According to a new research funded by the National Institutes of Health and published this month in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology that, if you trim out only 300 calories a day — the equivalent of six Oreo cookies you could gain benefit over diabetes and heart disease risk. Although the participants managed to achieve 10% decline in weight, 71% of it was fat.
Weight loss this way, brings significant improvement in
already good levels of cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and other markers of risk for metabolic disease.
The volunteers also had lower levels of a biomarker for chronic inflammation, which has been linked to heart disease, cancer and mental decline.
Tips to Reduce those 300 Calories
- A single 1-ounce piece of Swiss, provolone, muenster or American deli cheese has around 100 calories. Instead of two or three slices on your sandwich, cut back to one or two. You’ll get the same flavor for a fraction of the calories. 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese is about 220 calories.…
- Choose Fruits carefully: A small orange has about 45 calories, compared to 120 calories in a large banana. One cup of watermelon is around 45 calories; 1 cup of seedless red or green grapes is about 105 calories. One large nectarine is about 70 calories. One mango? Over 200 calories. Stay away from dried and sweetened fruit or pre-sliced fruit packed in syrup or juice, which often have more calories than eating whole fruits.
- A three-egg omelette or three scrambled eggs, clocks in around 220 calories for the eggs alone, opt this: keep one whole egg, and substitute the other two for egg whites. You’ll save at least 100 calories.
- Instead of slathering a glob of Mayonnaise, has around 90 calories per tablespoon on your sandwich, try a tablespoon of Dijon mustard (10-15 calories), hummus (25 calories), mashed avocado (23 calories) or Greek yogurt (10-15 calories).
- Plain and veggie-topped pizzas have fewer calories than those with sausage, pepperoni, buffalo chicken, bacon or meatballs. Thin-crust pizzas will have fewer calories than regular, thick or deep-dish style pizzas, as well.
According to the USDA:
- One slice of thin-crust 14″ cheese pizza is 230 calories.
- One slice of thin-crust 14″ sausage pizza is 282 calories.
- One slice of thick-crust 14″ cheese pizza is 312 calories.
- Once slice of thick-crust 14″ sausage pizza is 358 calories.
Choose a thin-crusted plain pizza when you can. If you can’t bear giving up your sausage, split the meat from one piece on two slices—same flavor, fewer calories.
- For those Peanut butter lovers, it has 190 calories in just two tablespoons. Almond, cashew and sunflower spreads all have similar calorie counts. Slash just over a 1/2 tablespoon and you save 50 calories and still gives you plenty of PB to work with. Eat it in oatmeal, on celery sticks and of course, as part of your favorite sandwich.
- Stop & watch out, a single McDonald’s French fry is 5 calories. Give 10 to a friend and it’s 50 calories off your tally. Removing 10 fries from any restaurant order will net double-digit—and sometimes triple-digit—calorie savings. Better yet, get a smaller size to begin with or skip the fries altogether and opt for a salad or half a baked potato. At home, try a baked polenta, turnips or sweet potato fries recipe. French and blue cheese dressing, that comes out to around 140 or 150 calories. To knock that number down, try one of three things:
Make your own dressing.
- Choose a naturally lighter dressing, like Italian (80-90 calories) or honey mustard (100 calories).
- Cut your serving size to 1 tablespoon and dress your salad more efficiently.
Share with us your tip to reduce those extra 300 calories and burn fat everyday.