4 Cooking Tips To Reduce Your Calorie Intake
No diet is ever easy. That’s part of the definition of a diet, right? While this may be true, eating healthier doesn’t have to mean always feeling hungry or never eating the foods you love.
Consider a few strategies that may help you to get a handle on your calorie intake without being stuck eating a salad for every meal.
1. Ask the Professionals
Before you begin any new diet plan, it is crucial that you consult with a doctor or nutritionist. These professionals may help you to form a diet strategy that will help you to achieve your weight or nutritional goals without compromising other areas of your health. Doctors may also be able to recommend supplements, other medications or procedures such as a gastric band that will aid your efforts.
2. Start From Scratch
One of the most important rules of thumb to keep in mind as you plan out meals is that it is almost always best to make your own food from fresh ingredients. While there may be some pre-prepared meals that are healthy and balanced, a lot of these options contain much more sugar and fat than you might predict.
Cooking your meals from scratch gives you more control over what you are eating. This strategy also applies for snacks or smaller meals, such as breakfast.
Consider buying oatmeal in bulk, for instance, rather than using the pre-portioned packets that are high in sugar. This approach will likely have the added benefit of reducing your grocery bill.
3. Watch the Oil
As you prepare your meals, consider how you could alter recipes or change cooking methods in order to make your food a bit lighter in calories. For example, many recipes may require you to pan fry vegetables. While veggies cooked this way are tasty, they can also soak up a lot of unnecessary oil. Try roasting or steaming certain items instead.
Additionally, consider whether you can make healthy ingredient substitutions when you are baking. Oftentimes, butter or oil can be replaced with things like applesauce, pumpkin or even avocado. These healthier fats allow you to eat the same treats but with fewer calories.
4. Fill Up on Veggies
A final tip to advance your diet without being left with a growling stomach is to cook with lots of vegetables. Veggies are high in fiber and are therefore very filling. Additionally, they are usually relatively low in calories and high in nutrients.
There are many ways you can sneak in a few more vegetables into your meals. For example, many people use vegetables like cauliflower or zucchini as substitutes for potatoes, rice or pasta. Additionally, it is easy to throw in a few extra vegetables when you are making flexible dishes such as soups or pastas; these veggies often cook down and add new flavor and texture to these recipes.
Don’t let adjusting your diet become stressful or overwhelming. Try to make a couple of changes at a time in order to make your meals a bit healthier but just as good as always.
