15 Calorie-Cutting Food Hacks

Cutting back on calories is often seen as a near to impossible task by most but fear not! Actually reducing the amount of calories in your food can be achieved simply by knowing what and what not to eat and the quantity of food you must eat.

Here are 15 hacks to make sure you lose weight and keep off the lost weight on the long term:

   1. Use two egg whites instead of one whole egg.

      I have written an extensive article on the hidden secrets of the egg but many people seem to overlook this point. Actually scrambling two egg whites instead of cooking a whole egg can save you about 85 calories. Do this for a month and you have actually saved about 2,500 calories for each egg you eat in a day. Behealthy has a great power breakfast with scramble white eggs to boost you up for the whole day.

   2. 1/3 alcohol, 2/3 ice cubes, a slice of lemon and a straw

      If you are a regular drinker or you just like to take a cocktail from time to time, this recipe is for you. Doctor your glass of alcohol by cutting the usual amount of alcohol you drink by half and eventually to 1/3 and filling the rest with ice cubes. Tuck a straw in and start sipping. The motion of sipping instead of gulping the drink will actually make you feel you are drinking the same amount of alcohol you used to drink. The slice of lemon to your cocktail is actually for flavour and a bit of vitamin C! ;) This hack can apply to other drinks like soda instead of alcohol.

   3. Seltzer Wine Hack

      This is for the wine lovers who just can't stop themselves from drinking a glass of wine before bed. Fill your glass of wine half full and top it off with seltzer. Seltzer is carbonated water and thus has no calorie value. Although carbonated water can cause dissolution of your teeth, this is actually very low in value and is one hundreds less soda.

   4. Replace whole milk with skim milk

      Skim milk is whole milk without the additional fat. Skim milk is low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.

   5. Cut down the butter

      Instead of pouring butter over your popcorn, just try your popcorn with some spanish smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, cayenne powder, chili pepper, curry powder, cumin, grated Parmesan cheese.

   6. Ban the margarine

      If you are not used to read labels, it is better to stop using margarine because as a reader reminded me, some margarine contains trans fat. Trans fats lowers the amount of HDL or good cholesterol. This is not beneficial to health because it increases the risk of Coronary Heart Disease. I wrote an article some time ago about margarine and trans fat effects which I strongly advise you to read.

   7. Opt for fresh everytime

      Be it fresh fruits, fresh vegetables or fresh meat, fresh means nutritive. Ditch dried fruits in favour of fresh fruits, canned or packaged mixed vegetables in favour of fresh fruits and frozen meat in favour of fresh meat.

   8. Sip wisely

      Soft drinks and iced teas are typically loaded with calories, especially when they come in super-sized bottles. A 16-ounce bottle of cola, for instance, contains 182 calories, and a 16.9-ounce bottle of iced tea has 186 calories. Trade regular soda for the diet version or, better yet, a bottle of water, and you'll nix all of those calories from your diet.

   9. Shake off the cream

      Rather than lighten your Coffee with cream and sugar, make the switch to skim milk and a calorie-free sweetener. One tablespoon of cream and two teaspoons of sugar adds up to 90 calories. Using two tablespoons of skim milk (you'll probably want a little more for desired creaminess) will deliver just 15 calories, for a savings of 75 calories.

  10. Divide your meal in 3 parts

      As I wrote in the article on how to prepare a healthy family meal, try the following 3 sequences of meal. Have an entree, a small portion of the main dish and a dessert to wash it down. The entree and dessert can be fresh fruits or vegetables whereas the main dish must be a balanced meal.

  11. Higher moisture content cheese

      When buying cheese, choose types with higher moisture content and less fat. Acceptable varieties include edam, skim milk, mozarella, ricotta, quark, and cottage cheese.

  12. Avoid frying

      Instead of frying, try other cooking techniques like baking, roasting, or why not simply eat the vegetables as salads with baked meat.

  13. Switch from flour bread to whole wheat bread

      Whole wheat bread is actually more consistent and nutritious than flour bread (commonly known as white bread). Actually the bread is bleached which gives it its typical white colour. Along with the colour of the bread, most vitamins and essential nutrients are removed from the bread. Whole wheat bread is actually more filling than the same amount of white bread. So you'll tend to eat little and more healthy than a lot of "unhealthy" white bread.

  14. Dump the mayonnaise

      Mayonnaise is the common name for "egg yolk". Mayonnaise is basically a mixture of egg yolk, oil, lemon juice, garlic, pepper and salt. The egg yolk is high in cholesterol and contains all the fat of the egg. So next time think twice before adding mayonnaise to your meal. Those so claim fat-free mayonnaise actually contain fats, be it only a little.

  15. Eat soup more regularly

      Prepare some healthy vegetable soups and eat them on a more regular basis. Soup is laden with nutrients and tends to fill you up with less calories than actually eating a whole dish.