the chance of fatigue and other side effects of starvation and crash diets by experimenting with the following 6 easy food choices for weight loss. Replace high-calorie ingredients in your fridge with organic vegetables and fruits which boost your energy level and help you break down the existing fat deposits.

1. Top Your Baked Potato with Salsa and Not Butter

Make a fabulous change in your eating plan by replacing butter with salsa and other delicious sauces when it comes to crowning your low-calorie baked potatoes. Spare yourself from the guilt caused by the hundreds of calories from the potato-butter combination.

2. Swap Cheesecakes for Chocolate Truffles

Tame your cravings with a wise food choice like the one presented here.

In order to save up to 260 calories all you have to do is go for chocolate truffles instead of a slice of cheesecake which is packed with calories. This diet trick will help your digestive system break down sugar more easily.

3. Opt for Veggies and Salsa Instead of Chips and Dips

Save up to 180 calories with a similar easy food choice. Learn how to re-organize your meal plan and go for veggies matched with salsa instead of stuffing your stomach with the high-calorie chips and dips combination. The result of this simple swap will be simply dazzling.

4. Swap Dark Meat Turkey for White-Meat Turkey Breast

Are you ready to save up to 150 calories per serving with this simple food swap? This time all you have to do is go for white-meat turkey breast instead of choosing dark meat-turkey. Re-think your favorite recipes and replace high-calorie ingredients with the ones which contain a high amount of vitamins and protein.

5. Top Your Waffles with Fresh Fruit and Not Syrup

Eliminate syrups from your diet while on a slimming regime. These ingredients are packed with extra sugar and calories. Instead, you can top your waffles with delicious and fresh fruits like strawberry, banana and other naturally sweet treats.

6. Bake French Fries Instead of Frying Them

Place French fries in the oven and let them bake instead of using oil to fry them. You'll be surprised how many calories you'll save with this simple weight loss strategy. Use various spices to add a delicious and spicy aroma to your French fries. Notice the magical effect of this simple diet change on your digestive system.

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Diet Friendly Snacks and Craving Choices

Constant cravings are one of the aspects that make sticking to a diet extremely challenging. Finding healthy substitutes that won't damage our daily calorie balance is crucial if you wish to avoid diet slip-ups along with all the guilt associated with them, so experiment with some of the options below when temptation strikes.

Getting a leaner figure requires certain sacrifices and sometimes giving up or greatly reducing our favorite foods is a somewhat mandatory choice. The mere thought of not being able to eat what we want whenever we want can trigger surprisingly intense cravings that can be hard to avoid. Planning ahead and thinking of ways to avoid or solve sticky situations is essential for the success of any weight loss plan, since it can save you from having to do damage control.

Although we might have become accustomed to see food cravings as the enemy, they can be valuable clues our body uses to signal possible deficiencies. Understanding the triggers and choosing delicious, low calorie snacks for our needs can be a much better alternative than simply trying to resist every temptation that crosses our path. The following snack alternatives can help you satisfy your cravings in a healthier way:

Rice Pudding
If you are looking for a classic sweet treat that won't throw your calorie allowance off balance, rice pudding can be a great alternative. The fact that there is even a diet named after this popular dessert is a great indication that this can be a good alternative for satisfying your sweet cravings. If you wish to keep the calorie content low, you can limit the portion size and use low calorie sweeteners, but this filling dessert is a great option even without substantial changes.

Frozen yogurt
Creamy desserts are synonym with high-calorie, so making sure that you find a high substitute is more than recommendable. Frozen yogurt is a great substitute for ice cream, and can work especially well if you like fruit ice creams. You can add fruit juice or a dab of honey to make it more palatable.

String Cheese
For some, cheese is the miracle ingredient that makes virtually everything taste better, but also one of the things that adds lots of calories to many dishes. Still, you don't have to swear off it completely, just to be more mindful about what you choose. String cheese or cottage cheese can be great alternatives for getting the flavor you crave without massive amounts of calories.

Roasted pumpkin seeds
Although salt cravings are very common, sometimes the texture is one of the aspects that we miss the most. If you are trying to cut back on highly processed salty treats, pumpkin seeds can be an alternative that will not only give you the experience you crave, but also a myriad of nutrients such as iron, magnesium and protein. Add these crunchy nutrient-filled snacks to your diet for an easy and healthy crunchy treat alternative.

Fruits
You heard it a million times before, but this doesn't mean that this suggestion is any less valuable. Fruits are nature's own 100 calorie packs and they are filled with antioxidants, important photochemical and a myriad of vitamins and minerals you need in your diet. Choose variety to ensure that you don't miss out on any crucial nutrients and to avoid boredom.

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Study Suggests Preordering School Lunches Leads To Healthier Choices

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 03 May 2013 - 7:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Study Suggests Preordering School Lunches Leads To Healthier Choices

JAMA Pediatrics Study Highlights

A research letter by Andrew S. Hanks, Ph.D., of Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, and colleagues examined whether having students preorder their entree (main dish) of their school meal improves the healthfulness of entrees selected for lunch. (Online First)

A total of 272 students in 14 classrooms (grades 1-5) from two elementary schools in upstate New York participated in the study. The schools are located in a predominantly white (96.6 percent) county where 55 percent of students receive free or reduced-price lunches. Students used an electronic system to preorder their lunch entree over a 4-week period (November - December 2011).

According to the study results, when students preordered their entree, 29.4 percent selected the healthier entree compared with 15.3 percent when preordering was not available. The less healthy entree was chosen 70.8 percent of the time by students who preordered, and students who ordered in the lunch line selected the less healthy entree 85.7 percent of the time. It appears that hunger-based, spontaneous selection diminished healthy entree selection by 48 percent and increased less healthy entree selection by 21 percent.

"Together, both consumption and selection data demonstrate how a simple environmental change--preordering--can prompt children to choose healthier food" the study concludes.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our pediatrics / children's health section for the latest news on this subject. JAMA Pediatr. Published online May 3, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.82. Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

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