7.08.2009

This post might be BORING

I have been so surprised to read through this book and discover how easy it is to cut calories and fat out of my diet just by changing the brands of things we eat. Here are some of the things I didn't know:

  • TWIX is the worst candy. It has the saturated fat equivalent of 11 strips of bacon! Instead eat 100 Grand.
  • Worst cereal is Quaker 100% Natural Granola, Oats, Honey & Raisins. For the same amount of sugar, you could have a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles more than twice the size- and you'd get more fiber and save about 60 calories in fat! Instead eat Kashi GoLEAN.
  • The reason for buying organic fruit is to avoid pesticides. Blueberries, bananas and pineapples are relatively safe but many other fruits are pesticide-ridden. It's probably best to splurge on organic peaches, apples, strawberries, pears, grapes and oranges.
  • You know you should be eating more fish but is one better than another? Wild Alaskan Salmon is highest in OMEGA-3s and protein and very low in contaminants. Farmed Rainbow Trout is 2nd but with much lower OMEGA-3s.
  • The best protein comes from a variety of unlikely characters, most of which are not easily accessible. (Alligator, bison, venison, mackerel, ostrich, rabbit, etc.) However, Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a super seed loaded with fiber and healthy fats and is a complete protein with all the essential amino acids. Boil up a batch like rice, then toss with roasted asparagus and crumbled goat cheese.
  • Red Delicious Apples have a higher antioxidant capacity than other apples. LEAVE THE PEELS ON to get the full dose of antioxidants and fiber.
  • Turkey is not always better than beef. Ball Park Turkey Franks have 120 calories, 7 g of fat and 550 mg of sodium while Hebrew National Fat Free Beef Franks have only 45 calories, 1.5 g of fat and 370 mg of sodium.
  • The Yoplait Original Yogurt I've been feeding my kids has 170 calories and 27 g of sugar! So today I replaced it with Dannon Light and Fit which has 80 calories and only 11 sugars.
A good tip for choosing breakfast cereal is to pick one with less than 10 grams of sugar per serving (and ideally less than 5) with at least 3 grams of fiber per serving.

What you want in peanut butter is only the real stuff: no oils, fillers or added sugars. Just peanuts and salt.

Ignore fat when it comes to bread. More important, seek a bread with more fiber per slice than sugar and with as few ingredients as possible.

It might seem time consuming but once you get in the groove of buying certain things and NOT buying other things, it's pretty easy to eat healthier while still eating the same basic things. You dont have to eat celery and cabbage all day to cut calories!


7 comments:

KatieJ said...

not boring at all- thanks for sharing, I am interrested in reading that book- but really bummed about the Quaker Granola. I love that stuff and just bought a double pack at Costco today! Oh well, I do like the Kashi cereal too so next time I'll get that. :)

Jamie said...

Love the book!

Codie said...

I was suprised about Chex mix being better for you then Baked Lays. I have switched that splurge.

Mary Postert said...

Thanks for the info. I'm so bummed that Twix is so bad for us.

SouthernAZ WOLFINGTON said...

mmmm... wild alaskan salmon. And I do mean WILD (fresh (less than 30 min. out of the water)) alaskan salmon. We need to do a vacation in Alaska and the difference in taste will be remarkable unto you. OHHH, I just got biblical on your butt, right there at the end!

Cara said...

Thanks for the tips. Can I borrow that book sometime?

M. G. said...

Better than organic is to grow your own. I have a garden full of yummy veggies......in Safford. If anyone is nearby, go get some. Onions, potatoes, tomatoes, squash,etc. I can't pick them from Delware. :(