Posts filed under ‘Diet’
Have dessert with breakfast
If you’re trying to lose weight, here’s some good news if you have a sweet tooth: having dessert with your balanced 600-calorie breakfast (one that includes carbs and protein) will help you lose weight in the longterm says a study published in Steroids. In the morning, your metabolism is most active, plus you have the entire day to burn off the extra calories.
Sweet! (pun intended)
So have that cookie after your omelette and whole-grain toast rather than after dinner or depriving yourself of cake and such altogether.
I know I’ll be feeling way less guilty about the Belgian waffles I always order as a sweet finish to breakfast at Le Petit Dejeuner in Toronto. (Have you tried them? They are light as air — in fact, they’re the only waffles I love).
Colour me smaller
Plate it up! And play with colour if you’re looking to whittle down your portion sizes.
The size of your plate plays a role, but I’d heard that before as you probably have, too (use a smaller plate and you’ll serve yourself less as it’ll appear larger on your plate). Use larger plates and you may serve yourself anywhere from 9 to 13 percent more food.
But the plate colour influences your portion size, too, it turns out, according to a new study from the Journal of Consumer Research. Use a different colour of plate (we’re talking a high contrast of colours), say, for example, spaghetti and meatballs with red sauce on a white plate, and your portion size may be as much as 21 percent smaller.
(Reason enough for me to get these plates I’ve been coveting at the AGO, dontcha think? Plus, it’ll encourage me to eat fewer non-white foods, more bright veggies and the like. That’s the ticket, I NEED these plates because they’ll help me eat better…).
(Taste Collection plate, shopAGO)
Quickie bite: Chipotle
A new location of Chipotle opened today in Toronto (the third one here) at 123 Front St. West. Yum!
It’s one of my favourite spots for a quick, inexpensive bite — it’s that cilantro rice that gets me. Ok, and the tender, perfectly seasoned meat.
(btw, they now offer brown rice, too, for you health nuts)
Didja know they’re committed to organic produce and naturally raised meat? (here in the Toronto locations, the pork comes from du Breton farm in Quebec, and the organic chicken and beef is from Beretta Farms, which is just outside of the T-dot)? I didn’t know that at first; I just knew that my burrito was pretty darn tasty.
My usual order? The chicken burrito with black beans (fibre, yo!) and guacamole (healthy fats!). With all of that, the burrito ends up being bigger than one of my cats.
So I only eat half. And save the rest for lunch the next day. There you go, that’s my smart-dining-out strategy for you for today. You’re welcome!
(I kid, but I do often only eat half my main and take home a doggie bag — but usually the reason is so I can have a bite of dessert…).
Stay informed — and eat healthier
A study published in the International Journal of Public Health has found that the more people are informed by mass media such as newspapers, TV and the internet, the more they stick to a healthy Mediterranean diet. (Remember that such mediums often gets a bad rap when it comes to your health – linked to being sedentary and unhealthy snacking in front of the screen).
So staying informed may lead to healthier diet.
All the more reason to keep reading Health & Swellness :)
