Calories in the Grain Group
Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites
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The Grain Group to Energize Your Diet Plan
Want to be fueled with energy? If so, then the grain food group is your source for such. Your best choices will be in the form of unrefined - and minimally processed foods.
This food group is often shunned because many assume that it is responsible for adding pounds to the body. Fact is, fat and sugar are the two culprits that shred the bathroom scales, rising them to unwanted numbers.
Let's see how we can trim calories in this vital food group, shall we?
Make Bread Choices Whole Grain
1. Bread: Yes, you can have your bread and lose weight too! Make is whole grain bread, and that's even better; in fact you should strive to get about 1/2 of your grain food choices in the form of whole grains. Those ground-up bugs are good for us.
As to the bread choices, there is diet friendly bread at the market containing as few as 35 calories with other slices containing close to 200. The larger the slice of bread, the more calories therein - and aren't you glad that we didn't need a scientific genius to determine such? Seriously - watch the size of your slice, and we're not talking about golf.
In addition, take a good look at your bread label if you don't plan on making a loaf at home. What does it contain? What about the preservatives? Does it contain healthy ingredients such as whole oats, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and so forth? All of these additives are healthy ones.
Pasta, a Versatile Ingredient in Diet Recipes
2. Pasta: No matter how it is shaped, no matter if it is whole grain or not - all pasta contains about 200 calories per cooked cup. Like potatoes, it's a very starchy food choice, but we can take it into a million different directions.
We can add pan-roasted chicken to the pasta along with reduced fat shredded cheese. We can go in a more healthy direction by adding sauteed vegetables to the pasta along with a tomato base; and as a health note the tomato base sauces will be skinnier than the creamy sauces, as well as those which contain cheese.
So pick your poison when it comes to pasta, doctor it up with fresh vegetables, dash it with zero calorie seasonings and low calorie sauces and you'll have a hearty meal that yes indeed can fit comfortably into your healthy weight loss plan.
Whole Grain Rice & Dieting
3. Rice: Like pasta, it contains about 200 calories per cooked cup, no matter what type of rice is the subject. Brown rice will offer more nutritional benefits - and when all rice is prepared, steaming is an excellent method. Wild rice is also an exceptional choice.
Trouble areas appear when sauces are added - as well as when prepackaged. The processed foods have so many unhealthy additives - and sodium is among them so be mindful when purchasing.
A quick rice or pasta recipe is one cup of either plus 1/2 cup of lean pan-roasted chicken sprinkled with lemon pepper and cracked black pepper, plus one cup of fresh sauteed vegetables plus balsamic vinegar for an extra five-calorie punch.
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