Thursday, October 30, 2008

How to Fit Grains and Butter into a Calories Loss Diet

By Rowena French

Breads and grains have endured a poor reputation in diet programs of late but it has been good to see a return to common sense where weight loss menus again accommodate servings of these foods. Although too much of these foods does not assist with a calories loss diet, we can eat some bread and grain foods and still lose weight. Bread is often best included in our menu in one sliced open or traditional closed sandwiches or even as a low calorie snack.

You can throw some cereal on top of your yogurt to add some fiber and crunch and make a great, fast and healthy breakfast that has less than 300 calories by using whole-grain, reduced sugar and bran cereals. You do not need to buy special low calorie bread as most whole grain bread has under100 calories per slice. Just remember, if you are aiming for calories loss, a serving is one slice, not two.

Instant brown rice is very healthy, easy and fast to make so throw some frozen vegetables and brown rice into a steamer, cook some chicken breasts and twenty minutes later you have a meal. Whole wheat pitas can be used with a meal, with a snack, and if you stuff some hummus and salad into one, call it lunch. Bake one and cut it into pieces for some crunchy chips as they have less than 200 calories and endless possibilities.

Oatmeal is a great filling food for breakfast and has lots of fiber that will help you feel full throughout the day. At lunch or dinner, eat pasta sparingly, and look for whole grain pasta, but do keep some around for a quick meal. Remember to eat more of an accompanying salad than pasta when you want the benefits of calories loss.

Eat whole grain crackers and cheese as a snack instead of potato chips and you will be surprised at how much of a calories loss this accounts for. Crunchy and filling with hardly any calories, rice cakes are the classic diet food. Add a tablespoon of peanut butter on top for some taste and protein.

Some dairy products are packaged in ways that make them excellent food for dieters! 2% milk, low calorie margarine, low calorie cheese and yogurt are core foods to include in a calories loss menu so make sure that you stock up on as much of this as your refrigerator can hold. Low calorie cheeses and yogurt are often packaged in perfect sizes for a snack and you can calculate the portions of these foods to assist with your calories loss.

Low calorie yogurt is a delicious and nutritious food to include in a calories loss diet mainly because it is sweet enough to enjoy as a snack or part of a meal and contains all the calcium essential for the ongoing development of our bones. It won't last forever but it is worth buying as much as you can eat over the length of its life.

Some grain food and dairy food can be frozen and along with other frozen foods contribute to a calories loss diet across the length of your weight loss program. Pre cooked and frozen meals are a fabulous way to provide a meal at work, especially since you are aware of the calories they contain. Frozen vegetables can be added to any meal in ways that provide interest and flavour and frozen fruit in unsweetened juice is great for a smoothie or a dessert served with low calorie frozen yogurt.

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