In last week’s article I outlined how beverages can contribute lots of calories to your overall diet. This week we will discuss how to make low-calorie choices in all the food groups, as well as various food preparation techniques that help control the number of calories in prepared foods.
The balancing act
Weight loss and weight management are both a balancing act:
To lose weight, calories consumed must be fewer than calories used and/ or increased physical activity.
To maintain weight calories consumed must be equal to calories used coupled with physical activity.
To lose one pound, you have to consume 3,500 fewer calories than needed; if 500 fewer calories are consumed per day, you would lose one pound per week.
Calorie sources
The calories we consume are derived from three major energy sources in foods: fat, carbohydrates (starches & sugars) and protein. Alcohol is another source of calories and contains 7 calories per gram.
Fats provide 9 calories per gram (olive, canola and sunflower oil).
Carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram. Carbohydrates come from two sources: sugars and starches.
Protein also provides 4 calories per gram.
Think about it this way: Every time you sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar in your coffee or on your cereal, you add 45 calories.
When you choose a quarter-pound hamburger instead of the regular size, you double the calories from protein from 50 to 100 and fat from 90 to 180 calories.
Let’s look at each food group to see how you can eat fewer calories by making low-calorie food and drink choices and use low-calorie cooking methods.
Grains
Use the Nutrition Facts label to select breads that are lower in calories.
Choose plain rice instead of flavored rice that may have added fat and calories. Example: [0xbd] cup of brown rice equals 110 calories while [0xbd] cup of rice broccoli au gratin equals 270 calories.
Choose plain oatmeal instead of flavored oatmeal (or choose low-sugar, flavored oatmeal).
Leave out oil, butter and cheese.
Keep pasta sauces simple… choose marinara sauce or regular spaghetti sauce rather than sauces made with butter, cream or cheese.
Make lower-calorie substitutions for grains in recipes for dishes such as meatloaf or meatballs. Substitute 1/2-cup oatmeal, 1 egg or 6 saltine crackers for 1 cup of dry breadcrumbs, and you will save 200-300 calories.
You can reduce the fat in most recipes for baked goods to the next lowest level on the measuring cup. If reducing fat by one measure produces a very good product, then reduce it another measure the next time. You can do the same with sugar. Example: this works for recipes that use oil and sugar like pancakes, waffles and other quick breads.
You can also replace some of the oil/fat in recipes with applesauce.
Vegetables
Since vegetables are naturally low in calories, vegetables are a great way to keep your calories low.
Most vegetables have between 15 to 25 calories per 1/2 cup.
Starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, butterbeans, peas, and corn have more calories than other vegetables, but are still good choices for your weight loss/weight maintenance plan and have between 60-90 calories per 1/2 cup.
Keep it simple… limit sauces, butter, oils or fried vegetables.
Grill, steam, stir-fry or roast with just a little oil to keep the calories low. Or, eat them raw.
Fruit
Whole fresh fruit is a great low-calorie choice. A medium apple or medium pear has about 80 calories, 1/2 grapefruit has 40 calories and an orange has 60 calories.
Most berries and melons have about 50 calories for a cup.
Canned fruit with no added sugar also is a good choice. Most canned fruit has between 60 to 100 calories per cup. Canned fruit packed in water or juice is the best low-calorie choice. Avoid canned fruit packed in syrup.
Dried fruit is a good choice, but be careful about the serving size. A quarter cup of raisins has the same number of calories as 1 cup of grapes and 1/2-cup of mixed, dried fruit has about 200 calories.
Dairy
Choose skim milk instead of whole milk. It is the lowest-calorie choice, and you still get the calcium you need.
Choose lower-fat cheese. Choose a high-flavor cheese, such as sharp cheddar or feta, and only use a little.
Low-fat or fat-free yogurt and cottage cheese are good choices.
Use reduced-fat/fat-free sour cream, low-fat/fat-free yogurt instead of sour cream.
Use evaporated skim milk instead of heavy cream and in place of regular evaporated milk.
Use low-fat or fat-free cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese.
Meat and bean group
Reducing your meat consumption is another way to lower calories as well as being mindful of what a serving of meat is. A three-ounce portion of chicken, beef, pork or fish is about the size of your palm or a deck of card.?
Most women need about 5 ounces a day; men need 6 ounces.
Choose low-fat deli meats.
Choose light-meat chicken, as well as lean beef and pork.
Choose fish often.
Try cooked dry beans as the main dish of the meal.
Remove skin from chicken and trim all visible fat.
Choose cooking techniques that allow fat to drip away such as: grilling, baking, broiling or poaching.
The key message is: Make low-calorie choices in all the food groups.
Next week we will learn how to use labels to identify foods that are low in fat and calories. Don’t forget to select a strategy (from this week’s topic) to work on for the week and have a good week!
For more information about the program, contact Toi N. Degree, Family & Consumer Education Agent at 704-216-8970 or by e-mail at toi_degree@ ncsu.edu.