Cutting calories in your food is not just about losing weight. First of all, it is a way to become healthier and start feeling better. Besides, you don’t need to give up tasty foods or eat less — there are other simple and effective ways to do it.
Order high-quality foods on Jiji.ng!
Berries instead of jam
You probably know that jam is a high-calorie product, even if it is sugar-free. Fruits and berries contain a high level of glucose, which remains high after processing when the majority of vitamins are gone. It is much better to cut fresh strawberries to pieces and put on your toast.
Read more: 7 Best Weight Loss Apps
Espresso instead of latte
If you put sugar in coffee, you’ll need more sugar for a latte than an espresso, taking into account the cup volume. Moreover, latte contains milk, milk foam, and cream, which make it even more hearty. Meanwhile, a little cup of espresso will fill you with energy and minimum calories.
Mustard instead of mayonnaise
We saw your rolled eyes coming, this might seem an unfair alternative. Nevertheless, putting mustard on a sandwich will help to cut around 100 calories, and that is a good point. Your sandwich will taste spicy, that’s also great (we hope).
Baked potatoes instead of French fries
100g of potatoes contain 70-75 kcal before it is cooked. When you start to fry it, the oil is easily soaked and increases this number significantly — up to 200 kcal. During baking, you manage to keep calories low and enjoy a tasty meal.
Greek yogurt instead of cream
Some people like to use sour cream for salad dressing or as a sauce for some dishes. Greek yogurt is a perfect alternative. The taste is almost identical, but the caloric value of yogurt is approximately 40-50% lower.
Wholegrain bread instead of wheat
Actually, the caloric value of wholegrain bread is not much lower compared to white bread, but there is one trick. You can eat less wholegrain bread because of its density so you automatically consume fewer calories.
Dietary fibers instead of fattening food
Fibers keep a sense of fullness for a longer time. They also slow down the digestion of glucose and, as a result, the increase of blood sugar level and insulin release. It also helps to avoid overeating. Eating cereals, fruits, and vegetables will help to reduce the number of consumed calories by 5%.
Use a sprinkle for oil
If you like to pour olive oil into your salad generously, you get extra 120 calories. To solve this problem, take an ordinary water sprinkle and fill it with oil, then sprinkle on salad before eating. You can also prepare a mix of 1 tsp of oil and 1 tsp of lemon juice.
Read more: The Most Popular Healthy Eating Myths
Sugar-free tea
You may struggle at first, but after 10-15 days you will not want to put sugar in your tea. Besides, you’ll get a chance to discover the true taste and flavour of this drink and won’t need to buy sugar.
Eat slowly
This also helps to consume fewer calories to be sated, 10-15% less according to investigations. Find 10 extra minutes for each meal, maybe try to turn an ordinary meal into degustation or put small amounts of several garnishings on a plate.
Change your plates
Yes, replace them with smaller plates. You can also try using teaspoons instead of tablespoons. Firstly, it is one more way to eat slowly. Secondly, there is a psychological trick: it looks like you get more food when you put it on a small plate.
Remember that drinks also contain calories
And sometimes this is lots of calories. Drink more water instead, it really helps to quench your thirst. Sodas, juices, beer, and other processed liquids contain sugar, which can irritate your stomach and only make the thirst worse. Of course, you don’t need to give up all the drinks, just control the amount.
Forget about ready-to-cook foods
You don’t want to know what those foods are made of, really. Different byproducts are the core spiced up by cheap fats, bread, and some other ingredients that actually shouldn’t be fed to people. At all. As a result, you buy foods that are high in calories but not nutritious and certainly not healthy.
Prepare sauces at home
Sauces contain sugar, starch and an abundance of food additives (read: much more calories than you need). It is not difficult to prepare the majority of sauces you see on supermarket shelves at home, and they will taste much better.
Follow the glycemic index principle
The glycemic index shows how fast the food increases the glucose level, which is transformed into energy and fats. Choose products with a low GI, they don’t cause significant energy boosts that result is equally fast exhaustion. Such foods help to feel full for a longer time and eat lesser.
Remember about neutralizing principle
This is all about the balance. The more calories your meal contains, the more products rich in fiber you’ll need to eat later. Foods rich in fats and carbs should be consumed with vegetables in 1:3 ratio.
Don’t eat in a social setting or when you are bored
Socializing is often about sitting in a nice cafe, going to movies, or having dinner with your friends. Refusing to eat can be treated as an offense in case a host has spent much time for cooking. If you don’t have a choice, just don’t eat much. If you aren’t hungry, just don’t eat.
Read more: 10 Reasons To Embrace The Vegan Diet
Think about ratios
Fats, proteins, and carbs should be present in proper amounts. Maybe you don’t need to cut calories in your food, it is enough just to change the sources of these calories a bit and review the quality of the products you eat.
Get enough sleep
When you don’t sleep well, your brain doesn’t have enough time to reload. As a result, it always needs more “fuel,” which is glucose, which is extra calories. But it doesn’t mean you are hungry, a tired brain just cannot help cells to digest enough glucose.
Eat healthy with Jiji app