What is the need for Low Calorie Diet Recipes?
Perhaps one of the most
popular and effective weight loss diets is the low calorie diet. Because
of the public’s growing interest on how they too can make use of this
diet, low calorie diet recipes are highly searched for in the
internet and most read in magazines and cook books. When you are planning on
making low calorie diet, there are also several guidelines we may make use of
to come up with healthy and tasty low calorie diet recipes.
What are Low Calorie Diet Recipes really for?
One of the main purposes why these recipes are made is mainly for people who want to shed off those extra pounds. The point of making recipes that are low in calories to help a person lose calories more than what he/she consumes. If a person loses more calories than his/her intake, that person will lose weight slowly or rapidly. But take note that these recipes are not the only reason why a person may drop weight. There are other factors to consider as well such as the person’s body type, how much weight he/she wants to lose, etc.What’s in Low Calorie Diet Recipes?
Low Calorie Diet Recipes
Basically, low calorie diet
recipes require the dieter to consume 1,000 to 1,800 calories. But as mentioned
earlier, the amount of calories to take in will vary according to the person’s
body type and the amount weight that the person aims to lose.
How do I start coming up
with Low Calorie Diet recipes?
There are hundreds of recipes out there that are low in calories. Coming up
with these kinds of meals are actually not that hard at all. It will require of
us to first understand the principle behind low calorie diets before we start
making meals that this type of diet requires. A low calorie diet works behind
the principle that calories give us energy in order for us to do our daily
activities and allow our bodies to function properly. Having said that, a person
who lowers the intake of calories will let our body burn the stored fat we have
making it as its energy resource thus weight loss happens.
Going back to the question,
how do we start coming up with this kind of recipes? Here’s how:
- Understanding the Calorie Counter
It is very crucial to
understand which foods are high in calories and which ones are not. These days,
there are lots of books and articles on various websites that help us
understand about calories. Find out more about calories and you will later on
realize how much easier it is to tell which foods to eat and which ones should
be taken with limits.
- Find out the amount of calories you
will be consuming daily
A low calorie diet will require an inactive woman to consume 1,500 to 1,800 calories daily and for men with the same lifestyle, around 2,000 to 2,200. For people who are active and always on the go, from the numbers mentioned earlier, you may need to add 600 to 800 calories per day.
- Make reading food labels a HABIT
Now that you have understood how calories work, the amount you need to take in and the rest of the essential information, reading food labels won’t be such a daunting task. Be cautious if the calories that packed food has is quoted per pack, by weight or per portion.
- Make your meals interesting by being
involved with planning it with a dietitian
If you find it really hard to come up with your own low calorie diet recipes, you may actually ask assistance from an expert dietitian. You need to be hands-on in coming up with your weekly plans so that you know what foods you will be eating and the dietitian may help you include your favorite foods as well and still staying with in your calorie limits.
- Make your own food diary
Your food diary will serve as a dual purpose. Here, you can write down the foods that you ate for that day and figure out how much calories you consumed. This way you can monitor your caloric intake. Its other purpose is where you can write down different recipes that you may come across with that you happen to see on TV, while you were browsing the web or you’ve seen in a magazine somewhere.
How do I cut out the
calories in my diet?
By now you understand that in a low calorie diet you must consume few calories
but burn more of them. If you plan on making your own low calorie recipes you
may combine low calorie foods or even make sure that the recipe you are making
is low calorie.
Go for low-calorie foods
that are high-calorie tasting
Most people who are on low calorie diet tend to b “too safe” that they fear
exploring other types of foods which are surprisingly low in calories. Examples
of these foods are:
- Lobster = 3 ounces contain 83 calories
- Shrimp = 12 large pieces contain 60
calories
- Whipped cream = one tablespoon contains
8 calories (perfect finish for fresh fruit desserts)
Pair high-calorie foods
with low-calorie ones
Your recipes don’t necessarily have to be bland. You can actually combine a
spoonful of ice cream with a bowl of fresh fruit. You may even have some chips
for snacks paired with fresh salsa. Your fresh garden salad can become
interesting by filling it with a little grated cheese.
Appreciate water
There’s no problem with drinking a glass of soda or fruit juice but no matter
what, water will always be the best choice. There are even studies that showed
sugary drinks despite the calories it contains do not give a sense of fullness
compared to eating food and water is the best thirst quencher and does not add
up to your caloric intake.
Eat 5 or 6 meals a day
rather than three large meals (this includes snacks)
A 1999 South African study showed that men who ate their breakfast at intervals
over 5 hours consumed 30% lesser calories at lunch. There are also other
studies that showed that even if you ate same number of calories but
distributed this way will let your body release lesser insulin helping you
achieve a steady blood sugar level.
There are lots of low
calories diet recipes out there that you can use for your daily meals. But it
would really be best if you understood more about the diet and calories in
order to not only lose weight in line with the diet but also with your
lifestyle.