How to cut Calories Without Sacrificing Taste

Many Americans are overweight because they eat too much. The reason people enjoy eating so much is because food is flavorful. Unfortunately, the flavor most often comes from fat and sugar, the unhealthiest things in your diet. When you're ready to lose weight, you don't necessarily have to sacrifice taste to cut calories.

Instructions

1. Learn proper portion control, which is the most important thing you can do to cut calories from your diet. For example, a serving of meat is four ounces, which is about the size of your palm; anything larger is just excessive. If you like to eat things that come out of a multi-serving bag, like chips, measure the proper portion into a bowl and put the rest of the bag away. You can still eat these things, just not so much of them.

2. Watch what you drink. Water is the best thing for you, but if you can't stand plain water, squeeze a small bit of lemon into it or use a sugar-free drink mix, like Crystal Light. Limit your soda intake or drink diet and drink fruit juices in moderation, as they're naturally laden with sugar. The proper serving of juice is six ounces, other drinks are eight ounces.

3. Cook with margarine instead of butter. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light is a great alternative to butter and has half the fat.

4. Use alternatives to full-fat items. For example, eat neufchatel cheese on your bagel instead of cream cheese (1/3 less fat). Buy fat-free sour cream instead of regular. Cut out some of the sugar you intake by buying diet or low-sugar alternatives; sugar is actually a larger contributor to calories in many food items than the fat content.

5. Read labels. Start looking for high fructose corn syrup, maltose, dextrose, fructose and other names for sugar. Keep your simple carbs low while getting a moderate amount of complex carbs.

6. Choose whole wheat breads and pastas instead of their white equivalents. Whole wheat is not only better for you as far as nutrients and fiber, but since it's not as processed, the sugar content is generally lower. Bagels are another thing to watch out for, as many flavors and brands include high fructose corn syrup in their recipes.

7. Eat mostly egg whites when you choose to eat eggs or use them in recipes. The majority of the calories of an egg are in the yolk (this is where the cholesterol is as well), so use one egg white with one whole egg for your breakfast scramble, as opposed to two whole eggs. Sprinkle on some paprika or hot sauce to add a bit of extra taste.

Tips & Warnings

• Measure out your servings until you can eyeball them accurately. It can be a drag to have to count out chips or break out the measuring cups when you want cereal, but you're doing yourself a favor and your body will thank you for it in no time.

• It would be nice if everything that claimed to be "low fat" or "reduced calorie" was actually healthier for you. Many times, these products have added sodium to give some taste to these items. Sodium can have a negative impact on your health.