Cool, Refreshing, and Low in Calories

Elaine blogged this weekend about eating ice cream. As much as ice cream is a summer treat it is not the most diet friendly, especially when a serving is only 1/2 cup and can have up to 200 calories. Instead of eating ice cream when you need a cool and refreshing treat try one of these that are lower in calories and fat:

Chilled Watermelon Soup

Yellow Gazpacho

Banana Coffee Crunch Smoothie

Wild Berry Pops

Melon Slush

New From Starbucks

Walk into your local Starbucks and you are going to see some changes. These changes all came from My Starbucks Ideas on their website.

Here are the changes you will see:
No artificial flavors or dyes
No trans fats
No high fructose corn syrup
New Vivanno smoothie with real banana and have less than 280 calories per serving
Gluten free cake orange valencia cake

There will be other healthy changes at Starbucks coming so see what's at your local store. Other options for healthy choices at Starbucks are:
Fruit cups
Yogurt parfaits
Drinks with low fat or fat-free milk
Starbucks Oatmeal
Unsweetened teas and coffee

No-Diet Solutions for Weight Loss

By making some small changes you can create big results in your weight loss efforts. Health magazine had some readers share their no-diet tips for losing weight that you can easily incorporate into your lifestyle.

1. Walk at lunch time. Schedule time each and every day to take a walk during your work day - this will prevent you from being too tired at the end of your work day to exercise. Walking during lunch can also help you become more productive during your day and you'll make better food choices.

2. Skip the cream and sugar. If you get your coffee or tea light and sweet each day you are adding unnecessary calories and fat into your diet. Slowly make the change to just using low-fat or fat-free milk in your coffee or tea to cut back on calories.

3. Try a baby-workout. This will only work if you have a baby...so if you do use the time you are carrying your child or pushing the stroller as workout time. This will burn calories and can help take off your postpartum weight. 

4. Get competitive. Create your own biggest loser competition and set up a friendly wager with your friends or co-workers to see who can lose the most weight or percentage body fat. Just remember to keep up the motivation after the contest is over!

5. Take your dog for a walk. Exercise does not have to be done at the gym so take your dog out for a good long walk, not just a quick stroll to the curb. Don't have a dog...consider temporary adoption or borrow a friends.

What are some easy changes you made to help with losing weight.

Healthy Beach Snacks

It's easy to pack bags of potato chips and head to the beach, but it's not the healthiest thing to take. Here are some ideas of healthy snacks to pack up when you head out to the beach:

• Whole grain pretzels
• Fruit: peaches, plums, cherries, or grapes
• Baked tortilla chips and salsa
• Whole grain crackers with cheese
• Vegetables with hummus
• Soy chips or popcorn
• Granola bars
• Trail mix
• Dry cereal

Don't forget to take a cooler with ice so if you are bringing perishable foods, like cheese, you can keep them at the proper temperature.

What are some of your favorite beach snacks?

Have A Healthy 4th of July

The 4th of July is a time for BBQs and fun and you can enjoy the festivities and eat right.

Here are some tips to have a healthy holiday....

Enjoy lean cuts of beef, boneless/skinless chicken, or vegetables from the grill.

Snack on vegetables instead of chips and make sure any dipping is done in low-fat dip.

Make low-fat salads such as Asian-Flavored Coleslaw with Rice Vinegar and Ginger and Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs and Lemon

Stick to drinking water, unsweetened ice tea, or club soda. If you are going to drink alcohol stick to wine or beer because mixed drinks, especially frozen ones, can have up to 500 calories a drink!

For dessert stick to fresh fruit - try this Mixed Berry Salad with Mint which incorporates summers fresh fruits.

Have a healthy and safe holiday!

Eat More and Feel Full

Eating healthy food with fiber is a topic that frequents the ND blogs and it is so true that when you eat foods that are high in fiber it helps you feel full. What is also great about a lot of these high fiber foods is that you can eat more of them than foods that are low in fiber.

You can eat more of these foods because there is usually more air or water in them. So eat your grapes instead of raisins and eat popcorn instead of plan corn because it will give you the volume you need to fill up, but it won't break the calorie bank.

Other things to remember about eating filling food is that you should look for 100% whole grain foods. These foods have more fiber and will also help keep you feel full. You should look for breads, cereals, and crackers that have 3-4 grams of fiber per serving.

If you are not used to eating whole grains start mixing it up - half white and half brown rice, half regular pasta and half whole wheat pasta, and mix up your favorite cereals so you get used to the taste and texture of whole grain foods.

 

 

No More Chicken Boredom

Are you in an cooking rut? If you have become bored with your eating routine try some of these delicious sauces from CookingLight.com. These sauces are easy to make and will help you stick to your weight loss plan because you are cooking with flavor.

White Wine Sauce - 47 calories, 4g fat, 2g saturated fat, 1g carbs

Parsley Pesto - 57 calories, 5g fat, 1g saturated fat, 3g carbs, 1g fiber

Tangy Mustard Sauce - 69 calories, 2g fat, 8g carbs

Creamy White Sauce - 51 calories, 5g fat, 1g saturated fat, 2g carbs

Spicy Orange Sauce - 43 calories, 0g fat, 11g carbs

Classic Vinaigrette - 96 calories, 10g fat, 1g sat fat

All of the nutritional information is based on the serving size according to the recipe.

 

Summer Vegetables - 3

Here are some more summer vegetables for you to add to your diet. All vegetables should be a part of your daily diet as they provide you with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and weight-loos friendly fiber.

Summer Vegetables

Summer vegetables are great as snacks, in salads, or cooked. No matter how you enjoy them add them to your diet because these low calorie, high fiber foods are great to help you reach your weight loss goals.

Here are some summer vegetables to try...

Arugula - Beef Tagliata with Radicchio and Arugula 

Avocado - Asian Spinach Salad with Orange and Avocado

Beans - Miso Marinated Cod with Fava Beans

Beets - Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges and Beet Greens

Collards - Orange Balsamic Glazed Tempeh Over Greens

Corn - Rice Bean and Corn Salad

Check back during the week for more summer vegetables and delicious recipes!

Summer Foods for Weight Loss - III

Here are some more fruits for you to try. Enjoy these tasty recipes or snack on these wight-loss friendly fruits alone.

Mango - Mango, Jicama, and Corn Salad

Nectarine -Grilled Nectarine with Feta

Papaya - Grilled Salmon with Papaya Mint Salsa

Peach- Grilled Shrimp Satay with Peaches and Bok Choy

Plum - Smoked Turkey, Plum and Fennel Salad

Raspberry - Raspberry Trifle

Strawberry - Strawberry Citrus Salad

Watermelon - Chopped Veggie Salad with Watermelon and Feta Cheese