Eat Healthier Weight Loss Recipes

Eat Healthier Weight Loss Recipes

1. Eat cereal every day for breakfast. Choose whole grain, unsweetened cereal with at least 4 grams of fiber per serving like creamy whole grain oatmeal.

Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie

"This is a fast vegan smoothie with a deep pink color and a rich, creamy texture. VERY filling, and perfect for people in a rush in the morning. You don't have to give up a good breakfast when it's this fast to make! I use vitamin fortified soy milk."

Prep Time: 5 Min

Ready In: 5 Min

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

1 cup soy milk

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 banana, broken into chunks

14 frozen strawberries

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar

Directions

In a blender, combine soy milk, oats, banana and strawberries. Add vanilla and sugar if desired. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving-Calories: 236 | Total Fat: 3.7g | Cholesterol: 0mg

2. Eat two apples every day. Not just to keep the doctor away, but because apples are a good source of pectin, a soluble fiber that contributes to a feeling of fullness and digests slowly. A 1997 study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that 5 grams of pectin was enough to leave people feeling satisfied for up to four hours. Try these recipes for fresh apples.

Prep Time: 5 Min

Cook Time: 15 Min

Ready In: 20 Min

Original Recipe Yield 4 cups

Ingredients

1/8 cup butter

4 large granny smith or golden apples tart apples - cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds

Directions

In a large skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add apples; Cook, stirring constantly, until apples are almost tender, about 6 to 7 minutes;

Dissolve cornstarch in water; add to skillet. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. nutmeg, walnuts, flaxseeds Boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and serve hot.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 113 | Total Fat: 4,5g | Cholesterol: 12mg

3. Make a yogurt mix every Wednesday for breakfast. Take one container of yogurt and mix in 1/3 cup high-fiber cereal, 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds, and 5 large, diced strawberries for 12.2 grams of fiber--nearly half your daily allowance!

4. Make baby carrots and broccoli florets dipped into low-fat ranch dressing your afternoon snack three days a week. You'll fill up the empty afternoon space in your tummy while getting about 5 grams of fiber in each cup of veggies. Get healthy recipe ideas for carrots and broccoli.

5. Keep a container of gorp in your car and office for the munchies. Mix together peanuts, raisins, a high-fiber cereal, and some chocolate-covered soy nuts. Allow yourself one handful for a sweet, yet high-fiber, snack.

6. Switch to whole grain crackers. You'd never think a tiny cracker can make a difference, but one regular whole wheat cracker has 1/2 gram of fiber. Ten crackers give you 5 grams of fiber. So next time, spread your peanut butter on whole grain crackers (look for brands that proclaim they're trans-fat-free) instead of bread for a different taste treat.

7. Mix your regular cereal with the high-test stuff. Okay, we'll be honest. We wouldn't want to face an entire bowl of All-Bran either. But just 1/3 cup packs a walloping 8.5 grams of fiber. Mix it with an equal amount of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios and you'll barely know it's there (but you will be one-third of the way to your daily fiber intake).

8. Add kidney beans or chickpeas (chick pea’s are garbanzo beans) to your next salad. A quarter cup adds an additional 5 grams of dietary fiber, notes Lisa Andrews, R.D., a nutritionist at the VA Medical Center in Cincinnati.

9. Make sure that the first ingredient in whole grain products has the word "whole" in it, as in "whole wheat," or "whole grain." If it says multi-grain, seven-grain, nutra-grain, cracked wheat, stone-ground wheat, unbromated wheat or enriched wheat, it's not whole wheat, and thus is lacking some of the vitamins and minerals, not to mention fiber, of whole grains. Try these recipes for whole grains.

10. Every week, try one "exotic" grain. How about amaranth, bulgur, or wheatberries? Most are as simple to fix as rice, yet packed with fiber and flavor. Mix in some steamed carrots and broccoli, toss with olive oil and a bit of Parmesan or feta cheese, maybe throw in a can of tuna or a couple of ounces of cut-up chicken, and you've got dinner. Or serve as a side dish to chicken or fish. Make sure all grains you try are whole grains.