Photo by Cats Coming
We all need a certain number of calories to sustain our bodies and keep us healthy, but many of us consume many more calories than we actually need, and eventually, this will lead to weight gain which can be difficult to shift.
The good news is, there are lots of simple things you can do to save calories, so you do not end up overeating while still being able to enjoy the dishes you love the most. Sounds good? Read on for some of our best calorie-saving health tips:
Cook with an airfryer
Whether you fry fish in airfryer, use it to make fried chicken, or cook crisp, delicious fries, you can do so using just a single tablespoon of oil, which means you will be saving potentially hundreds of calories compared to cooking them the traditional way, and best of all, they are just as crispy and delicious as the less healthy versions too.
Weigh out portions
This might seem a little tedious thing to have to do, but if you weigh out a defined portion of any food you are planning to eat, you will avoid serving yourself more than necessary and this will mean you save a whole lot of calories. What’s more, once you have sine this for a month or so, you will get great at being able to measure portions by eye, which means you won’t have to do it forever.
Stop drinking your calories
It’s shocking how much sugar is in the average soda or store-bought coffee. An easy way to save calories then is to simply stop consuming them in your drinks, switch to diet soda (or even better water) and drink your coffee black. Use natural sweeteners like stevia, which are basically calorie-free, and you will get the same great flavor, after your taste buds have adjusted, with none of the excess, allowing you to use your calories allowance on the healthy nutritious meals you eat instead.
Use smaller plates
If you use smaller plates for your meals, you will not be able to fit as much food on the plate, thus saving a large percentage of your calories effortlessly. Not only that but some studies have shown that when you eat off a smaller plate, you can trick your brain into thinking you’ve had a larger meal than you really have, which means you are more likely to be satisfied.
Switch candy for dried fruit
Not only is dried fruit likely to be lower in calories than candy, but it also contains many more vitamins and minerals for a healthy snack. So, next time you are hankering for something sweet, avoid the candy store and go to the produce aisle instead. Dried strawberries are just as good as strawberry red vines and much healthier to boot.
Bulk out with pulses
Bulking soups, stews, and things like spaghetti bolognese with lentils and other pulses instead of meat is a great way to lower the calorie content and up the nutritional value. It is also a good way for you to save money on the weekly grocery shop too. If you have kids who won’t touch pulses and veg, then blending them into soups, stews and sauces is an ideal way to ensure they get lots of healthy stuff in their diets, without them ever knowing about it, too.
Use spray oil
Using spray oil instead of regular oil if you do need to fry a dish, means that you will only use a couple of calories instead of hundreds. Spray oil used to be hard to find, but it is really common these days and it tastes just as food as the regular kind too, so making the change is ideal.
Eat slowly
If you eat a meal slowly, you can easily save calories by letting your body know that it is full. We digest food very slowly, so if we eat too fast, we don’t realize we are full and keep going until our plates are clean. When we slow down and take more time over our meals, we reach satiety much faster and are more likely to stop when we are full so we do not overeat more than our bodies need to stay fit, healthy, and trim.
Saving calories, as you can see, is a lot easier than you might think, and many of these ideas will enable you to eat the same foods you love, or at least a good substitute, that is even better for your health!
