Healthy Eating

Do you know how many calories you eat at a meal?  In a day?  Over an entire week?  Too many OR too few can impact your health & fitness negatively.  Tracking calories can be fairly simple, if you know how to do it effectively.  The way we typically eat in America can make the task difficult, so education is the first key to unlocking the food intake "mystery".  Here is one of my favorite illustrations - Portion Distortion (click on the images below to enlarge them):

        

Tips on Eating Out

  • Skip appetizers
  • Order salad dressing on the side - dip your fork in the dressing before getting a bite.  You'll get just enough without overdoing it.
  • Plan ahead whenever possible - many restaurants have websites with nutrition calculators for most of their menu items.  Figure out what you want before you arrive, and stick to your plan. 
  • Another helpful resource is www.CalorieKing.com - you can enter any type of food or restaurant in the "Search" and most of the time you get all sorts of nutritional info.
  • Don't drink your calories (alcohol, soda, etc.) - they add up much faster and don't fill you up.
  • If you absolutely must have dessert, split it with others in your group.  Consider taking only 3-4 bites, just enough to enjoy your indulgence without stuffing yourself.

Favorite Healthy Recipes

Pita Pizzas

  • 1 whole wheat circular pita (not the style already cut in half)
  • 1/3 cup pizza sauce
  • 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 cup chopped veggies of your choice (I use onion and green pepper)
  • 4-5 slices of turkey pepperoni (if desired)
Precook pita bread for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  After removing from the oven, top pita with pizza sauce, cheese, veggies, and pepperoni.  Bake again at 350 degrees for another 10-12 minutes.

1 Pita Pizza = 310 calories (with turkey pepperoni)
Diabetic exchanges = 1.5 lean meat, 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat


Quesadillas

  • 1 small low-fat or fat-free flour tortilla (about 6 inches round)
  • 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 cup chopped onions, green peppers, and tomatoes
Sprinkle half of the cheese on half of the open tortilla.  Place chopped vegetables on the top of the cheese and top with them remaining cheese.  Fold tortilla so that it looks like a taco.  Brown each side in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.

1 Quesadilla = 185 calories
Diabetic exchanges = 1 meat, 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat

* I sometimes eat 2 quesadillas, but with the 1/3 cup of cheese split between them both to minimize the fat.