Here’s a list of the best and worst common holiday food choices to help you avoid weight gain
IT’S THE time of year when everyone gets confused trying to eat healthy. More and more foods are becoming accessible this Christmas.
In reality, it’s difficult for us to follow the healthiest eating plan at this time.
Here’s a list of the worst, the better, and the best common holiday food choices to help you make smarter decisions, so you can still avoid weight gain.
Breakfast
Eat breakfast to avoid cravings and not overeat. Vary your breakfast, but stay away from oily meals.
Worst choices (600-800 calories/serving): fried rice with longganisa and egg, fried hash brown with fried egg, sausage and bacon
Better choices (400-500 calories/serving): two pieces pancake with less syrup and butter, three pieces puto bumbong with less butter
Best choices (300-400 calories/serving): oatmeal with fruit, whole grain cereals with low-fat milk, plain rice with smoked fish and poached egg
Breads
Choose plain breads to avoid extra calories from cheese, butter and oil. Avoid yellow and flavorful sweet breads. Practice portion control by choosing smaller sizes if you can’t eat wheat breads.
Worst choices (300-500 calories/piece): fried breads and donuts, ensaymada, croissant with sausage
Better choices (100-200 calories/piece): small bagels, large white bread and pandesal, light and baked donuts
Best choices (50-100 calories/piece): small wheat pandesal, small wheat bread, whole grain breads, wheat tortillas
Vegetables
A cup of fresh veggies have as few as 20-50 calories. Calories only differ because of additional sauces, oil, and butter. Choose the simplest and freshest vegetables all the time.
Worst choices (200-400 calories/serving): fried kangkong, ginataang gulay (laing), creamed spinach
Better choices (120-200 calories/serving): stir-fried veggies (chopsuey), sizzling leafy veggies with garlic
Best choices (80-150 calories/serving): salad greens with light dressing, steamed broccoli and carrots, boiled veggies from soup dishes
Seafood
One of the most common diet mistakes is choosing seafood regardless of how it is cooked. Avoid what’s been fried.
Worst choices (250-500 calories/serving): deep fried shrimp (tempura), sweet and sour fish, fish and chips, calamares
Better choices (100-200 calories/serving): sauteed seafoods with veggies, stir-fried veggies, tuna in can
Best choices (50-100 calories/serving): steamed fish, grilled tilapia or bangus, boiled fish with veggies
Chicken
Always avoid deep-fried, oily and battered chicken dishes and remove all or 50 percent of the chicken skin. Lessen the sauces even if you choose barbecue meals, since sauces also contain lots of sodium and oil.
Worst choices (300-500 calories/serving): deep-fried chicken with skin (fast-food type), kung pao chicken
Better choices (200-300 calories/serving): fried chicken without skin, chicken barbecue, stir-fried chicken
Best choices (120-200 calories/serving): steamed chicken, roasted chicken, boiled chicken (all without skin)
Pork and beef
Always remove the visible pork and beef fat, since these meats already contain hidden fats in between the lean parts. Choose boiled lean meats with lots of vegetables, like nilaga or sinigang dishes.
Worst choices (300-500 calories/serving): fried lechon with skin, crispy pata, sisig, sweet and sour pork, chicharon, processed meats (hotdog, luncheon meat), fried dumplings
Better choices (200-350 calories/serving): ham, pork barbecue, lechon without fat and skin, steamed dumplings
Best choices (180-300 calories/serving): roast pork and beef without fat, boiled lean beef and pork (nilaga or sinigang)
Sandwich and salad
Another common diet mistake is choosing a salad and sandwich meal regardless of mayonnaise content and how it was cooked. The most plain-looking sandwich or salad is still the best choice. For salads, limit dressings to one tablespoon per serving.
Worst choices (500-750 calories/serving): tuna sandwich with lots of mayonnaise, crispy chicken or fish sandwich, double-patty burger with cheese
Better choices (400-500 calories/serving): ham sandwich, roast beef sandwich
Best choices (300-400 calories/serving): roasted chicken breast sandwich, turkey sandwich, salmon sandwich, plain grilled hamburger sandwich
Fast-food
Inside a mall, you can still enter a pizza place, as long as you choose lighter versions. It can help you avoid half the calories of a regular fast-food meal. Always avoid the extras, like iced tea and French fries.
Worst choices (400-600 calories/serving): all-meat thick crust pizza, hamburger with mayo and cheese, fries, cream-based pasta
Better choices (150-350 calories/serving): thin crust veggie pizza, tomato-based seafood or chicken pasta
Best choices (80-200 calories/serving): corn on a cob, soft chicken taco with less cheese, side salad without dressing
Snacks and desserts
In effective weight-control programs, it’s not advisable to feel deprivation. Eat smaller portions of your high-calorie choices or go for the lower calorie treats that you really enjoy, but also in moderation.
Worst choices (200-500 calories/serving): potato chips, large cookie, cheesecake, brownies, regular ice cream with chocolates and nuts, milkshake
Better choices (150-200 calories/serving): baked chips, flavored popcorn, plain taho with less syrup, dark chocolate, low-fat ice cream
Best choices (50-150 calories/serving): fresh fruit (apple, banana, orange, etc.), plain popcorn, plain yogurt, plain gelatin, popsicle
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
Alcoholic beverages will only increase your appetite. Drink in moderation and choose the lighter versions. You can even set a limit per week or per drinking occasion.
Worst choices (100-300 calories/glass): regular soft drinks, regular beer, hard liquor drinks, creamy flavored coffee drinks
Better choices (0-150 calories/glass): zero-calorie sodas and soft drinks, red wine, light beer, fruit shakes and coffee drinks with nonfat milk
Best choices (0-100 calories/glass): plain drinking water, plain brewed coffee, hot tea, freshly made fruit juice
When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.
E-mail the author at mitchfelipe@gmail.com.
IT’S THE time of year when everyone gets confused trying to eat healthy. More and more foods are becoming accessible this Christmas.
In reality, it’s difficult for us to follow the healthiest eating plan at this time.
Here’s a list of the worst, the better, and the best common holiday food choices to help you make smarter decisions, so you can still avoid weight gain.
Breakfast
Eat breakfast to avoid cravings and not overeat. Vary your breakfast, but stay away from oily meals.
Worst choices (600-800 calories/serving): fried rice with longganisa and egg, fried hash brown with fried egg, sausage and bacon
Better choices (400-500 calories/serving): two pieces pancake with less syrup and butter, three pieces puto bumbong with less butter
Best choices (300-400 calories/serving): oatmeal with fruit, whole grain cereals with low-fat milk, plain rice with smoked fish and poached egg
Breads
Choose plain breads to avoid extra calories from cheese, butter and oil. Avoid yellow and flavorful sweet breads. Practice portion control by choosing smaller sizes if you can’t eat wheat breads.
Worst choices (300-500 calories/piece): fried breads and donuts, ensaymada, croissant with sausage
Better choices (100-200 calories/piece): small bagels, large white bread and pandesal, light and baked donuts
Best choices (50-100 calories/piece): small wheat pandesal, small wheat bread, whole grain breads, wheat tortillas
Vegetables
A cup of fresh veggies have as few as 20-50 calories. Calories only differ because of additional sauces, oil, and butter. Choose the simplest and freshest vegetables all the time.
Worst choices (200-400 calories/serving): fried kangkong, ginataang gulay (laing), creamed spinach
Better choices (120-200 calories/serving): stir-fried veggies (chopsuey), sizzling leafy veggies with garlic
Best choices (80-150 calories/serving): salad greens with light dressing, steamed broccoli and carrots, boiled veggies from soup dishes
Seafood
One of the most common diet mistakes is choosing seafood regardless of how it is cooked. Avoid what’s been fried.
Worst choices (250-500 calories/serving): deep fried shrimp (tempura), sweet and sour fish, fish and chips, calamares
Better choices (100-200 calories/serving): sauteed seafoods with veggies, stir-fried veggies, tuna in can
Best choices (50-100 calories/serving): steamed fish, grilled tilapia or bangus, boiled fish with veggies
Chicken
Always avoid deep-fried, oily and battered chicken dishes and remove all or 50 percent of the chicken skin. Lessen the sauces even if you choose barbecue meals, since sauces also contain lots of sodium and oil.
Worst choices (300-500 calories/serving): deep-fried chicken with skin (fast-food type), kung pao chicken
Better choices (200-300 calories/serving): fried chicken without skin, chicken barbecue, stir-fried chicken
Best choices (120-200 calories/serving): steamed chicken, roasted chicken, boiled chicken (all without skin)
Pork and beef
Always remove the visible pork and beef fat, since these meats already contain hidden fats in between the lean parts. Choose boiled lean meats with lots of vegetables, like nilaga or sinigang dishes.
Worst choices (300-500 calories/serving): fried lechon with skin, crispy pata, sisig, sweet and sour pork, chicharon, processed meats (hotdog, luncheon meat), fried dumplings
Better choices (200-350 calories/serving): ham, pork barbecue, lechon without fat and skin, steamed dumplings
Best choices (180-300 calories/serving): roast pork and beef without fat, boiled lean beef and pork (nilaga or sinigang)
Sandwich and salad
Another common diet mistake is choosing a salad and sandwich meal regardless of mayonnaise content and how it was cooked. The most plain-looking sandwich or salad is still the best choice. For salads, limit dressings to one tablespoon per serving.
Worst choices (500-750 calories/serving): tuna sandwich with lots of mayonnaise, crispy chicken or fish sandwich, double-patty burger with cheese
Better choices (400-500 calories/serving): ham sandwich, roast beef sandwich
Best choices (300-400 calories/serving): roasted chicken breast sandwich, turkey sandwich, salmon sandwich, plain grilled hamburger sandwich
Fast-food
Inside a mall, you can still enter a pizza place, as long as you choose lighter versions. It can help you avoid half the calories of a regular fast-food meal. Always avoid the extras, like iced tea and French fries.
Worst choices (400-600 calories/serving): all-meat thick crust pizza, hamburger with mayo and cheese, fries, cream-based pasta
Better choices (150-350 calories/serving): thin crust veggie pizza, tomato-based seafood or chicken pasta
Best choices (80-200 calories/serving): corn on a cob, soft chicken taco with less cheese, side salad without dressing
Snacks and desserts
In effective weight-control programs, it’s not advisable to feel deprivation. Eat smaller portions of your high-calorie choices or go for the lower calorie treats that you really enjoy, but also in moderation.
Worst choices (200-500 calories/serving): potato chips, large cookie, cheesecake, brownies, regular ice cream with chocolates and nuts, milkshake
Better choices (150-200 calories/serving): baked chips, flavored popcorn, plain taho with less syrup, dark chocolate, low-fat ice cream
Best choices (50-150 calories/serving): fresh fruit (apple, banana, orange, etc.), plain popcorn, plain yogurt, plain gelatin, popsicle
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
Alcoholic beverages will only increase your appetite. Drink in moderation and choose the lighter versions. You can even set a limit per week or per drinking occasion.
Worst choices (100-300 calories/glass): regular soft drinks, regular beer, hard liquor drinks, creamy flavored coffee drinks
Better choices (0-150 calories/glass): zero-calorie sodas and soft drinks, red wine, light beer, fruit shakes and coffee drinks with nonfat milk
Best choices (0-100 calories/glass): plain drinking water, plain brewed coffee, hot tea, freshly made fruit juice
When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.
E-mail the author at mitchfelipe@gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment