Outdoor Gas Grills and Reviews

Are you dining out, or dining in? No matter where you choose to eat, don’t let hidden calories ruin your attempt at losing weight. Everyone knows that a bucket of fried chicken is not the best choice when they’re trying to achieve a healthy weight…however, would you suspect a dish called “Crispy Calamari & Veggies”? Likely not. Seafood has a reputation for being ‘better for you’ than something like beef, and hey, it said ‘veggies’ right? It’s time to take a second look at choices which may seem healthy but are really calorie-loaded.

This isn’t some article that just talks about the problem either, if you’re trying to lose weight you know there already IS a problem. What you want are solutions and EASY KEYS to help you detect which dish may be a hidden calorie bomb waiting to strike at your thighs. You can’t tell ‘just by reading’ the dish name either, even professional dietitians will still choose the wrong dish if they’re shown the name…and sometimes even the photo too!

First, you need to know the baseline of calories for your day. For an average adult, that’s about 2,000. That’ll keep you energetic, running smoothly, and not gaining weight or losing it. Some people may need more, and others may need less. Only a doctor can tell you the exact right amount for you. You burn energy all day long in your usual activities and that needs fuel no matter what. The recommended amount of fat is around 70 grams. There are some foods on some menus which may give you over 2/3 of your daily calories in just one appetizer! (and that’s not counting drinks or the main meal?what if you wanted dessert too?)

It isn’t about only eating salads or ‘nasty bland foods’ either. You don’t have to stop eating at your favorite restaurants. There are many super tasting choices out there waiting to be discovered. Some surprisingly low calorie dishes may even be on your list of likes already. First, let’s take a look at some calorie loaded dishes that hide behind healthy names:

Chicken Ranch Taco Salad ? 960 calories with 57 grams of fat
That’s over half your daily fat requirement, and nearly half your day’s calories all in 1 little salad
Crispy Calamari & Veggies ? 1,520 calories with 98 grams of fat
That’s over your daily fat requirement in just 1 appetizer and well over half your calories for the day
A triple whopper at Burger King only has 1130 calories…
Southern Fried Chicken Salad- 1,100 calories and 68 grams of fat
Better not eat any more fat grams that day…

You might be tempted to select one of them by its name, instead of something else which you might prefer…but that has a bad rap. What about these foods with the bad reputation then, let’s see how they stack up against the list above.

Full rack baby-back ribs in sauce ? 700 calories and 37 grams of fat
Deep fried mozzarella cheese sticks appetizer ? 340 calories and 20 grams of fat
6 inch roast beef sub ? 310 calories and 4.5 grams of fat

See how tricky that is? You would think a salad would be better than a *whole rack* of ribs, but calorie wise, it’s really not. Even deep fried cheese can’t out-do the calorie count of supposedly healthy sea-food.

Now that you know what kinds of foods extra calories can hide in, what are some give-aways that you can look for to spot these before you decide to eat?

Cream Sauce ? Usually found on Italian style dishes like chicken, noodles and sometimes seafood. It’s packed with calories and fat. It can “wreck” the healthiness of even lean meats or seafood when dumped all over the dish.

Breaded/Fried ? The cheese sticks are an exception to the rule. Even if it says ‘salad’ if it’s covered in fried anything, it’s usually not a good idea. This includes things with bacon, bacon sauce, and other bacon-derived food items.

Creamy Dressing ? Sneaks calories into salads. Don’t want to go with a ‘lite’ dressing? See the tip in the very next paragraph for your tasty solution!

Milk-based items ? Macchiato coffees, milk shakes, ice-cream based ‘frosties’. A lot of times, high-fat milk must be used to achieve the flavor everyone craves. Couple that with high doses of sugar and you’ve got a problem. One regular coffee could have 220 calories, and a 21 oz. Milk shake could have 770.

Cheese sauce?If it needs cheese all over it, you might want to skip it. Even if it’s broccoli! Broccoli may be healthy, but smothering it in cheese still raises the calories. A slice of cheese or a cheese stick may not be too bad but sauces are often mixed with high fat milk, or even fatty oils to keep them liquid.

Odd little culprits ? Whole dates, raisins (the fruit, dried) dishes with loads of nuts, such as pecan pies. Some nuts in a day provide healthy fats but it’s possible to over-do it. Ricotta cheese: if you’re dining out they’ll never use the ‘lite’ version and this cheese can creep into many dishes without you knowing its throwing fat around.

Soft Drinks & Smoothies ? You don’t think about drinking your calories, but they’re in these delicious beverages. Any fruit smoothie has ALL OF the calories of the original fruits that went into it. Blenders don’t remove calories, but this fact is often overlooked. Soft drinks (sodas, ‘fruit’ juices from concentrate etc) are usually high in sugar and are a sneaky way to get in more calories.

Armed with this list, you’ll know some of what to look out for at home when selecting food to prepare, and while dining out. But what if you’d still like to have some of the things on the list? There’s a great way to use some items in moderation, without losing out on the flavor you love. After all, it’s better to have some, then to allow a craving to build up into a pig-out. Plus, when the amount looks and tastes like how much you want it’s no real loss?except for the calories.

If you enjoy the flavor of creamy dressings for example, there’s no need to go with the less-tasty ‘lite’ versions when you use chia seeds. What are chia seeds? They’re a tiny seed with no flavor. Each seed is full of nutrients, but it also has a very unique property. When exposed to water or other liquids they form a gel. This gel has the ability to distribute (never dilute) the flavor of other foods.

How can you put them to work for you?
With chia gel on hand, if you mix it into higher-calorie sauces like certain BBQ sauce, creamy salad dressings, and even smoothies…they TASTE the same, but you only need HALF as much! It cuts the calories in half because you’re essentially cutting with water (water is 0 calorie) but the tasteless seeds are giving the flavors a boost so you don’t miss out. Try them in anything you want to cut down on, but not miss out on.

Even more benefits?
Absolutely. Fruit smoothies are healthy, but will pack in calories if you drink too much. When you add chia you don’t change the taste of the smoothie, but it fills you up faster so you won’t want as much. That’s because the body treats chia gel like a solid piece of food. Chia fools the stomach into thinking it’s full, when really the gel is just water. It works so well because every seed absorbs 9x its own weight in water and turns it into gel.

The seeds themselves are packed with health benefits for you too, like fiber, omega-3 oil, vitamins, minerals and even complete protein. (complete protein is what you find in meat) So not only can you get full faster on less food, but you can boost the nutrition of almost any food when you add chia seeds or chia gel to it.

With this information on your side you’ll know more of what to stay away from when trying to cut calories, and you can also see your way around dishes with tricky titles that may be hiding the fat behind a healthy name. Plus, when you want to enjoy food but get full on less, you can always reach for the chia seeds.

Are you dining out, or dining in? No matter where you choose to eat, don’t let hidden calories ruin your attempt at losing weight. Everyone knows that a bucket of fried chicken is not the best choice when they’re trying to achieve a healthy weight…however, would you suspect a dish called “Crispy Calamari & Veggies”? Likely not. Seafood has a reputation for being ‘better for you’ than something like beef, and hey, it said ‘veggies’ right? It’s time to take a second look at choices which may seem healthy but are really calorie-loaded.

This isn’t some article that just talks about the problem either, if you’re trying to lose weight you know there already IS a problem. What you want are solutions and EASY KEYS to help you detect which dish may be a hidden calorie bomb waiting to strike at your thighs. You can’t tell ‘just by reading’ the dish name either, even professional dietitians will still choose the wrong dish if they’re shown the name…and sometimes even the photo too!

First, you need to know the baseline of calories for your day. For an average adult, that’s about 2,000. That’ll keep you energetic, running smoothly, and not gaining weight or losing it. Some people may need more, and others may need less. Only a doctor can tell you the exact right amount for you. You burn energy all day long in your usual activities and that needs fuel no matter what. The recommended amount of fat is around 70 grams. There are some foods on some menus which may give you over 2/3 of your daily calories in just one appetizer! (and that’s not counting drinks or the main meal?what if you wanted dessert too?)

It isn’t about only eating salads or ‘nasty bland foods’ either. You don’t have to stop eating at your favorite restaurants. There are many super tasting choices out there waiting to be discovered. Some surprisingly low calorie dishes may even be on your list of likes already. First, let’s take a look at some calorie loaded dishes that hide behind healthy names:

Chicken Ranch Taco Salad ? 960 calories with 57 grams of fat
That’s over half your daily fat requirement, and nearly half your day’s calories all in 1 little salad
Crispy Calamari & Veggies ? 1,520 calories with 98 grams of fat
That’s over your daily fat requirement in just 1 appetizer and well over half your calories for the day
A triple whopper at Burger King only has 1130 calories…
Southern Fried Chicken Salad- 1,100 calories and 68 grams of fat
Better not eat any more fat grams that day…

You might be tempted to select one of them by its name, instead of something else which you might prefer…but that has a bad rap. What about these foods with the bad reputation then, let’s see how they stack up against the list above.

Full rack baby-back ribs in sauce ? 700 calories and 37 grams of fat
Deep fried mozzarella cheese sticks appetizer ? 340 calories and 20 grams of fat
6 inch roast beef sub ? 310 calories and 4.5 grams of fat

See how tricky that is? You would think a salad would be better than a *whole rack* of ribs, but calorie wise, it’s really not. Even deep fried cheese can’t out-do the calorie count of supposedly healthy sea-food.

Now that you know what kinds of foods extra calories can hide in, what are some give-aways that you can look for to spot these before you decide to eat?

Cream Sauce ? Usually found on Italian style dishes like chicken, noodles and sometimes seafood. It’s packed with calories and fat. It can “wreck” the healthiness of even lean meats or seafood when dumped all over the dish.

Breaded/Fried ? The cheese sticks are an exception to the rule. Even if it says ‘salad’ if it’s covered in fried anything, it’s usually not a good idea. This includes things with bacon, bacon sauce, and other bacon-derived food items.

Creamy Dressing ? Sneaks calories into salads. Don’t want to go with a ‘lite’ dressing? See the tip in the very next paragraph for your tasty solution!

Milk-based items ? Macchiato coffees, milk shakes, ice-cream based ‘frosties’. A lot of times, high-fat milk must be used to achieve the flavor everyone craves. Couple that with high doses of sugar and you’ve got a problem. One regular coffee could have 220 calories, and a 21 oz. Milk shake could have 770.

Cheese sauce?If it needs cheese all over it, you might want to skip it. Even if it’s broccoli! Broccoli may be healthy, but smothering it in cheese still raises the calories. A slice of cheese or a cheese stick may not be too bad but sauces are often mixed with high fat milk, or even fatty oils to keep them liquid.

Odd little culprits ? Whole dates, raisins (the fruit, dried) dishes with loads of nuts, such as pecan pies. Some nuts in a day provide healthy fats but it’s possible to over-do it. Ricotta cheese: if you’re dining out they’ll never use the ‘lite’ version and this cheese can creep into many dishes without you knowing its throwing fat around.

Soft Drinks & Smoothies ? You don’t think about drinking your calories, but they’re in these delicious beverages. Any fruit smoothie has ALL OF the calories of the original fruits that went into it. Blenders don’t remove calories, but this fact is often overlooked. Soft drinks (sodas, ‘fruit’ juices from concentrate etc) are usually high in sugar and are a sneaky way to get in more calories.

Armed with this list, you’ll know some of what to look out for at home when selecting food to prepare, and while dining out. But what if you’d still like to have some of the things on the list? There’s a great way to use some items in moderation, without losing out on the flavor you love. After all, it’s better to have some, then to allow a craving to build up into a pig-out. Plus, when the amount looks and tastes like how much you want it’s no real loss?except for the calories.

If you enjoy the flavor of creamy dressings for example, there’s no need to go with the less-tasty ‘lite’ versions when you use chia seeds. What are chia seeds? They’re a tiny seed with no flavor. Each seed is full of nutrients, but it also has a very unique property. When exposed to water or other liquids they form a gel. This gel has the ability to distribute (never dilute) the flavor of other foods.

How can you put them to work for you?
With chia gel on hand, if you mix it into higher-calorie sauces like certain BBQ sauce, creamy salad dressings, and even smoothies…they TASTE the same, but you only need HALF as much! It cuts the calories in half because you’re essentially cutting with water (water is 0 calorie) but the tasteless seeds are giving the flavors a boost so you don’t miss out. Try them in anything you want to cut down on, but not miss out on.

Even more benefits?
Absolutely. Fruit smoothies are healthy, but will pack in calories if you drink too much. When you add chia you don’t change the taste of the smoothie, but it fills you up faster so you won’t want as much. That’s because the body treats chia gel like a solid piece of food. Chia fools the stomach into thinking it’s full, when really the gel is just water. It works so well because every seed absorbs 9x its own weight in water and turns it into gel.

The seeds themselves are packed with health benefits for you too, like fiber, omega-3 oil, vitamins, minerals and even complete protein. (complete protein is what you find in meat) So not only can you get full faster on less food, but you can boost the nutrition of almost any food when you add chia seeds or chia gel to it.

With this information on your side you’ll know more of what to stay away from when trying to cut calories, and you can also see your way around dishes with tricky titles that may be hiding the fat behind a healthy name. Plus, when you want to enjoy food but get full on less, you can always reach for the chia seeds.

Dog Diabetes: What Your Dog Can And Can’t Eat

The vet has probably explained a lot of things to you in regards to your dog’s condition. Almost certainly, he has told you about treatment options, warning signs, and any other relevant information regarding canine diabetes. Sure enough, he has also mentioned lifestyle changes in order for your dog to remain healthy.

Along with this, you should be given a list of diabetic dog food products and a weight management program that you should follow. However, if diabetic dog food is unavailable, or you simply refuse to feed your pet anything that comes out of a can or a box, then you can always concoct your own recipe. Just take note of certain Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to what you should feed your dog. However, be sure to consult with the vet first before feeding your dog any food that he has not included in his list.

What Your Dog Can Eat

– Meat with low fat content: This should include turkey, fish, chicken, and eggs. Fatty foods will only cause further complications to your dog’s delicate condition.

-Fruits and vegetables: Fresh ones are better, but do not feed in excess. Fruits and vegetables contain natural sugars and are very nutritious, but make sure to avoid raisins and grapes.

-Grains: Your dog needs fiber to manage insulin level. Brown rice, oats, and millet are great for him so you should include this in his daily diet plan.

-Brewer’s Yeast: This ingredient has a component called ‘glucose tolerance factor’ that is very helpful in managing blood sugar.

What Your Dog Can’t Eat

-Anything baked: Baked goods contain processed sugars which will certainly increase sugar levels in the blood. As you know, excess glucose level in the blood is never good.

-Fatty food: You do not want your dog to gain more weight so make sure to remove fatty food from his diet. He cannot eat pork and beef. This also means that while he can eat chicken, you should peel off the chicken skin as this is rich in cholesterol. However, fish oil is perfectly fine.

-Sugar: Well, this needs no further explanation. Commercial or processed sugar is bad for your dog, period.

These are the list of food or food components that your dog can and cannot eat. Be sure to put these in mind and stick to it in order to help your diabetic dog stay strong and healthy.

I do not think we should do without because of this recession. Maybe it is not economically feasible to dine at your favorite restaurant two or three times a week. There is an alternative. Discover famous recipe secrets and restaurant recipe secrets. America’s Secret Recipes has famous and restaurant recipe secrets. Make famous recipe secrets in the comfort of your own home. No traffic and outrageous prices. Save time, money and still enjoy the meals you love. The 2009 Inaugural Luncheon Menu and Recipe provided by America’s Secret Recipes (newsletter).

Recipe from the 2009 Inaugural Luncheon

Recipe Secret

First Course:

Seafood Stew

Yield: 10 servings
Copycat recipe

Ingredients
6 (1 Lb) Maine lobsters
20 medium size Sea scallops
36 Large shrimp, peel, cleaned and tail removed, aprox. 2 lbs.
10 (1 oz) pieces of black cod

Are you dining out, or dining in? No matter where you choose to eat, don’t let hidden calories ruin your attempt at losing weight. Everyone knows that a bucket of fried chicken is not the best choice when they’re trying to achieve a healthy weight…however, would you suspect a dish called “Crispy Calamari & Veggies”? Likely not. Seafood has a reputation for being ‘better for you’ than something like beef, and hey, it said ‘veggies’ right? It’s time to take a second look at choices which may seem healthy but are really calorie-loaded.

This isn’t some article that just talks about the problem either, if you’re trying to lose weight you know there already IS a problem. What you want are solutions and EASY KEYS to help you detect which dish may be a hidden calorie bomb waiting to strike at your thighs. You can’t tell ‘just by reading’ the dish name either, even professional dietitians will still choose the wrong dish if they’re shown the name…and sometimes even the photo too!

First, you need to know the baseline of calories for your day. For an average adult, that’s about 2,000. That’ll keep you energetic, running smoothly, and not gaining weight or losing it. Some people may need more, and others may need less. Only a doctor can tell you the exact right amount for you. You burn energy all day long in your usual activities and that needs fuel no matter what. The recommended amount of fat is around 70 grams. There are some foods on some menus which may give you over 2/3 of your daily calories in just one appetizer! (and that’s not counting drinks or the main meal?what if you wanted dessert too?)

It isn’t about only eating salads or ‘nasty bland foods’ either. You don’t have to stop eating at your favorite restaurants. There are many super tasting choices out there waiting to be discovered. Some surprisingly low calorie dishes may even be on your list of likes already. First, let’s take a look at some calorie loaded dishes that hide behind healthy names:

Chicken Ranch Taco Salad ? 960 calories with 57 grams of fat
That’s over half your daily fat requirement, and nearly half your day’s calories all in 1 little salad
Crispy Calamari & Veggies ? 1,520 calories with 98 grams of fat
That’s over your daily fat requirement in just 1 appetizer and well over half your calories for the day
A triple whopper at Burger King only has 1130 calories…
Southern Fried Chicken Salad- 1,100 calories and 68 grams of fat
Better not eat any more fat grams that day…

You might be tempted to select one of them by its name, instead of something else which you might prefer…but that has a bad rap. What about these foods with the bad reputation then, let’s see how they stack up against the list above.

Full rack baby-back ribs in sauce ? 700 calories and 37 grams of fat
Deep fried mozzarella cheese sticks appetizer ? 340 calories and 20 grams of fat
6 inch roast beef sub ? 310 calories and 4.5 grams of fat

See how tricky that is? You would think a salad would be better than a *whole rack* of ribs, but calorie wise, it’s really not. Even deep fried cheese can’t out-do the calorie count of supposedly healthy sea-food.

Now that you know what kinds of foods extra calories can hide in, what are some give-aways that you can look for to spot these before you decide to eat?

Cream Sauce ? Usually found on Italian style dishes like chicken, noodles and sometimes seafood. It’s packed with calories and fat. It can “wreck” the healthiness of even lean meats or seafood when dumped all over the dish.

Breaded/Fried ? The cheese sticks are an exception to the rule. Even if it says ‘salad’ if it’s covered in fried anything, it’s usually not a good idea. This includes things with bacon, bacon sauce, and other bacon-derived food items.

Creamy Dressing ? Sneaks calories into salads. Don’t want to go with a ‘lite’ dressing? See the tip in the very next paragraph for your tasty solution!

Milk-based items ? Macchiato coffees, milk shakes, ice-cream based ‘frosties’. A lot of times, high-fat milk must be used to achieve the flavor everyone craves. Couple that with high doses of sugar and you’ve got a problem. One regular coffee could have 220 calories, and a 21 oz. Milk shake could have 770.

Cheese sauce?If it needs cheese all over it, you might want to skip it. Even if it’s broccoli! Broccoli may be healthy, but smothering it in cheese still raises the calories. A slice of cheese or a cheese stick may not be too bad but sauces are often mixed with high fat milk, or even fatty oils to keep them liquid.

Odd little culprits ? Whole dates, raisins (the fruit, dried) dishes with loads of nuts, such as pecan pies. Some nuts in a day provide healthy fats but it’s possible to over-do it. Ricotta cheese: if you’re dining out they’ll never use the ‘lite’ version and this cheese can creep into many dishes without you knowing its throwing fat around.

Soft Drinks & Smoothies ? You don’t think about drinking your calories, but they’re in these delicious beverages. Any fruit smoothie has ALL OF the calories of the original fruits that went into it. Blenders don’t remove calories, but this fact is often overlooked. Soft drinks (sodas, ‘fruit’ juices from concentrate etc) are usually high in sugar and are a sneaky way to get in more calories.

Armed with this list, you’ll know some of what to look out for at home when selecting food to prepare, and while dining out. But what if you’d still like to have some of the things on the list? There’s a great way to use some items in moderation, without losing out on the flavor you love. After all, it’s better to have some, then to allow a craving to build up into a pig-out. Plus, when the amount looks and tastes like how much you want it’s no real loss?except for the calories.

If you enjoy the flavor of creamy dressings for example, there’s no need to go with the less-tasty ‘lite’ versions when you use chia seeds. What are chia seeds? They’re a tiny seed with no flavor. Each seed is full of nutrients, but it also has a very unique property. When exposed to water or other liquids they form a gel. This gel has the ability to distribute (never dilute) the flavor of other foods.

How can you put them to work for you?
With chia gel on hand, if you mix it into higher-calorie sauces like certain BBQ sauce, creamy salad dressings, and even smoothies…they TASTE the same, but you only need HALF as much! It cuts the calories in half because you’re essentially cutting with water (water is 0 calorie) but the tasteless seeds are giving the flavors a boost so you don’t miss out. Try them in anything you want to cut down on, but not miss out on.

Even more benefits?
Absolutely. Fruit smoothies are healthy, but will pack in calories if you drink too much. When you add chia you don’t change the taste of the smoothie, but it fills you up faster so you won’t want as much. That’s because the body treats chia gel like a solid piece of food. Chia fools the stomach into thinking it’s full, when really the gel is just water. It works so well because every seed absorbs 9x its own weight in water and turns it into gel.

The seeds themselves are packed with health benefits for you too, like fiber, omega-3 oil, vitamins, minerals and even complete protein. (complete protein is what you find in meat) So not only can you get full faster on less food, but you can boost the nutrition of almost any food when you add chia seeds or chia gel to it.

With this information on your side you’ll know more of what to stay away from when trying to cut calories, and you can also see your way around dishes with tricky titles that may be hiding the fat behind a healthy name. Plus, when you want to enjoy food but get full on less, you can always reach for the chia seeds.

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a zillion times. “If you want to be healthy, eat your vegetables!” Certainly, this is still good advice, but there’s a problem creeping in. Vegetables and fruits are losing their nutritious qualities. They may not be providing you with the healthy kick they used to. Sure they look the same, and they might even taste the same, but did you know…

“You’d have to eat 10 servings of spinach to get the same level of minerals from just one serving about 50 years ago.”

That’s what Elmer Heinrich found out when he did his research for his book “The Root of All Disease”. It’s amazing, but it’s also terrible because no one is ever going to eat 10 servings of spinach in one day. To get your ‘optimum nutrition’ according these new statistics you’d have to be an elephant! Or at least eat as much as one….

But why is all this happening?
It sounds rather far-fetched at first that a vegetable or fruit could look and taste the same, but be so lacking in nutrients you need. However, there are several reasons, which most people would never think of. It’s important to know the cause behind something as vital as your own nutrition. You try to eat right, you try to have your ‘required servings’ of fruits and vegetables each day?but what are they really doing for you?

Over-farming causes depleted soil-
Despite farmers’ best efforts with chemical fertilizers and crop rotations, the huge human population’s demands on the soil causes ‘over-farming’. Nutrients you need are depleted from the soil by 100s of previous crop cycles?and if they’re not there, the plants can’t absorb them. This is especially true for the trace-minerals we all need to maintain good health.

Crops are now being bred for the wrong thing-
Fruits and veggies are chosen for several reasons…none of which are their nutritional value. The important thing about them is how they look, how long they stay fresh, how much they weigh, and how they can resist weeds and pests. Are any of those factors helping YOUR health? No, they’re just helping the bottom line. These are no ‘franken foods’ either (genetically modified crops) they’re your usual 100% natural crops which have gone through selective breeding for money making, NOT nutritional qualities. Sure, some genetically modified crops like the black tomato are super-nutritious, but they’re still years away from a real market release.

An experiment for you:
If you look around on TV, do you see commercials for ‘grow at home tomatoes’? Have you ever enjoyed a tomato from a vine at a friend or neighbors’ house? These ‘home grown’ fruits (yes a tomato is a fruit) often taste MUCH better than the ones you find in the supermarket. That’s why kits and vines are so popular in gardens. Supermarket tomatoes are raised only to look good, stay fresh and make the high “weight grade”. They’re NOT bred for taste or nutrition quality.

It’s easy to demonstrate this with something like a tomato, because they have a specific flavor that everyone recognizes, and are easy to grow at home in many climates?unlike spinach or peaches. The point is, that this type of ‘all style no substance’ is afflicting more than tomatoes and affecting much more than flavor.

These statistics show various losses from 1975 compared to 2001. The USDA came up with the facts, and Life Extension Magazine is quoted on the following statistics:

Apples- Vitamin A is down 41%
Broccoli- Calcium and Vitamin A are down 50%
Cauliflower- Vitamin C is down 45%; Vitamin B1 is down 48%; and Vitamin B2 is down 47%

That’s a big drop, and other fruits and vegetables are also affected to varying degrees. So what can you do about it? You want to eat healthy to stay healthy so taking action in your diet is a step to take right away. Vitamin supplements are a great idea. Because vitamins are made, not grown, they are held to nutritional standards, and must contain exactly what you see on the label. But, one cannot live on pills alone! First, consider organic foods and using a home garden. Chances are, your yard was never the site of a huge company farm featuring depleted soil. The foods you grow at home can still pick up necessary minerals from your soil.

But what about apartment or condo dwellers in the city? No time for a garden? Next, small farms and local growers are also more likely to be farming on land that is not nutritionally deficient, or using “Maximum shelf life” variety plants. Local farms don’t have to ship long distance, and they know you’ll be back for more if you like their produce’s FLAVOR.

Another easy solution is the Chia Seed.
This seed is packed with a full range of B vitamins, trace minerals such as Boron, and it even has more calcium by weight than milk. The seed of the chia plant also has omega 3 oil (the same as that found in fish) and complete protein, just like what is found in meat. These seeds also have both soluble and insoluble fiber and more magnesium than broccoli. They don’t spoil or go rancid like flax, and you can make them taste like whatever you want….but more on that later.

Why is the Chia Seed still a good option for you?
Chia plants only grow in areas most other plants hate. You couldn’t grow a peach or an apple where chia likes to grow. It only grows where it’s hot and dry all the time. This means the land used to grow it hasn’t already been stripped of nutrients. Worried about pesticides? Don’t be. The plant takes care of itself like no other?producing an oil in the leaves and stems that insects and other pests can’t stand. Chemical pesticides don’t even need to be touched when you’ve got chia growing. The plants are still pulling in all the nutrients you need while being free from toxic chemical pesticides.

So by looking to a food that’s unusual and new, you can still get the nutrients your body needs despite depleted soil in many areas. These seeds have no flavor of their own, so they’re not prepared like the food you’re used to. No one sits down to a pile of chia as they would rice. Instead, they’re super easy in an all-new way. You simply add them to food you already like to eat. The flavorless seeds then absorb moisture from that food (whether it be yogurt, salad dressing, cereal with milk, tomato sauce, or your favorite drink?almost anything will do!) and take on the taste of the food or drink. You won’t have any problems with “I don’t want to eat my vegetables” when these nutritious seeds can taste like anything from orange juice to chocolate pudding without ever diluting the flavor. There are even many easy and fun Chia Seed Recipes that you can use to make both new and familiar meals lower in fat and higher in nutrients by adding chia. All the nutrition is still there just waiting to be eaten in the way of your choice.

Don’t let these startling statistics stop you on your quest for greater health, energy and longevity. You can still take control of your nutrition and improve your health.

Are you dining out, or dining in? No matter where you choose to eat, don’t let hidden calories ruin your attempt at losing weight. Everyone knows that a bucket of fried chicken is not the best choice when they’re trying to achieve a healthy weight…however, would you suspect a dish called “Crispy Calamari & Veggies”? Likely not. Seafood has a reputation for being ‘better for you’ than something like beef, and hey, it said ‘veggies’ right? It’s time to take a second look at choices which may seem healthy but are really calorie-loaded.

This isn’t some article that just talks about the problem either, if you’re trying to lose weight you know there already IS a problem. What you want are solutions and EASY KEYS to help you detect which dish may be a hidden calorie bomb waiting to strike at your thighs. You can’t tell ‘just by reading’ the dish name either, even professional dietitians will still choose the wrong dish if they’re shown the name…and sometimes even the photo too!

First, you need to know the baseline of calories for your day. For an average adult, that’s about 2,000. That’ll keep you energetic, running smoothly, and not gaining weight or losing it. Some people may need more, and others may need less. Only a doctor can tell you the exact right amount for you. You burn energy all day long in your usual activities and that needs fuel no matter what. The recommended amount of fat is around 70 grams. There are some foods on some menus which may give you over 2/3 of your daily calories in just one appetizer! (and that’s not counting drinks or the main meal?what if you wanted dessert too?)

It isn’t about only eating salads or ‘nasty bland foods’ either. You don’t have to stop eating at your favorite restaurants. There are many super tasting choices out there waiting to be discovered. Some surprisingly low calorie dishes may even be on your list of likes already. First, let’s take a look at some calorie loaded dishes that hide behind healthy names:

Chicken Ranch Taco Salad ? 960 calories with 57 grams of fat
That’s over half your daily fat requirement, and nearly half your day’s calories all in 1 little salad
Crispy Calamari & Veggies ? 1,520 calories with 98 grams of fat
That’s over your daily fat requirement in just 1 appetizer and well over half your calories for the day
A triple whopper at Burger King only has 1130 calories…
Southern Fried Chicken Salad- 1,100 calories and 68 grams of fat
Better not eat any more fat grams that day…

You might be tempted to select one of them by its name, instead of something else which you might prefer…but that has a bad rap. What about these foods with the bad reputation then, let’s see how they stack up against the list above.

Full rack baby-back ribs in sauce ? 700 calories and 37 grams of fat
Deep fried mozzarella cheese sticks appetizer ? 340 calories and 20 grams of fat
6 inch roast beef sub ? 310 calories and 4.5 grams of fat

See how tricky that is? You would think a salad would be better than a *whole rack* of ribs, but calorie wise, it’s really not. Even deep fried cheese can’t out-do the calorie count of supposedly healthy sea-food.

Now that you know what kinds of foods extra calories can hide in, what are some give-aways that you can look for to spot these before you decide to eat?

Cream Sauce ? Usually found on Italian style dishes like chicken, noodles and sometimes seafood. It’s packed with calories and fat. It can “wreck” the healthiness of even lean meats or seafood when dumped all over the dish.

Breaded/Fried ? The cheese sticks are an exception to the rule. Even if it says ‘salad’ if it’s covered in fried anything, it’s usually not a good idea. This includes things with bacon, bacon sauce, and other bacon-derived food items.

Creamy Dressing ? Sneaks calories into salads. Don’t want to go with a ‘lite’ dressing? See the tip in the very next paragraph for your tasty solution!

Milk-based items ? Macchiato coffees, milk shakes, ice-cream based ‘frosties’. A lot of times, high-fat milk must be used to achieve the flavor everyone craves. Couple that with high doses of sugar and you’ve got a problem. One regular coffee could have 220 calories, and a 21 oz. Milk shake could have 770.

Cheese sauce?If it needs cheese all over it, you might want to skip it. Even if it’s broccoli! Broccoli may be healthy, but smothering it in cheese still raises the calories. A slice of cheese or a cheese stick may not be too bad but sauces are often mixed with high fat milk, or even fatty oils to keep them liquid.

Odd little culprits ? Whole dates, raisins (the fruit, dried) dishes with loads of nuts, such as pecan pies. Some nuts in a day provide healthy fats but it’s possible to over-do it. Ricotta cheese: if you’re dining out they’ll never use the ‘lite’ version and this cheese can creep into many dishes without you knowing its throwing fat around.

Soft Drinks & Smoothies ? You don’t think about drinking your calories, but they’re in these delicious beverages. Any fruit smoothie has ALL OF the calories of the original fruits that went into it. Blenders don’t remove calories, but this fact is often overlooked. Soft drinks (sodas, ‘fruit’ juices from concentrate etc) are usually high in sugar and are a sneaky way to get in more calories.

Armed with this list, you’ll know some of what to look out for at home when selecting food to prepare, and while dining out. But what if you’d still like to have some of the things on the list? There’s a great way to use some items in moderation, without losing out on the flavor you love. After all, it’s better to have some, then to allow a craving to build up into a pig-out. Plus, when the amount looks and tastes like how much you want it’s no real loss?except for the calories.

If you enjoy the flavor of creamy dressings for example, there’s no need to go with the less-tasty ‘lite’ versions when you use chia seeds. What are chia seeds? They’re a tiny seed with no flavor. Each seed is full of nutrients, but it also has a very unique property. When exposed to water or other liquids they form a gel. This gel has the ability to distribute (never dilute) the flavor of other foods.

How can you put them to work for you?
With chia gel on hand, if you mix it into higher-calorie sauces like certain BBQ sauce, creamy salad dressings, and even smoothies…they TASTE the same, but you only need HALF as much! It cuts the calories in half because you’re essentially cutting with water (water is 0 calorie) but the tasteless seeds are giving the flavors a boost so you don’t miss out. Try them in anything you want to cut down on, but not miss out on.

Even more benefits?
Absolutely. Fruit smoothies are healthy, but will pack in calories if you drink too much. When you add chia you don’t change the taste of the smoothie, but it fills you up faster so you won’t want as much. That’s because the body treats chia gel like a solid piece of food. Chia fools the stomach into thinking it’s full, when really the gel is just water. It works so well because every seed absorbs 9x its own weight in water and turns it into gel.

The seeds themselves are packed with health benefits for you too, like fiber, omega-3 oil, vitamins, minerals and even complete protein. (complete protein is what you find in meat) So not only can you get full faster on less food, but you can boost the nutrition of almost any food when you add chia seeds or chia gel to it.

With this information on your side you’ll know more of what to stay away from when trying to cut calories, and you can also see your way around dishes with tricky titles that may be hiding the fat behind a healthy name. Plus, when you want to enjoy food but get full on less, you can always reach for the chia seeds.

Are you dining out, or dining in? No matter where you choose to eat, don’t let hidden calories ruin your attempt at losing weight. Everyone knows that a bucket of fried chicken is not the best choice when they’re trying to achieve a healthy weight…however, would you suspect a dish called “Crispy Calamari & Veggies”? Likely not. Seafood has a reputation for being ‘better for you’ than something like beef, and hey, it said ‘veggies’ right? It’s time to take a second look at choices which may seem healthy but are really calorie-loaded.

This isn’t some article that just talks about the problem either, if you’re trying to lose weight you know there already IS a problem. What you want are solutions and EASY KEYS to help you detect which dish may be a hidden calorie bomb waiting to strike at your thighs. You can’t tell ‘just by reading’ the dish name either, even professional dietitians will still choose the wrong dish if they’re shown the name…and sometimes even the photo too!

First, you need to know the baseline of calories for your day. For an average adult, that’s about 2,000. That’ll keep you energetic, running smoothly, and not gaining weight or losing it. Some people may need more, and others may need less. Only a doctor can tell you the exact right amount for you. You burn energy all day long in your usual activities and that needs fuel no matter what. The recommended amount of fat is around 70 grams. There are some foods on some menus which may give you over 2/3 of your daily calories in just one appetizer! (and that’s not counting drinks or the main meal?what if you wanted dessert too?)

It isn’t about only eating salads or ‘nasty bland foods’ either. You don’t have to stop eating at your favorite restaurants. There are many super tasting choices out there waiting to be discovered. Some surprisingly low calorie dishes may even be on your list of likes already. First, let’s take a look at some calorie loaded dishes that hide behind healthy names:

Chicken Ranch Taco Salad ? 960 calories with 57 grams of fat
That’s over half your daily fat requirement, and nearly half your day’s calories all in 1 little salad
Crispy Calamari & Veggies ? 1,520 calories with 98 grams of fat
That’s over your daily fat requirement in just 1 appetizer and well over half your calories for the day
A triple whopper at Burger King only has 1130 calories…
Southern Fried Chicken Salad- 1,100 calories and 68 grams of fat
Better not eat any more fat grams that day…

You might be tempted to select one of them by its name, instead of something else which you might prefer…but that has a bad rap. What about these foods with the bad reputation then, let’s see how they stack up against the list above.

Full rack baby-back ribs in sauce ? 700 calories and 37 grams of fat
Deep fried mozzarella cheese sticks appetizer ? 340 calories and 20 grams of fat
6 inch roast beef sub ? 310 calories and 4.5 grams of fat

See how tricky that is? You would think a salad would be better than a *whole rack* of ribs, but calorie wise, it’s really not. Even deep fried cheese can’t out-do the calorie count of supposedly healthy sea-food.

Now that you know what kinds of foods extra calories can hide in, what are some give-aways that you can look for to spot these before you decide to eat?

Cream Sauce ? Usually found on Italian style dishes like chicken, noodles and sometimes seafood. It’s packed with calories and fat. It can “wreck” the healthiness of even lean meats or seafood when dumped all over the dish.

Breaded/Fried ? The cheese sticks are an exception to the rule. Even if it says ‘salad’ if it’s covered in fried anything, it’s usually not a good idea. This includes things with bacon, bacon sauce, and other bacon-derived food items.

Creamy Dressing ? Sneaks calories into salads. Don’t want to go with a ‘lite’ dressing? See the tip in the very next paragraph for your tasty solution!

Milk-based items ? Macchiato coffees, milk shakes, ice-cream based ‘frosties’. A lot of times, high-fat milk must be used to achieve the flavor everyone craves. Couple that with high doses of sugar and you’ve got a problem. One regular coffee could have 220 calories, and a 21 oz. Milk shake could have 770.

Cheese sauce?If it needs cheese all over it, you might want to skip it. Even if it’s broccoli! Broccoli may be healthy, but smothering it in cheese still raises the calories. A slice of cheese or a cheese stick may not be too bad but sauces are often mixed with high fat milk, or even fatty oils to keep them liquid.

Odd little culprits ? Whole dates, raisins (the fruit, dried) dishes with loads of nuts, such as pecan pies. Some nuts in a day provide healthy fats but it’s possible to over-do it. Ricotta cheese: if you’re dining out they’ll never use the ‘lite’ version and this cheese can creep into many dishes without you knowing its throwing fat around.

Soft Drinks & Smoothies ? You don’t think about drinking your calories, but they’re in these delicious beverages. Any fruit smoothie has ALL OF the calories of the original fruits that went into it. Blenders don’t remove calories, but this fact is often overlooked. Soft drinks (sodas, ‘fruit’ juices from concentrate etc) are usually high in sugar and are a sneaky way to get in more calories.

Armed with this list, you’ll know some of what to look out for at home when selecting food to prepare, and while dining out. But what if you’d still like to have some of the things on the list? There’s a great way to use some items in moderation, without losing out on the flavor you love. After all, it’s better to have some, then to allow a craving to build up into a pig-out. Plus, when the amount looks and tastes like how much you want it’s no real loss?except for the calories.

If you enjoy the flavor of creamy dressings for example, there’s no need to go with the less-tasty ‘lite’ versions when you use chia seeds. What are chia seeds? They’re a tiny seed with no flavor. Each seed is full of nutrients, but it also has a very unique property. When exposed to water or other liquids they form a gel. This gel has the ability to distribute (never dilute) the flavor of other foods.

How can you put them to work for you?
With chia gel on hand, if you mix it into higher-calorie sauces like certain BBQ sauce, creamy salad dressings, and even smoothies…they TASTE the same, but you only need HALF as much! It cuts the calories in half because you’re essentially cutting with water (water is 0 calorie) but the tasteless seeds are giving the flavors a boost so you don’t miss out. Try them in anything you want to cut down on, but not miss out on.

Even more benefits?
Absolutely. Fruit smoothies are healthy, but will pack in calories if you drink too much. When you add chia you don’t change the taste of the smoothie, but it fills you up faster so you won’t want as much. That’s because the body treats chia gel like a solid piece of food. Chia fools the stomach into thinking it’s full, when really the gel is just water. It works so well because every seed absorbs 9x its own weight in water and turns it into gel.

The seeds themselves are packed with health benefits for you too, like fiber, omega-3 oil, vitamins, minerals and even complete protein. (complete protein is what you find in meat) So not only can you get full faster on less food, but you can boost the nutrition of almost any food when you add chia seeds or chia gel to it.

With this information on your side you’ll know more of what to stay away from when trying to cut calories, and you can also see your way around dishes with tricky titles that may be hiding the fat behind a healthy name. Plus, when you want to enjoy food but get full on less, you can always reach for the chia seeds.

Are you dining out, or dining in? No matter where you choose to eat, don’t let hidden calories ruin your attempt at losing weight. Everyone knows that a bucket of fried chicken is not the best choice when they’re trying to achieve a healthy weight…however, would you suspect a dish called “Crispy Calamari & Veggies”? Likely not. Seafood has a reputation for being ‘better for you’ than something like beef, and hey, it said ‘veggies’ right? It’s time to take a second look at choices which may seem healthy but are really calorie-loaded.

This isn’t some article that just talks about the problem either, if you’re trying to lose weight you know there already IS a problem. What you want are solutions and EASY KEYS to help you detect which dish may be a hidden calorie bomb waiting to strike at your thighs. You can’t tell ‘just by reading’ the dish name either, even professional dietitians will still choose the wrong dish if they’re shown the name…and sometimes even the photo too!

First, you need to know the baseline of calories for your day. For an average adult, that’s about 2,000. That’ll keep you energetic, running smoothly, and not gaining weight or losing it. Some people may need more, and others may need less. Only a doctor can tell you the exact right amount for you. You burn energy all day long in your usual activities and that needs fuel no matter what. The recommended amount of fat is around 70 grams. There are some foods on some menus which may give you over 2/3 of your daily calories in just one appetizer! (and that’s not counting drinks or the main meal?what if you wanted dessert too?)

It isn’t about only eating salads or ‘nasty bland foods’ either. You don’t have to stop eating at your favorite restaurants. There are many super tasting choices out there waiting to be discovered. Some surprisingly low calorie dishes may even be on your list of likes already. First, let’s take a look at some calorie loaded dishes that hide behind healthy names:

Chicken Ranch Taco Salad ? 960 calories with 57 grams of fat
That’s over half your daily fat requirement, and nearly half your day’s calories all in 1 little salad
Crispy Calamari & Veggies ? 1,520 calories with 98 grams of fat
That’s over your daily fat requirement in just 1 appetizer and well over half your calories for the day
A triple whopper at Burger King only has 1130 calories…
Southern Fried Chicken Salad- 1,100 calories and 68 grams of fat
Better not eat any more fat grams that day…

You might be tempted to select one of them by its name, instead of something else which you might prefer…but that has a bad rap. What about these foods with the bad reputation then, let’s see how they stack up against the list above.

Full rack baby-back ribs in sauce ? 700 calories and 37 grams of fat
Deep fried mozzarella cheese sticks appetizer ? 340 calories and 20 grams of fat
6 inch roast beef sub ? 310 calories and 4.5 grams of fat

See how tricky that is? You would think a salad would be better than a *whole rack* of ribs, but calorie wise, it’s really not. Even deep fried cheese can’t out-do the calorie count of supposedly healthy sea-food.

Now that you know what kinds of foods extra calories can hide in, what are some give-aways that you can look for to spot these before you decide to eat?

Cream Sauce ? Usually found on Italian style dishes like chicken, noodles and sometimes seafood. It’s packed with calories and fat. It can “wreck” the healthiness of even lean meats or seafood when dumped all over the dish.

Breaded/Fried ? The cheese sticks are an exception to the rule. Even if it says ‘salad’ if it’s covered in fried anything, it’s usually not a good idea. This includes things with bacon, bacon sauce, and other bacon-derived food items.

Creamy Dressing ? Sneaks calories into salads. Don’t want to go with a ‘lite’ dressing? See the tip in the very next paragraph for your tasty solution!

Milk-based items ? Macchiato coffees, milk shakes, ice-cream based ‘frosties’. A lot of times, high-fat milk must be used to achieve the flavor everyone craves. Couple that with high doses of sugar and you’ve got a problem. One regular coffee could have 220 calories, and a 21 oz. Milk shake could have 770.

Cheese sauce?If it needs cheese all over it, you might want to skip it. Even if it’s broccoli! Broccoli may be healthy, but smothering it in cheese still raises the calories. A slice of cheese or a cheese stick may not be too bad but sauces are often mixed with high fat milk, or even fatty oils to keep them liquid.

Odd little culprits ? Whole dates, raisins (the fruit, dried) dishes with loads of nuts, such as pecan pies. Some nuts in a day provide healthy fats but it’s possible to over-do it. Ricotta cheese: if you’re dining out they’ll never use the ‘lite’ version and this cheese can creep into many dishes without you knowing its throwing fat around.

Soft Drinks & Smoothies ? You don’t think about drinking your calories, but they’re in these delicious beverages. Any fruit smoothie has ALL OF the calories of the original fruits that went into it. Blenders don’t remove calories, but this fact is often overlooked. Soft drinks (sodas, ‘fruit’ juices from concentrate etc) are usually high in sugar and are a sneaky way to get in more calories.

Armed with this list, you’ll know some of what to look out for at home when selecting food to prepare, and while dining out. But what if you’d still like to have some of the things on the list? There’s a great way to use some items in moderation, without losing out on the flavor you love. After all, it’s better to have some, then to allow a craving to build up into a pig-out. Plus, when the amount looks and tastes like how much you want it’s no real loss?except for the calories.

If you enjoy the flavor of creamy dressings for example, there’s no need to go with the less-tasty ‘lite’ versions when you use chia seeds. What are chia seeds? They’re a tiny seed with no flavor. Each seed is full of nutrients, but it also has a very unique property. When exposed to water or other liquids they form a gel. This gel has the ability to distribute (never dilute) the flavor of other foods.

How can you put them to work for you?
With chia gel on hand, if you mix it into higher-calorie sauces like certain BBQ sauce, creamy salad dressings, and even smoothies…they TASTE the same, but you only need HALF as much! It cuts the calories in half because you’re essentially cutting with water (water is 0 calorie) but the tasteless seeds are giving the flavors a boost so you don’t miss out. Try them in anything you want to cut down on, but not miss out on.

Even more benefits?
Absolutely. Fruit smoothies are healthy, but will pack in calories if you drink too much. When you add chia you don’t change the taste of the smoothie, but it fills you up faster so you won’t want as much. That’s because the body treats chia gel like a solid piece of food. Chia fools the stomach into thinking it’s full, when really the gel is just water. It works so well because every seed absorbs 9x its own weight in water and turns it into gel.

The seeds themselves are packed with health benefits for you too, like fiber, omega-3 oil, vitamins, minerals and even complete protein. (complete protein is what you find in meat) So not only can you get full faster on less food, but you can boost the nutrition of almost any food when you add chia seeds or chia gel to it.

With this information on your side you’ll know more of what to stay away from when trying to cut calories, and you can also see your way around dishes with tricky titles that may be hiding the fat behind a healthy name. Plus, when you want to enjoy food but get full on less, you can always reach for the chia seeds.

Are you dining out, or dining in? No matter where you choose to eat, don’t let hidden calories ruin your attempt at losing weight. Everyone knows that a bucket of fried chicken is not the best choice when they’re trying to achieve a healthy weight…however, would you suspect a dish called “Crispy Calamari & Veggies”? Likely not. Seafood has a reputation for being ‘better for you’ than something like beef, and hey, it said ‘veggies’ right? It’s time to take a second look at choices which may seem healthy but are really calorie-loaded.

This isn’t some article that just talks about the problem either, if you’re trying to lose weight you know there already IS a problem. What you want are solutions and EASY KEYS to help you detect which dish may be a hidden calorie bomb waiting to strike at your thighs. You can’t tell ‘just by reading’ the dish name either, even professional dietitians will still choose the wrong dish if they’re shown the name…and sometimes even the photo too!

First, you need to know the baseline of calories for your day. For an average adult, that’s about 2,000. That’ll keep you energetic, running smoothly, and not gaining weight or losing it. Some people may need more, and others may need less. Only a doctor can tell you the exact right amount for you. You burn energy all day long in your usual activities and that needs fuel no matter what. The recommended amount of fat is around 70 grams. There are some foods on some menus which may give you over 2/3 of your daily calories in just one appetizer! (and that’s not counting drinks or the main meal?what if you wanted dessert too?)

It isn’t about only eating salads or ‘nasty bland foods’ either. You don’t have to stop eating at your favorite restaurants. There are many super tasting choices out there waiting to be discovered. Some surprisingly low calorie dishes may even be on your list of likes already. First, let’s take a look at some calorie loaded dishes that hide behind healthy names:

Chicken Ranch Taco Salad ? 960 calories with 57 grams of fat
That’s over half your daily fat requirement, and nearly half your day’s calories all in 1 little salad
Crispy Calamari & Veggies ? 1,520 calories with 98 grams of fat
That’s over your daily fat requirement in just 1 appetizer and well over half your calories for the day
A triple whopper at Burger King only has 1130 calories…
Southern Fried Chicken Salad- 1,100 calories and 68 grams of fat
Better not eat any more fat grams that day…

You might be tempted to select one of them by its name, instead of something else which you might prefer…but that has a bad rap. What about these foods with the bad reputation then, let’s see how they stack up against the list above.

Full rack baby-back ribs in sauce ? 700 calories and 37 grams of fat
Deep fried mozzarella cheese sticks appetizer ? 340 calories and 20 grams of fat
6 inch roast beef sub ? 310 calories and 4.5 grams of fat

See how tricky that is? You would think a salad would be better than a *whole rack* of ribs, but calorie wise, it’s really not. Even deep fried cheese can’t out-do the calorie count of supposedly healthy sea-food.

Now that you know what kinds of foods extra calories can hide in, what are some give-aways that you can look for to spot these before you decide to eat?

Cream Sauce ? Usually found on Italian style dishes like chicken, noodles and sometimes seafood. It’s packed with calories and fat. It can “wreck” the healthiness of even lean meats or seafood when dumped all over the dish.

Breaded/Fried ? The cheese sticks are an exception to the rule. Even if it says ‘salad’ if it’s covered in fried anything, it’s usually not a good idea. This includes things with bacon, bacon sauce, and other bacon-derived food items.

Creamy Dressing ? Sneaks calories into salads. Don’t want to go with a ‘lite’ dressing? See the tip in the very next paragraph for your tasty solution!

Milk-based items ? Macchiato coffees, milk shakes, ice-cream based ‘frosties’. A lot of times, high-fat milk must be used to achieve the flavor everyone craves. Couple that with high doses of sugar and you’ve got a problem. One regular coffee could have 220 calories, and a 21 oz. Milk shake could have 770.

Cheese sauce?If it needs cheese all over it, you might want to skip it. Even if it’s broccoli! Broccoli may be healthy, but smothering it in cheese still raises the calories. A slice of cheese or a cheese stick may not be too bad but sauces are often mixed with high fat milk, or even fatty oils to keep them liquid.

Odd little culprits ? Whole dates, raisins (the fruit, dried) dishes with loads of nuts, such as pecan pies. Some nuts in a day provide healthy fats but it’s possible to over-do it. Ricotta cheese: if you’re dining out they’ll never use the ‘lite’ version and this cheese can creep into many dishes without you knowing its throwing fat around.

Soft Drinks & Smoothies ? You don’t think about drinking your calories, but they’re in these delicious beverages. Any fruit smoothie has ALL OF the calories of the original fruits that went into it. Blenders don’t remove calories, but this fact is often overlooked. Soft drinks (sodas, ‘fruit’ juices from concentrate etc) are usually high in sugar and are a sneaky way to get in more calories.

Armed with this list, you’ll know some of what to look out for at home when selecting food to prepare, and while dining out. But what if you’d still like to have some of the things on the list? There’s a great way to use some items in moderation, without losing out on the flavor you love. After all, it’s better to have some, then to allow a craving to build up into a pig-out. Plus, when the amount looks and tastes like how much you want it’s no real loss?except for the calories.

If you enjoy the flavor of creamy dressings for example, there’s no need to go with the less-tasty ‘lite’ versions when you use chia seeds. What are chia seeds? They’re a tiny seed with no flavor. Each seed is full of nutrients, but it also has a very unique property. When exposed to water or other liquids they form a gel. This gel has the ability to distribute (never dilute) the flavor of other foods.

How can you put them to work for you?
With chia gel on hand, if you mix it into higher-calorie sauces like certain BBQ sauce, creamy salad dressings, and even smoothies…they TASTE the same, but you only need HALF as much! It cuts the calories in half because you’re essentially cutting with water (water is 0 calorie) but the tasteless seeds are giving the flavors a boost so you don’t miss out. Try them in anything you want to cut down on, but not miss out on.

Even more benefits?
Absolutely. Fruit smoothies are healthy, but will pack in calories if you drink too much. When you add chia you don’t change the taste of the smoothie, but it fills you up faster so you won’t want as much. That’s because the body treats chia gel like a solid piece of food. Chia fools the stomach into thinking it’s full, when really the gel is just water. It works so well because every seed absorbs 9x its own weight in water and turns it into gel.

The seeds themselves are packed with health benefits for you too, like fiber, omega-3 oil, vitamins, minerals and even complete protein. (complete protein is what you find in meat) So not only can you get full faster on less food, but you can boost the nutrition of almost any food when you add chia seeds or chia gel to it.

With this information on your side you’ll know more of what to stay away from when trying to cut calories, and you can also see your way around dishes with tricky titles that may be hiding the fat behind a healthy name. Plus, when you want to enjoy food but get full on less, you can always reach for the chia seeds.