Already fed up with the sweeping declarations of the 1st of January? Well, you are not the only one. Most studies show that resolutions begin to drop even after a week. In fact, just 8% of people actually achieve their yearly resolutions. Healthier food orders had a huge jump in the first days of January but they now seem to lose preeminence, so Hellofood is offering tips on how to keep the resolutions on track.
The devil is in the details: Even small changes can lead to tangible results, such as adjusting the toppings of your favorite meals such as a Burger or Pizza. That said, there is no need to go for a completely naked burger in order to keep it low-cal. Some sinful foods can surprisingly have slimming effects when they contain these “magic” ingredients that can influence the way your body processes the calories and fat it consumes.
Hellofood has listed some delicious alternatives to your meal toppings, dips, spices, beverages and desserts. Here’s how you can adjust your order to make it more nutritious and even burn some fat.
Ask for your dressing on the side
Some Salad dressings are more fattening than the actual meals they accompany.Therefore having them on the side means one can regulate how much of them they will consume or even save some of them for another meal.
Go Easy on the cheese
Ask for less cheese on your pizza or any other meal: It doesn’t make such a difference on the taste- especially if you plan to add some veggie toppings as well.
Use hot mustard instead of ketchup or mayo
Get mustard with your meal and feel the burn—literally! Scientists at England’s Oxford Polytechnic Institute found that by eating 1 tea spoon of mustard can boost the metabolism by up to 25% for several hours after eating.
Choose Greek Yoghurt rather than sour cream
Greek yogurt and sour cream are so similar in taste and texture that you really have no excuse but to go Greek and save about 50 calories and 7 grams of fat per dollop.
Go for guacamole as a dip or topping
Avocado’s unique combo of essential fatty acids, monounsaturated fats, and antioxidants helps you speed up your metabolism, ward off the munchies and keep you full. A study published in Nutrition Journal found that participants who ate half a fresh avocado with lunch reported a 40% decreased desire to eat for hours afterwards.
Have some Chili peppers to feel the burn
That burn is more than just in your mouth: chilies can propel the body to burn an extra 50 to 100 calories following a spicy meal. So next time you order a burger, pizza or chicken, but cannot handle the actual chili, choose the hot sauce as a topping.
Spice it up
Spices are also interesting add-ons that contribute in fat burning. Black or red pepper, cayenne pepper or cuminare the most effective. Cumin is commonly used in Mexican, Indian and Moroccan cuisines. Lose the salt, and season with any of these all your meals as a hot addition as well as an appetite suppressant.
Get some omega – 3 with salmon
If you want a burger then go for the Salmon burger for a change- it’s full of the good fats and goes perfect with lots of green toppings, especially rocket and avocado. Research suggests the omega-3s in salmon and other fatty fish help build muscle- and the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn.
Cheers with Red wine
Yes, red wine is indeed beneficial – if drank modestly that is. Replace your Diet Coke with a glass of red wine – it is much healthier, less fatty and definitely more fun. Also, it appears to slow the growth of fat cells, which means that rather than topping up your calorie total, red wine could be a weightwatcher’s friend.
Digest with Dark Chocolate
Even though chocolate has many calories, dark chocolate contains antioxidants and ingredients such as bioflavonoids that promote weight loss. A study found that dark chocolate-eaters tended to be slimmer than those who didn’t try it. They were also less likely to get heart disease or suffer strokes. So there’s no need to cut your dessert, just go for the dark chocolate.