In my 12 seasons as nutritionist on The Biggest Loser, interviewing and coaching each and every contestant, I learned a great deal about the most common mistakes people make around the kitchen that can lead to weight gain. I also spent a great deal of time working with the contestants and developed simple and easy-to-follow guidelines.
When the Food Network's Healthy Eats blog asked me about some of my top cooking tips for weight loss, recently these are the three I thought of immediately:
- Put Flavor First! Steamed broccoli and grilled chicken may help you drop pounds but it’s not a sustainable eating plan -- too boring! You have to put FLAVOR FIRST. Having the right condiments, dressings and sauces on hand can turn a ho-hum meal into an extraordinary culinary experience. My favorite store bought items to keep on hand include, salsa, capers, no-sugar fruit spreads, guacamole, horseradish, mustards galore, low-sodium soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and I’m the Queen of homemade dressings, sauces, dips and “mayos.”
- Make extras or big batches: Whenever you cook, freeze half in individual containers. When hunger strikes you’ll always have a cup of soup, a pasta dish or a scrumptious leftover to reheat in minutes or take with you. No excuses for visiting the drive thru!
- Always have a bowl of fresh fruit in sight: Keep containers in the fridge of freshly cut veggies to graze on or to quickly heat or sauté. Most of us eat mindlessly much more often than we realize. If you’re going to graze anyway, feel good about it!
Read the full interview on The Food Network's Healthy Eats Blog. And learn more about putting Flavor First at FlavorFirst.com.
Having a sweet tooth can be a struggle for many. Who doesn't love something sweet now and then, particularly at the end of a meal? But sugar-laden products are full of empty calories, making them hard to justify from a nutritional standpoint.
Many people have turned to artificial sweeteners such as Equal and Splenda to sweeten their coffee or tea. There has also been an increase of "sugar free" and "diet" foods showing up on our grocery shelves. But these synthetic products don’t seem to help with slimming. Although we are consuming more "sugar free," processed foods, we are collectively getting fatter and obesity rates continue to soar. It's also becoming increasingly clear that natural, whole foods are better for our bodies than man-made and over-processed foods.
There are alternative "natural" sweeteners out there and many have come to the forefront of public interest lately. Are they healthier than regular granulated sugar?
Last week, I wrote about the basic guidelines for choosing "Biggest Loser" foods and the importance of regular meal times and snacks. Another one of the first things the "Biggest Loser" contestants learn about is the importance of a food journal. Not only is it one of the key secrets to a successful weight loss plan, it's often a very loud wake-up call. Most of us eat (and drink) much more than we think....until we start recording it.
The more detailed your food journal entries are, the more accurate your calorie count for the day will be. The first thing you need to know is -- how big is a serving size? Weighing and measuring food is crucial in order to calculate an accurate number of your daily calories.
