The Hidden Calories in Fats
The Calorie Count of Common Foods
Learning to eat the right fats is a key to losing weight. Fat is one category that you can pick up calories so fast. Fat can be hidden in the sauces, dressing and desserts. You cannot see them but the calories are there and will add up at the end of the day and sooner or later the pound will come on. Salads are wonderful to eat and low in calories but they can add the calories when you put on the dressings. I have seen dressings as high as 150 calories per tablespoon. Sauces can pack in the calories too. Fats add flavor and are used by chefs all over the world to make that food taste great. All fats contain nine calories per gram, so the calories add up quickly. A tablespoon of any type of fat is 120 calories. A three-ounce lean, broiled hamburger has 14 grams of fat; a restaurant order of Fettucine Alfredo can contain as many as 33 grams of fat and 1,200 calories!
Healthy Fats in Moderation
Although my weight–loss regiment recommends two tablespoons of healthy oil per day, I don’t go out of my way to add oil to anything. I just make sure to choose healthy fats when I have the option. For example, I use “lite” margarine on my whole-wheat toast, and canola or olive oil for stir-frying. I eat a salad every day with a low-fat olive oil dressing, and I often eat almonds as part a snack. This way I get the right amount of the right oils from my regular diet.
Practical Tips to Cut Fat Intake
What are some other ways to cut your fat intake?
• Buy the leanest possible cuts of meat.
• Trim visible fat from meat before cooking.
• When making soup stock, let it cool in the refrigerator so that the fat floats to the top and hardens. Skim off the hardened fat and reheat the soup before serving.
• Experiment with herbs, spices, and flavored vinegars for added flavor so you don’t have to resort to globs of butter or cheese.
• Remove the skin from poultry before eating.
• Avoid fried foods, including chicken and shrimp.
• Make buying decisions by reading the Nutrition Facts label to see how much saturated or trans fat a product contains.
• Use a little olive or canola oil instead of butter or lard for cooking.
• Choose fat-free dairy products such as skim milk and fat-free yogurt.
• Fore go the bacon bits and cheese on salads, and use reduced-calorie salad dressing. You can pack a lot of fat into a seemingly healthy salad.
• Watch out for cream based soups and sauces. Instead, make your own by pureeing cooked vegetables with a little broth.
Suggested Products and Favorites
The dressing that I use is Newman Lite Sesame Ginger. It is 35 calories for 2 tablespoons. I use it on my salads and also in my stir-fries. Be careful it does have a lot of sodium per serving. The butter spread that I uses is Smart Balance lite. It is a mix of healthy oils and I like the taste. I am always on the look out for ways to make my food tasty without using oils.
