- Swap rice for cauliflower
Based on the same serving size rice has more than 4.5 times the number of calories than cauliflower, and where the glycaemic load (GL) of white rice is 16, brown rice is 11 and cauliflower only 2.To make cauliflower rice cut the cauliflower into small florets then place in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower resembles grains of rice. Be careful not to overdo it or you will be left with a soggy mess.If you don’t have a food processor you can chop finely with a knife.Your cauliflower rice will only need steaming for a few minutes – again too long and you will have a soggy pulp that won’t taste great. You can even leave your cauliflower rice raw. It will be warmed by the food that you put on top of it, will have a little crunch and all of the nutrients will be preserved.If you are not ready to give up your rice yet then make sure that you switch to brown rice if you are eating white and then mix your rice 50/50 with the cauliflower rice. - Swap spaghetti for courgette
This is a similar swap to number 1. You can make courgette spaghetti with a special machine called a spiralizer but it you are not ready yet to invest in new equipment just use a coarse grater.If you are currently eating white spaghetti or other pasta each 100g contains 158 calories and has a GL of 16 compared to whole wheat spaghetti which has 124 calories and a glycaemic load of 11. Now compare the same 100g with courgette and you will have only 16 calories and a glycaemic load of 2.As with the cauliflower rice, steam lightly or enjoy raw.My blog post “Are All Calories Equal?” gives you a lot more detail about the difference between spaghetti and courgette. - Eat eggs for breakfast
For many years eggs were thought to cause a rise in cholesterol and avoided by many people. Even after research was done that proved this not to be the case it took a long time for public opinion to change.Research conducted by Department of Psychology, Saint Louis University, Missouri, USA conducted research in 2005 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16373948 which showed that eating egg for breakfast could also be beneficial to those wanting to lose weight by making you feel full for longer and hence being less likely to snack mid morning.In calorific terms one large egg will give you 77 calories and a GL of 1. Compare this to a bowl of Kellogg’s Special K, where the recommended serving size is a mere 31g but will give you 117 calories and a GL of 14 and that is without the milk. This just goes to show that you can’t believe everything that an advert says when it comes to what is best for weight loss.If you are always in a hurry in the morning you can easily hard boil 2 eggs the night before and then take them with you in the morning. They come in their own clean, secure and portable packaging that is perfect for a meal on the go. - Never eat in front of the television
This is especially true for snacks. Have you ever opened a pack of biscuits whilst watching TV and then suddenly realised that there were non left and you can’t really remember eating them?There is nothing wrong with a few treats but when you do have them make sure that you savour every mouthful and enjoy the experience. Imagine that the biscuit you are eating is the last one that you will ever have. Would you rush it then? No you would take your time. You need to this every time you eat treat foods.If you really must snack in front of the television, chop up some carrots, peppers and celery. Even if you are not that keen on them you will eat them almost without noticing and will at least of managed to get some good nutrients inside of you without trying too hard.If you want to learn how to make highly nutritious and healthy treats consider joining one of my Healthy Desserts Workshops These high nutrient desserts will leave you satisfied with just small portions which is great for both weight management and controlling your blood sugar. - Plan ahead when you are out all day
Whenever possible always take lunch with you if you are going to be out for the whole of the day. Shop bought lunch items such as sandwiches, burgers, crisps etc. are likely to be high in sugar and salt as well as calories. It is not difficult to prepare some food to take with you, it just takes a little planning.If you are caught out without food and need to buy something here are a few suggestions that are good quality and totally healthy, whilst staving off the hunger pangs.Steamed salmon fillets are usually sold in most supermarkets – usually in a pack of 2. Each fillet will give you about 175 calories and an impressive GL of 0 for the plain fillets, beware of flavoured fillets as these will usually have sugar and salt added as well as extra calories. You could eat this on it’s own, I always keep a pack of forks in my car for these occasions, or buy a small bag of prepared salad.You can do the same as above with sliced cooked chicken which has around 175 calories per 100g and again a GL of 0 – not the type that looks like a large flat slice but a pack that has pre cooked chicken pieces that looks the same as if you had prepared it yourself.Fruit salad. OK so you are not going to be able to chop it and put it into a bowl but many fruits are ready to go without any preparation. Here are just a few for which you won’t need any knife. Bananas (1 large = 121 calories, GL 11), apples (1 medium = 95 calories, GL 5), pears (1 medium = 103 calories, GL 6), oranges (1 = 65 calories, GL 4) and strawberries (100g = 32 calories, GL 2) Be careful how much you eat if you choose those with a higher GL. Be careful with the bananas if you need to keep your blood sugar in check.Crudities. Many supermarkets sell bags of carrot sticks or even a crudités selection which you can pair up with hummus, (check the ingredients and the calories which will vary according to brand) or cottage cheese (100g = 98 calories GL 3) . - Stay hydrated.
Make sure you stay hydrated by carrying a bottle of water with you everywhere and sipping frequently. Your body will cause you to feel hunger if you ignore thirst signals. Sometimes you don’t even notice thirst signals because they are subtle or because you have just got too used to ignoring them so a little water often will help a lot when it comes to controlling your weight and blood sugar. - Eat when your body tells you.
We are trained from the day we are born to eat according to the clock even if we are not hungry. It’s no wonder that we pile on the weight and send our blood sugar levels soaring. It can take a while to retrain your body to eat only when you are hungry but once you do you will find that your body gets better at telling you what it wants. That also includes stopping eating when you are full, rather then when the plate is empty.
If you would like help with creating your ideal diet, reducing food cravings or weight loss please contact me sandra@TheEssenceOfHealth.co.uk or 0775 801 2894.
In January 2016 I will be starting a new weight management class at Beehive Healthcare in Chester where I will be combining a group weekly meeting with an individually designed plan that addresses your personal needs. If you are interested please contact me to register your interest.
