For some people, it’s no big deal to just start in on a new way of eating. But for most of us, it can be hard to completely change our dietary habits. Never fear, here are ten great ways to cut calories from your diet starting today, and none of them are terribly difficult.
1. Drink brewed tea or coffee. If you just order a drip coffee instead of one of those sugary, whipped cream topped things at the coffee bar, you could be cutting as much as 400 calories but still get your caffeine fix. Most experts think coffee and tea are fairly good for you when consumed in moderation. We don’t have to tell you to stay out of the pastry case, right?
2. Open faced sandwiches. Even the lowest calorie breads available are 50 calories per slice. Some whole grain breads have twice that, restaurant sandwich breads even more. Remove one piece of bread and you easily lose 50-100 calories.
3. Mustard, not Mayo. Sure, mustard won’t make a very tasty egg salad. But a teaspoon of mustard has fewer than 5 calories while a tablespoon of mayonnaise has 90 calories or more (that’s at least 30 calories per teaspoon).
4. Lose the soda! First, it’s almost 100 calories per 8 oz. serving, and most of us drink the 20 oz bottles without even thinking about it. Second, you won’t feel full after drinking it. Third, most regular sodas are loaded up with corn syrup — which isn’t good for you! Diet soda really isn’t any better for you. Research has shown that diet soda drinkers tend to eat more calories from other sources, it seems that even artificial sweet is an appetite stimulant.
5. Eat green veggies, not french fries. Unfortunately, fries are probably the most popular vegetable in America today. We would all be better off eating healthy green veggies such as broccoli, asparagus, green beans, peas, or old fashioned lettuce.
6. Plan snacks ahead. When you have a packet of nuts or an apple in your bag, you won’t be tempted to get that candy bar out of the vending machine at the office.
7. Ditch the sauce. A lot of people add over a hundred calories to an otherwise healthy item by drowning it in high calorie sauces like ranch dressing. We’ve got nothing against low calorie things like hot sauce, but know what you are putting on your food before you pour!
8. Brown bag it. You can save calories and money by packing your own lunch. It gives you a lot more control over your food, and keeps you from impulsively ordering things that you really know you shouldn’t be eating.
9. Get smaller plates. Research has shown that people tend to eat more when the plate in front of them is bigger. Go ahead and serve your food on smaller plates and you are likely to feel full more quickly.
10. Actually cook! Go ahead and learn to cook real food for yourself and your family. You’ll find that it really isn’t that hard, you’ll save money over those boxed dinner chemistry sets at the grocery store (let alone restaurant food), and you’ll end up eating far fewer calories. Many local colleges offer adult extension classes where you can learn basic cooking skills if you don’t have them. Also, learning to cook specific dishes can be fun attending demos at specialty grocers like Whole Foods.
