In this fast-paced society, most of us do not have the luxury to spend time on preparing nutritious meals for ourselves. Worst still, some often eat fast food which contain a high level of fats and calories, without exercising them away. They end up as fats in the body, which is why you see many obese people around these days. With some effort and knowledge, you can actually prepare food that help you stay slim, or lose weight.
Here are 10 ways that are guaranteed to keep you trim:
1. Use cooked fruit or a thin smear of jam rather than syrup to sweeten pancakes and french toast.
2. Sauteed diced vegetables make a delicious low-calorie topping for pasta, baked potatoes, or rice.
3. Pureed vegetables make excellent low-fat sauces for fish, poultry, pasta, or vegetables.
4. Mix powdered salad dressings into plain yogurt instead of oil or sour cream. Or add buttermilk, cottage cheese, or tomato juice to the dressings. Use yogurt instead of sour cream for dips.
5. If you like your yogurt sweet, buy plain yogurt and add a teaspoon or two of preserves (those without artificial sweeteners or sugar). You will get lower calories than in the sweetened commercial yogurts.
6. Pie lovers can save approximately 150 calories per serving by eating single-crust fruit cobblers instead of two-crust pies.
7. Eat slowly and taste your food. Put down your knife and fort after every two or three bites. Make each meal last at least 20 to 30 minutes.
8. Postpone that second helping for about 20 minutes. You will realize you don't need it, and you will feel less hungry too.
9. Serve yourself on a small plate so that smaller portions will not look so skimpy.
10. Snack between meals on fresh fruit, raw vegetables, or juice. They are non-fattening and give you your daily required nutrients.
