June 6, 2003
If you
can’t figure out how to cut down calorie consumption,
or if you’re having trouble getting all the fruits
and vegetables you know your body needs, the answer may be
right in front of you. Look at what’s on your plate:
any time you see fruit or vegetables in tiny, garnish-like
amounts (or absent completely) there’s an opportunity
to trade some food on your plate for more fruits or vegetables.
In the process, you’ll probably cut calories, too.
Simple trades in portions solve a lot of problems.
For example, although the serving size posted on a box
of cereal
is often
one cup, many people find that, if they actually measure
their usual portion, it’s close to two cups, or 180
to 200 calories more than they thought they consumed.
However, if they would eat just one cup of cereal and fill
the rest of the bowl with sliced fruit, they’d be just
as full. They would also have consumed about 100 fewer calories.
And they would be starting the day with the fruit’s
fiber and nutrients that are so important to good health.
EVEN EXCHANGES
Pasta salad is another great place to make a switch. Most
versions contain 90 percent pasta. A little chopped celery,
carrot,
or pepper is added for color and crunch, but not enough
to provide a serving’s worth of antioxidants and health-promoting
phytochemicals. Many people concerned about calorie content
focus on the amount and type of salad dressing they use.
But there is another, major consideration. Each half-cup
of pasta supplies about 100 calories, but the same amount
of chopped
vegetables supplies only about 25. By switching the proportions
of salad ingredients so there are at least equal amounts
of vegetables and pasta (preferably, more veggies), you
can cut
at least 75 calories from each one-cup portion.
You can use this technique even if you buy your salad at
the deli. Start with the regular pasta salad and add an
equal amount
of chopped vegetables. (Use the salad bar if you’re
rushed.) So much dressing is usually used on these salads
that yours
will likely still be moist with the added vegetables. But,
if needed, use only a dash more dressing or light mayonnaise
to reach the right consistency.
CUT OUT THE MOUNTAINS OF MEAT
Proportions can also get out of control with sandwiches and
subs. To keep hunger at bay for several hours, adequate
protein is important. But a towering sandwich or sub with a mountain
of meat and a single lettuce leaf and slice of tomato is
out of proportion.
Instead, start with two to three ounces of turkey or other
lean meat, or a low-fat cheese or vegetarian filling. Then “supersize” it
by piling on tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini and other
veggies.
The same principle applies to eating ice cream, which sometimes
is garnished with a dab of strawberry sauce. Turn that
bowl of ice cream into a colorful fruit fiesta. Stick to
a half-cup
of ice cream (preferably low-fat), and fill the rest of
the bowl with whatever fruit is in season. The calorie
savings
add up quickly, and it’s a delicious way to feast on
fruit. The idea is to have a little ice cream with your fruit,
not a little fruit with your ice cream.
EVERYTHING IS NOT EQUAL
Each half-cup (a handful-size) portion of potatoes, pasta,
rice, or cereal has about 100 calories. Lean meat, poultry
and fish contain about the same amount, but high-fat ground
meat and deep-fried or breaded choices are at least double
that.
On the other hand, the same one-half cup filled with most
vegetables (without added fat) is only 25 calories, and
a similar portion
of fruit (without added sugar) averages about 50 calories.
Each half-cup trade to boost fruit or vegetables saves
50 to 75 calories. Yet you’ll still eat the same total
amount of food.
And you’re a half-cup closer to the recommended five
to ten servings of fruits and vegetables recommended by health
experts.
Nutrition Notes is provided by the American
Institute for Cancer
Research in Washington, D.C.
