Meal Preparation: 8 Healthy Tips

During my coaching work with the families involved in the Boys & Girls Clubs’ Triple Play Fit Family Challenge, I have been asked some really insightful questions regarding how to adjust meal preparation to make it healthier. I wanted to offer some of my dietary advice on my blog. Please feel free to add your own advice in the comments section! (Note: I have no affiliation with the companies that make the things I list below. Although I use and enjoy them, I am sure there are many of other excellent options.) I told one of the families the following:

Let us face it, fat and sugar taste so nice that switching to “healthy” cuisine is initially difficult. There are, nevertheless, tasty methods to replace unhealthy options. Furthermore, you can really train your taste buds to actually LIKE lower-fat foods over time. It may sound strange, but I have come to appreciate skinless chicken, whole grain bread, and sugar-free peanut butter over conventional varieties. But one thing I will say is that salt is fine as long as there are no kidney or high blood pressure issues. I believe that the “dangers” associated with salt have been overstated. Extra salt is quickly eliminated by healthy bodies. there is no need to punish yourself by following a low-salt diet. Eliminating fast food and junk food will probably bring your salt intake down to a healthy level.

The following general guidelines for a healthy diet:

* Gauge the food you eat. Calories can surprise you by appearing in bigger-than-expected portions!

*INCLUDE protein in every meal. It is satisfying and staves off hunger for a while.

*MAKE wholesome snacks ahead of time. Keep them portioned according to calories and readily available in baggies.

* Tally your caloric intake. Determine your daily caloric requirements (for weight increase, maintenance, or loss) and make use of that figure. This page has a basic calorie calculator. You can lose roughly 1 pound a week if you can reduce your weekly caloric intake by 3500 calories (by eating less and exercising more). You can learn what to eat and how much is the proper quantity by tracking your food for at least a month. You do not need to track after you realize that, yet I still do it every day! MyPlate is a free tool that I utilize from Livestrong.com.

Here are some cooking advice and more detailed concepts/suggestions:

  1. Remove the animal fat and butter. Choose skim milk if you use or consume it. Increased fat milk merely adds calories. Try plain Greek yogurt with no fat (you may add Splenda or another artificial sweetener to make it sweeter). I like to add nuts to my yogurt to give it some crunch. When cooking, try baking or broiling your meal. If you must fry anything, use vegetable or olive oil, and afterward, pour the food onto paper towels to remove the oil. It is always necessary to remove the skin from fried chicken and trim off the fatty portions of red meat and hog. When cooking, use egg whites (such as Egg Beaters) in place of entire eggs. To make a delicious high-protein, low-calorie supper or snack, I gently scramble the Egg Beaters, taking care not to overcook them, and then I add some low-fat cheddar cheese.
  2. Steer clear of sweet cereals. Examine the label. Pick cereals with less than 1g of sugar. I use Post Shredded Wheat n’ Bran cereal, for instance. It is devoid of sugar and salt. Additionally low in sugar and high in protein is Ezekiel cereal. Here’s a tip: add a scoop of low-carb vanilla protein powder to a cup of skim milk to sweeten the porridge if you can not handle it without sugar. I use vanilla whey protein, which contains only 3.5 grams of sugar per serving. Before adding it to the cereal, give it a good shake to prevent lumps. Furthermore, the protein will add to the cereal’s fillingness.
  3. Steer clear of desserts. This was really difficult for me. However, I have substituted a few things that are similar to dessert: 1) Trail mix: read the label carefully because some only include 150 calories and 14g of carbohydrates per serving. 2) Fruit (I love berries). I have experimented with nuking frozen strawberries for a few minutes and then blending them with a type of sauce. I sprinkled Splenda on them and a sprinkling of low-fat granola. It has a strawberry cobbler-like flavour without any calories. 3. Protein bars: I have discovered a kind that tastes a lot like a candy bar but contains extra protein; most protein bars taste rather bad. They are sweetened with maltitol, a sugar alternative that, if consumed in excess, can result in soft stools. But really, this is the best option if you are seeking REAL chocolate. Divide the bar into two or three sections, reserving them for munchies. We refer to them as “2:1” bars. These are available here, although GNC has them for less money. 4) Bananas: inherently quite sweet, they contain roughly 100 calories.
  4. Consume more vegetables. Vegetables can be found in most local supermarket stores “steam in bags.” They are really simple to use. Simply make a hole in the bag and microwave it for two minutes. They have finished! Toss with a little butter and a dash of salt, then serve with any dish. The sugar snap peas are my favorite. Large salads made with extra-fiber-rich Romaine lettuce are also a terrific option for lunch—though perhaps not for the kids’ lunchboxes! To add flavour to the salad without adding too much fat, keep the dressing on the side and dip the tip of your fork into it.
  5. Limit your starch intake. Use of potatoes, rice, bread, pasta, and crackers in moderation is advised. Although you digest whole wheat pasta and brown rice more slowly, it is still a good idea to watch out for these foods as they can make you gain weight. Attempt to avoid eating corn chips, potato chips, etc. They’re really empty calories. The bread with the most protein and the fewest carbohydrates is Ezekiel bread, which can be bought in the grocery store’s frozen foods section. I use them with my scrambled egg whites and cheese, toasting them straight from the freezer.
  6. Consume a lot of fish. Fish is quite healthful! It has a small amount of fat, which is very good for your body, and is a terrific source of protein. Not sure if your family enjoys fish that much – but tuna is fairly inexpensive and you can make sandwiches (on Ezekiel bread or something similar). I use Paul Prudhomme’s “magic” seasoning blend for fish, and broiled salmon, tuna, and tilapia may be extremely good. I think Lawry’s salt might also work.
  1. Consume wholesome snacks. You get really hungry if you miss meals or wait an extended period of time between them. You will then overindulge in food when you sit down to eat. A small amount of protein and healthy fat makes for excellent snacks. A few examples are: half a protein bar; one cup of skim milk with vanilla or chocolate low-carb protein powder; an apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter (no sugar, just ground peanuts); low-fat cottage cheese and half a peach; hummus with carrots and celery; “ants on a log”—peanut butter on celery with raisins on top—split into pieces; and half a protein bar.
  1. Sip some water. No juice and no sugar-filled soda (unless used sparingly). Soda and juice are loaded with calories! Simply put, if water is an option, there is no reason to drink them.

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