Father's Day Food Challenges
How will you be celebrating Father's Day this weekend? Whether you are at home or out with Dad there will probably be more food temptation than usual. How do you get through it all without doing damage to your diet?
Think, and then think again before you eat. What might be particularly hard on your food plan is what you don’t typically see in the foods you consume on an outing. If you really want to avoid seeing that scale number go up come Monday morning, here are some things to consider.
If you are indulging in other people's foods like potato or macaroni salad remember many people don’t use low fat versions of mayonnaise which can add to the fat count. One tiny teaspoon of real mayo has fifty calories. Even in green salads the dressing can add up quickly if the chef is using regularly prepared salad dressings at about 110 calories for a mere two tablespoons (that's just a vinaigrette version, many are higher).
Tostito Chips are about 150 calories a serving (6 chips). Add a typical dip and you have at least another hundred calories added to the mix. Then there are those lip smacking ribs which are especially high in fat too. One little piece of meat has about 2-3 servings of artery clogging fat.
And don’t forget beverages. These are the calories we sometimes "forget" or don’t count. Oh but they do count! Alcohol is about 100 calories a serving (four ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or an ounce of hard liquor). Sodas are about 150 calories equal to about 13-17 teaspoons of sugar. Fruit juices aren’t much better either with about the same amount of sugar even though it may come from fruit sugar, cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup. And we won't even get into those so called sport drinks. And wow, I haven't even gotten into desserts....
Dieter just be aware. Think before you eat and go for moderation with all of it. Or just be selective and consume only what you truly enjoy. I would still urge you to check out the actual calorie counts on ND's free Custom Entry Tool to get a reality check on your favorite foods. Readers please share your thoughts on how you get through these more tempting times!
 older posts |
home | newer posts  |
| Report Cards Are In! | | Diet & Weight Loss Blog | | A Healthy Homemade Cheeseburger |
Posted by: Bob Skilnik | Aug 31, 2008 1:24:53 PM
Considering beer or wine or booze as having fat or fat equivalents is nonsense. There is NO fat in any of them and just another example of how organizations such as the Diabetes Exchange continue to pass on wrong information about alcohol.
Alcohol is metabolized first...so what? What does that have to do with fat? As for calories, no one is advocating chugging down pint after pint of anything. The whole key is moderation, not deprivation.
Posted by: Elaine Murphy | Jun 16, 2008 7:29:45 PM
Hi Izzy, you are right there aren't many good choices to choose from at theme parks. I always pack healthy snacks even though they make it hard to eat there. I hope you did ok this weekend!
Posted by: Elaine Murphy | Jun 16, 2008 7:22:36 PM
Bob, I was rounding off because it's easier for people to visualize, and sometimes serving sizes do vary depending on brand names. Actually according the Diabetes Exchange a beer is considered two servings of fat and a starch exchange, the wine at five ounces is considered two servings of fat, and the hard liquor at one and a half ounces, is equal to two servings of fat. The fat has to do with the way it is metabolized in the body. My main point though really has to do with added empty calories - they really do not contribute to health (although for many, it's about fun) and be careful how you "spend" them if you are trying to lose weight.
Posted by: Alex Baran | Jun 14, 2008 4:13:44 AM
The foods that don`t have cholesterol, are high in soluble fibers, and also contain antioxidants should be consumed in any diet and include: vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, psyllium seeds, meat substitutes, egg substitutes, dairy products, snacks, sweets. I read about this at http://www.projectweightloss.com.
Posted by: Richard Neva | Jun 14, 2008 12:35:00 AM
No change in eating plans, my three adult children hate me and will not speak to me let alone eat with me. Father's day, bah humbug!
Posted by: IzzyBeth | Jun 13, 2008 9:26:54 PM
We are with our family at a theme park for Father's Day weekend - and there are NOT a lot of choices that are healthy. My plan is to walk a lot and drink a ton of water and try to stay away from grease and fried food as much as possible.
Posted by: Bob Skilnik | Jun 13, 2008 5:54:55 PM
The USDA has suggested a serving of beer at 12-ounces, wine at 5-ounces and booze at 1.5 ounces. The Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has concurred with these serving sizes.
In all of these equivalent sizes, the pure alcohol content has been determined to be .6 of an ounce.
