Summer is here … are you swimsuit ready?
The bottom line, according to
Chef Michelle Dudash, RD when it comes to getting slim is eating fewer calories than you burn.
Dudash says the healthiest way to do this is to switch out high calorie processed foods with natural lower calorie options that taste delicious and fill you up.
Some of the foods lowest in calories that help fill you up include fruits and vegetables.
Small changes can make a big difference! Here are some of Dudash's tips:
Instead of snacking on potato chips and dip at your next pool party, buy a veggie tray and dip into roasted red pepper hummus.
Instead of downing a bowl of ice cream, eat a luscious bowl of fresh summer fruit with some vanilla yogurt drizzled on top.
With the hot summer heat it is so important for health to stay hydrated. Plus, being hydrated helps curb your appetite, because many times we mistake thirst for hunger and grab a snack when what we really should be doing is drinking fluids.
We know water is the best way to stay hydrated, but that can get boring for many of us in Arizona. Your next best bet for calorie free drinks this summer is iced tea.
Calorie free tea beverages are an ideal beverage choice to help people reach their daily fluid intake needs.
In fact, an expert nutrition panel determined that up to 8 cups per day may be consumed. If you don't have time to brew your iced tea, Lipton Cold Brew tea bags only take 3 minutes to brew.
All you do is pour 2 quarts of cold water over 2 tea bags and let brew for 3 minutes. As an added bonus, tea is a really economic way to get you through the higher-than-usual food costs.
An 8 oz serving of tea costs less than 3 cents per serving, so make up a big pitcher and keep in the fridge for a few days.
With all the pool parties and vacations over the summer, alcoholic beverages tend to flow more freely.
Not only can alcohol dehydrate you, but many are high in calories.
Two frozen margaritas contain 500 calories -- that's an equivalent to a meal, but doesn't fill you up.
If you do drink alcohol, be sure to alternate alcoholic beverages with a low-cal non-alcoholic beverage.
A fun and tasty option is Sparkling Virgin Sangria (
click here to see recipe).
After all this talk about calories, you need to know what to aim for. For many females trying to lose weight, a good start is to aim for about 1,200-1,600 calories per day.
So, if you divide that by 3 meals a day, that's about 400-500 calories per meal. Once you start reading food labels, you can see how those calories can add up quickly.
When you eat fewer calories, it is even more important to eat nutrient dense foods to make sure you get all the nutrients your body needs.
Nutrient dense foods are those that contain high amounts of nutrients for the amounts of calories in that food, like almonds and black tea.
Other foods that are nutritiously dense include the following:Grilled Tuscan Chicken and Vegetables: lean protein helps keep you full and satisfied longer, plus, helps you build muscle, and muscle helps burn fat. Grilling outdoors is a lower calorie cooking method and keeps your house cool inside.
Make your snacks count: have dried fruit instead of candy; nuts and seeds instead of chips
If you crave dessert don't deprive yourself or you'll be more likely to binge later. Go low-cal when possible, like small dark chocolate nuggets with almonds.
Or, try Lipton's Vanilla Carmel Truffle tea. It contains real pieces of caramel and is calorie free.
The black tea in it is a natural source of antioxidants, which give the body a natural defense.
Make sure all the grains you chose are whole grain, not white, like brown rice instead of white.
