Many weight-loss diets teach portion control as a means of losing weight. Controlling portions can help you limit calories, and using boxed foods as part of a diet can help you to control portions.
First, some boxed foods are doled out in pre-measured packs that provide limited portion sizes. By eating just one of the pre-measured packages of food, you can limit your caloric intake. The other way boxed foods can help is if you carefully read the nutrition information on the side and measure out the portions yourself using a measuring cup or kitchen scale.
Frozen Entrees
Portion-controlled meals are available in your grocer's freezer. Weight Watchers Smart Ones, for instance, offers entrees, snacks and desserts that come in pre-measured sizes and have around 300 calories or less per serving. Healthy Choice also makes frozen entrees that not only control calories and portions, but also provide many nutrients and much fiber. They are also low in sodium and fat. The American Heart Association recommends Healthy Choice frozen entrees as part of a heart-healthy diet. Lean Cuisine also makes low-calorie and portion-controlled frozen boxed entrees you can eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Meal-Replacement and Snack Bars
Special-K, Slim Fast, Fiber One and other manufacturers all make snack bars that come individually wrapped in a box. Many of these bars have nutrients like protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals added in to help you get the nutrition you need. Fiber One bars, for instance, contain as much as 35 percent of your daily value of fiber and only have between 90 and 140 calories per snack bar. Eating a single low-calorie snack bar when you are hungry can help you to satiate your hunger without going overboard on fat or calories.
Low-Fat and Low-Calorie Snacks
Many manufacturers now offer pre-packaged low-fat and low-calorie snacks. Snackwells, for instance, offer low-fat cookies that are relatively low in calories. Nabisco also makes 100-Calorie packs that feature snack favorites like crackers, nuts and cookies in pre-portioned amounts containing just 100 calories each. Eating one of these snacks when you are hungry may help you to control your caloric intake throughout the day.
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