Dinner Rule #1: Portion Your Protein
You should be eating no more than 4 oz. of lean protein during meals. Measure your meat portions against an everyday kitchen sponge - compare them side by side and by volume; this will leave you with 4 oz. of protein and only 200 calories. Hint: Stay away from "prime" cuts of beef; this only means they have more fat in them. Stick to lean cuts.
Dinner Rule #2: Fill Up on Fiber
You must get at least 5 grams of fiber with your dinner. Look to low-calorie, high-fiber foods to get you there. Think whole grains and vegetables. You want to measure by volume - not weight. Use a 4 oz. ladle as your guide. For example, a 4 oz. ladle-full of peas will give you the desired fiber and about 200 calories. Hint: The average American only eats 10-12 grams of fiber a day; the ideal amount for a healthy diet is 25 grams.
Dinner Rule #3: Double the Veggies, Double the Spice
The benefits of a meal full of vegetables and spices are many. These nutritional powerhouses harbor powerful antioxidants, can be digestive aids and potent cancer-fighters. Seasoning your meals with natural spices - instead of butters and fat - will help you conserve calories. By doubling your portion of vegetables, you're only adding an additional 100 calories to your dinner.
The Perfect 500 Calorie Dinner:
Protein = 200 calories
Fiber = 200 calories
Vegetables = 100 calories
I'm going to try to come up with some yummy recipes that follow these rules. Anyone know already?
awesome idea. post those recipes asap.
ReplyDeletei also wanted to tell you that i can't remember where i read this but recently i saw an article that had some small steps to losing weight or being healthy or something. anyway, one step was to eat one salad every day. i though that was easy and a good rule of thumb all around. i don't eat on every day, but whenever i get the makins for it, i do one every day i have them. just passin that along.
Gr! Mel, I have responded to your comment like 10 times and blogger keeps messing up. Each time I rewrite it my comment gets shorter and shorter! Thanks for the tip about the salad! I am going to give it a try, because I seriously eat like a lean pocket for lunch every day, and they really start to get kinda sick to the nast after the 10th day. (*crossing fingers that this comment will go through*)
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