If you're like most Americans, weight control may be a health concern. Being overweight can have harmful health consequences including high blood pressure and diabetes. Making a simple choice like eliminating fried foods will help you slash significant amounts of calories off of your caloric intake, especially if you enjoy fried foods often. The advantage of doing so is its simplicity. With alternative cooking methods, you will not have to make diet restrictions which can leave you feeling deprived. Giving up fried foods will not only help you lose weight, it also has health benefits.
Calorie Savings
You will find one of the biggest advantages of giving up fried food in calorie savings. A fried chicken breast with meat only contains 161 calories, whereas a roasted chicken breast has only 96 calories. This savings amounts to over a 60 percent decrease in calories. Chicken fried with the skin on adds additional calories. This simple switch in cooking methods can speed up your weight loss.
Fat Intake
The calorie reduction comes primarily from reduced fat intake. A single tablespoon of vegetable oil contains 124 calories, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrient Data Laboratory. It also contains 14 g of fat. The "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010" recommend that adults limit fat consumption to 20 to 35 percent of total calorie intake. Based on 9 calories per gram of fat, this means an upper limit of 77 g of fat daily based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Each tablespoon of fat accounts for 18 percent of this target.
Modifications
Many recipes can easily be converted to no-fry options by baking them instead. You can prepare favorites such as French fries or chicken wings in the oven with minimal oil without sacrificing flavor. For stove-top cooking, using a non-stick pan with cooking spray will virtually eliminate fat calories. You can still enjoy the flavor of fried foods without the extra calories. Butter-flavored oils will add additional flavor.
Caveats
You are most likely to see significant weight loss with a diet of no fried food if these types of food are an important part of your current diet. Your fat reduction will save more calories with little effort on your part. While reducing fat is an admirable health goal, you should not attempt to eliminate all together from your diet. A minimum intake of 20 percent of your daily calories is necessary for the health benefits which fat does provide such as an easily digested form of energy. The fat you do include in your diet should be from the healthier monounsaturated sources such as olive or canola oil.
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