Strategies for Making Better Food Choices
Everyone likes to celebrate a happy occasion with treats, whether it’s a birthday or a raise at work, but enjoying those treats too often can derail your fitness goals. In order to stay on track, here are some great ideas for making better food choices.
Make Nutrient Dense Cookies
We all love a good cookie now then, and that’s ok. But why not create a healthier cookie? A healthy cookie? Is there really such a thing? There is! Think about creating cookies that have something in them to cut the fat and/or calories and adds nutrients along the way. Some suggestions for making better food choices when it comes to cookies include:
- Pumpkin Cookies. Adding canned pumpkin to any recipe will increase the vitamins A, C, E and K, and iron to your treat. Pumpkin is also high in fiber and since it is naturally sweet, you can use less sugar in your cookies. This two ingredient pumpkin recipe cuts out the need for oil, added sugar, and eggs, too.
- Oatmeal Cookies. Oatmeal cookies are wonderful because you can add any dried fruit to make them unique and add extra nutrition. Fruits like dried cranberries, raisins, apricots, and figs make oatmeal cookies even more nutritious and can add fiber along with vitamins A and C. Oatmeal itself is a great source of iron, fiber, and protein.
Which Pie is a Better Choice? Sweet Potato vs. Pumpkin Pie
When it comes time to choosing which dessert is a better choice, there has always been the battle between sweet potato and pumpkin pie. While you can’t account for individual taste preferences, prevention.com has done a side-by-side comparison and determined that from a nutritional standpoint, sweet potato pie is the better option. It is recommended that you limit your pie intake due to the high amount of suga, however, if you are choosing between them, sweet potato pie contains more vitamin A, C, magnesium, and calcium. It is also higher in fiber.
Enjoy Your Coffee Responsibly
The next time you enter your coffee shop and ask for your favorite coffee drink, consider the following to help you in the process of making better food choices.
- What kind of milk are they using? Whole milk contains about 140 calories per cup with skim milk containing around 80 calories per cup. For even lighter alternatives, consider almond milk, which is as little as 40 calories a cup but not as much protein as milk. There’s also soy milk, which has as much protein and calories as milk but not as much fat.
- What kind of drink are you ordering? When it comes to calorie counts in drinks, it depends on the drink. This is because each drink has a different milk to coffee or espresso ratio. Cappuccinos have less milk than lattes. So the better choice would be a cappuccino. The calorie counts range from a small cappuccino (12 oz) with skim milk–anywhere from 80-120 calories–to a latte (20 oz) with around 340 calories. That is without sugar or other add-ins. Think about that for a minute – 340 calories is as much as a meal!
Leave the Candy for the Kids
Peppermint has a sweet and cooling effect, but small peppermint candies and drinks with pepppermint flavorings are empty calories full of sugar. This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the cool, refreshing taste of peppermint and the medicinal properties it can offer. Think about adding peppermint extract to steamed milk for a refreshing treat while you get in your calcium and vitamin D or enjoy a cup of hot peppermint or mint tea. Another option is to add mint leaves to a salad like a watermelon and feta salad, adding a festive look to your holiday table.
Hopefully you have some ideas of how making better food choices will allow you to still enjoy your favorite treats with the confidence that you are staying on track. Sit back, relax and have yourself a cup of your favorite beverage or a bite of your favorite treat knowing you are treating yourself right!
David Michael Gilbertson is the founder and president of 3 Elements Lifestyle, LLC., a Fitness and Weight Loss company that specializes in YOU!. With more than 15 years of experience owning, operating and managing clubs of all sizes, David lectures, delivers seminars and gives workshops on the practical skills required to successfully help you with your health and fitness goals. David also helps you build the teamwork, management, and training necessary to open your own fitness center. For more information on Licensing and Consulting Services Visit his website at www.3elementslifestyle.com or email at daveg@3elementslifestyle.com or call (805) 499-3030.
