With so much dieting information available, you may have a hard time deciding how to lose weight and get healthy. Some diets contradict others. Some are fads. But the healthiest way to lose weight is gradually, about one to two pounds per week. A healthy diet is well-rounded and emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free or low-fat dairy products, according to MyPyramid.gov. Healthy eating makes it is possible to have diet meals that don't make you feel like you're on a diet.
Breakfast
You can lose weight gradually by creating a calorie deficit -- burning more calories than you consume. How you divide up those calories is up to you. The Flat Belly Diet suggests healthy meals of about 400 calories each. For example, a cup of raspberries and 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips added to a packet of instant oatmeal makes a yummy breakfast that gives you half your daily vitamin C, more than a third of your fiber, and is low in saturated fat and cholesterol. And it's only 371 calories.
From The Abs Diet for Women comes a more traditional breakfast. Scramble an egg with a slice of low-fat cheese, a slice of Canadian bacon, and your choice of vegetables -- mushrooms, peppers or onions. Sprinkle in a teaspoon of flaxseed for omega-3, and put it all between slices of a whole wheat English muffin spread with a small amount of butter. With four ounces of orange juice, this breakfast is low in saturated fat, gives you three grams of fiber and totals only 300 calories.
Lunch
Portobello mushroom burgers can make a hearty lunch that is also low-calorie. Weight Watchers suggests brushing the mushroom with Italian dressing before heating and placing it on a whole-grain bun. Top it with a bit more dressing, arugula, slices of tomato and onion, and goat cheese. In only 230 calories, you will get five grams of fiber, nine grams of protein and no saturated fat.
English muffins also make a delicious lunch. Spread a toasted English muffin with low-fat spreadable Swiss cheese. Add four ounces of sliced turkey breast and two tablespoons each of dried cranberries and walnuts. This diet meal that doesn't taste like a diet but has only 382 calories and gives you fruit, whole grains, protein, dairy and healthy omega-3 fatty acids, according to the Flat Belly Diet.
Dinner
A tablespoon of hoisin sauce makes this meal from The Abs Diet taste like you're eating in a Chinese restaurant. Cook boneless, skinless chicken breast in a small amount of peanut oil and red pepper flakes. Add chopped carrots, celery and green onion, a couple tablespoons of unsalted roasted peanuts and the hoisin sauce, and serve over brown rice. This meal has a whopping 45 grams of protein, only two grams of saturated fat and five grams of fiber--all for 356 calories.
Even pizza can be a healthy diet choice. Instead of topping it with pepperoni, stir-fry a pound of vegetables, such as mushrooms, zucchini, onions and bell peppers. On a 12-inch whole wheat pizza crust, spread a cup of pizza sauce and a couple of tablespoons each of olive bits and sun-dried tomatoes. Top with the veggies and 1/2 cup of shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese and bake. According to Doctors Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz, authors of "You on A Diet," two slices of this pizza equal only 322 calories, and you may eat up to four slices, depending on the rest of your calorie intake for the day.
Member Comments