For those of you in on the joke, you know it's the end of May--practically summer--and yet it's fifty-two degrees outside, breezy, and raining. Of course, this is all after having been nearly ninety degrees on Monday. What a difference a day (or two) makes!
However, the inclement weather this morning has allowed me to stop and take a look at my daily rituals--the focus of today's blog entry. If you've stood in line at a grocery store lately, you've noticed that Dr. Oz's smiling face is plastered on any number of magazine covers these days. For some reason, America is suddenly obsessed with the good doctor and his valuable insights into the healthy lifestyle. More likely, Americans are simply drawn into his quasi-celebrity status, which instantly makes him a credible source for information. (After all, it was only a few short years ago that President Obama sought to appoint CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, of similar fame, to be US Surgeon General).
Though I haven't been lured into purchasing anything off the newsstands simply because of Dr. Oz's appearance on the cover, I do subscribe to several different magazines where he's also made an appearance as of late. One of his biggest suggestions--and I've read it numerous places before--is to eat the same things every day. Sounds boring, right?
Eating the same things every day could be boring if you choose to eat something you don't really care for, simply because it's "healthy." However, when you stick to an assortment of foods that you genuinely like, which are also healthy, it makes counting those calories that much easier. This was one of my original tactics for sticking to the calorie-counting scene when I first started out, and it's a wise choice. Once you know how many calories are in your favorite breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, you no longer have to think so much about what choices to make--you just choose the healthier choice automatically.
My morning ritual goes a little like this: For breakfast (and I'm not much of a breakfast person), I eat a 5.3 oz container of nonfat Greek yogurt every day when I first get up. I like Oikos and Activia's new Greek yogurts (they are both made by Dannon, and industrial conspiracy theories aside, I suspect they are the same blends). Greek yogurt, which has the whey strained out of it, making it thicker, is higher in protein than regular yogurts, keeping you full longer. So if you've tried eating yogurt in the past, and you're hungry an hour later, try going Greek! You may even be tempted into it by the thought of John Stamos appearing in your kitchen, if you believe the marketeers at Dannon--just so long as Dave Coulier stays back in the Hollywood shadows.
Greek yogurt is higher in calories than other regular yogurts due to its density, but if you stick to a fat free variety, you're looking at around 130 calories per carton, which is still pretty reasonable in the scheme of things--and you'll feel more satisfied after eating this than after consuming an 80 calorie regular yogurt, which might prompt you to eat again in just an hour or two, adding in unnecessary calories to your diet. If it's a particularly ravenous morning, I might also add a piece of fruit along with the yogurt (think 100 calories for a medium piece of fruit). However, if you're a die hard pastry fan and simply have to eat bread, a muffin, etc. I've included my recipe for lower-calorie banana bread below. Each generous slice is less than 200 calories! Pair it up with your morning coffee (sans sugar and cream, of course) and you're good to go. Personally, I don't drink coffee (how did I make it through graduate school, right?), but I've recently become attached to Irish and English breakfast tea sweetened with a little Stevia/Truvia.
One other thing I always try to do is drink lots of water. This is not, by any means, a natural instinct for me--I really have to be conscious of it on a daily basis and force myself to drink extra water. Most Americans walk around dehydrated on a daily basis and mistake food pangs for thirst. When I first get up in the morning, I drink a glass or two of ice water--wakes me up and helps fill me up too. Same goes for before other meals and with snacks as well--drink an extra glass of water before you eat. You'll be surprised that you're not really as hungry as you thought--probably just thirsty!
Best Bet Banana Bread
The average banana bread gives the illusion of healthiness with its inclusion of fruit--but can be packed with unnecessary oil and sugar. Try this lightened up version that's still moist and delicious!
Ingredients:
- 2 T. light butter (Such as Land-O-Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil)
- 1/4 C. granulated sugar
- 1/4 C. Stevia in the Raw
- 1/2 C. egg substitute or egg whites
- 1 t. pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/6 C. all purpose flour
- 1/3 C. whole wheat flour
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1/2 C. fat free plain Greek yogurt
- 1 1/3 C. ripe, mashed bananas
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350'. Spray a 9"x5" loaf pan with canola oil or grease lightly.
In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and stevia together. Add egg substitute and vanilla.
In a separate bowl mash bananas and combine with yogurt.
In a third bowl combine flours and baking soda.
Alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to large bowl with butter mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture (this makes for a more tender bread in the end). Mix as you go with a rubber spatula or spoon (mixture will be thick) until just combined.
Bake in prepared pan for 60 minutes or until browned and no longer gooey in the center. Cool in pan for ten minutes, than remove to a cooling rack.
Per slice (1/8 of whole loaf) = 161 calories.
Beware of Greek yogurt imitators! The process of straining the whey is expensive so many companies manufacture the thick texture of Greek yogurt with starches. You end up getting fewer calories from protein and more from starch then with actual Greek yogurt. I believe that Dannon is one such offender but Chobani and Fage are true Greek strained yogurts. See http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/07/19/156997600/high-tech-shortcut-to-greek-yogurt-leaves-purists-fumingr for more.
ReplyDeleteYogurt fan: I recently read about this--both starch and other chemical additives to give regular yogurt a thicker texture in imitation of true Greek yogurt. It should also be mentioned, that one can make their own strained yogurt at home, by putting the regular stuff into a colander lined with thick paper towel overnight over a bowl. Sometimes this is referred to as "yo-cheese" on various websites, etc. If you do this with the plain variety, you can then add your own fruit, sweeteners, etc. However, Dannon claims their Oikos yogurt is actual strained yogurt: http://www.oikosyogurt.com/what-is-greek-yogurt/#.UZ_nz5w8Je0 I appreciate your comment, however, and encourage people to try a variety of things out for themselves and look into what it is they are actually eating!
ReplyDeleteI'm a Chobani fan. I only get their 0% varieties (they have a 2% version with deceptively similar packaging). My favorites are blueberry and strawberry, but I will also buy the vanilla flavor from time to time. I tried to get into eating Silk yogurt made with soymilk, but I didn't like the texture at all. It was gelatinous, but in a bad way, like what homemade turkey gravy looks like after being refrigerated overnight. Unappealing.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first open Greek yogurt, I always drain out the whey that is sitting on top (if any). I've heard that doing that helps to reduce extra calories.