Losing weight is not an easy thing to do.
It requires a lot of dedication, hard work and discipline, particularly
when temptations are all around. Nevertheless, being on a 'diet' need
not mean that you must endure rice cakes and misery. Rather than going
the full mile, tweak your meals with some smart choices and a little
advance preparation. Doing so will ensure that you avoid hundreds of
hidden calories and lose that extra stubborn weight.
To help you do this, Nutrition guru and
blogger Amanda Meixner built a huge social media following based on a
number of smart choices. In fact, her advice and clever diet tips have
proved to be a huge hit on Instagram, where she has over 700K followers.
So, if you'd like to see a change in your body, follow these simple
food swaps and healthy alternatives instead.
1. Add these healthy substitutes to your routine
A simple swap can make all the difference. A
milk chocolate bar contains 44g of carbs and 41g of sugar, just 2g of
fiber and 370 calories. Switching to dark chocolate would mean that you
get 13g of carbs, 6g of sugar, 5g of fiber and 250 calories. Another
great swap would be vegetable for olive oil. Vegetable and canola oils
are highly processed, heated, bleached, refined and deodorized.
Due to the high heat, they are stripped off much of their omega-3 fatty
acids. Alternatively, extra virgin olive oil is produced by cold
pressing and doesn't use chemicals for refinement. It also avoids high
heat treatment, leaving it full of heart-healthy fats. Sour cream adds
about 40 calories and 6g of fat per quarter cup. But it doesn't add much
from a nutritional standpoint. So opt for guacamole which will add
antioxidants, about 4g of fiber, potassium and more per quarter cup.
2. Same amount of calories, but which would you rather have?
The first is a medium strawberry shake from
a fast food chain that will set you back 590 calories. Alternatively,
for the same amount of calories you can opt for a giant salad which
includes 4 cups of spinach, 2 cups of cauliflower, 1/2 cup cherry
tomatoes, 1/2 orange bell pepper, 2 eggs, 3 oz kimchi, 2 beets, 1/2
avocado, 2 tablespoons balsamic, 1 cup whole strawberries.
3. Make smart food choices
Sometimes its great to treat yourself, but
be aware of what you are getting. You can either opt for 15 jelly beans
at 140 calories or, choose something more wholesome. For the same amount
of calories, you can have 1 cup pineapple, 1/2 cup blueberries, 2
tablespoons pomegranate seeds.
4. What does it mean to start a new diet?
A clean healthy lifestyle is all about
loving yourself. And this doesn't mean that you have to make drastic
changes overnight. When dieting, think of small, lasting tweaks that
will eventually become a natural part of your day to day eating habits.
5. Who said you need to stop eating chocolate?
Ask yourself what you are hungry for?
Sometimes, choosing the less healthy option can not only be more
satisfying, it can save you a lot of calories. Sometimes, while trying
to satisfy our cravings with healthy food, we end up by finding a way to
consume more calories.
6. These swaps will save your waistline and your health
The top row is full of processed foods, bad
oils and loads of sugar. Meanwhile, the bottom row contains less
processed and lower-calorie foods. So, swap your chips for some popcorn.
Just 9 chips contain 150 calories 9g of fat, 16g carbs and contains
sunflower/vegetable oil and fillers. While 3 cups of popcorn are only 93
calories and contain just the one ingredient: popcorn.
Meanwhile, frappuccinos are basically sugar
bombs. A grande mocha with 2% milk contains 61g of sugar and 400
calories while an unsweetened iced coffee with coconut milk contains 25
calories and 2g of sugar. Rather than opting for a burger bun, choose a
burger lettuce wrap which will save you the extra processed carbs.
7. Feeling good also means treating yourself to the food you want to eat
Feeling good is not only about eating
clean. Treating yourself every once in a while will satisfy your
cravings. And if you do binge eat, simply forgive yourself and get back
to your healthy eating routine.
8. Take note of these healthy swaps
Instead of regular ranch dressing, which is
full of inflammatory and artificial ingredients, including canola oil,
added sugar, MSG and artificial flavors, opt for paleo ranch which is
full of real, organic food and cage-free eggs. Ready orange juice is a
sugar bomb with no fiber. Oranges, on the other hand, contain 87
calories per orange and 4.4g of fiber. The last item may seem a bit out
of place. Iceberg lettuce is still good for you but spinach has 223%
(DV), Vitamin K, 28% Vitamin A. 14% Vitamin C, 18% Folate + more
minerals compared to a measly 7% vitamin A & 3% vitamin C in iceberg
lettuce.
9. Choose wisely
The calories are just a small part of the
picture. Fast food contains a number of chemicals - high fructose corn
syrup which can lead to fatty liver and eventually diabetes and
vegetable oil, the process of which involves pressing, heating various
chemicals and highly toxic solvents. This can increase your risk of
heart disease.
10. Brown rice versus white rice
In its natural form, rice is actually brown
rice with the germ and bran removed. Though both have pros and cons.
The macronutrient and calorie contents of the two are relatively the
same. Brown rice is a great source of manganese, selenium, and
magnesium. During the white rice production, a lot of its nutrients are
stripped away leaving it with few essential nutrients.
But, brown rice contains phytic acid, which while it does offer some
health benefits, it reduces your body's ability to absorb iron and zinc.
White rice contains a much higher glycemic index (GI) which measures
how quickly a particular food increases blood sugar. White rice has a GI
of 89, while brown rice, a GI of 50/ This can be significant to
diabetics and those with insulin resistance. White rice is also easier
to digest and is great for refueling muscles with glycogen post-workout.
T