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Health Center Home
Weight Loss Making the Switch to Low-Calorie Foods
The currently popular high-fat, low carbohydrate diets
promise quick, dramatic weight loss. But they are not the rout to healthy,
long-term weight management. A diet high in fat, especially if it is high in
saturated fat, is not good for your heart. These diets are also high in protein
and can cause kidney problems and increased bone loss. High-fat, low-carb diets
are also low in many essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
While some people following this type of a diet lose weight
in the short term, much of the weight loss is due to water loss. As with most
quick-fix diets, the weight tends to quickly return once you stop dieting. The
best course is to steer clear of all fad diets. The healthiest, most effective
route to long-term weight loss is a lower fat, lower calorie, well balanced
diet.
Here are some tasty, low-calorie alternatives to old
favorites. Read labels to find out how many calories are in the specific
products you buy.
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Instead of |
Replace with |
|
Milk Products |
|
|
Whole milk |
Low-fat or fat-free |
|
Ice cream |
Sorbet, sherbet, fat-free frozen yogurt or
reduced-fat ice cream |
|
Whipping cream |
Imitation whipped cream (made with fat-free milk)
or low-fat vanilla yogurt |
|
Sour cream |
Plain, low-fat yogurt or fat-free cream cheese |
|
Cheese (sandwich types) |
Reduced-calorie, low-calorie, or fat-free cheeses |
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Cereals and Pastas |
|
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Roman Noodles |
Brown rice or whole-grain pasta |
|
Pasta with cheese sauce |
Whole-grain pasta with red sauce or vegetables. |
|
Granola |
Bran flakes, crispy rice cereals, cooked grits or
oatmeal, reduced-fat granola |
|
Meat, Fish, Poultry |
|
|
Cold cuts, hot dogs |
Low-fat cold cuts and hot dogs (watch the sodium
content) |
|
Bacon and Sausage |
Canadian bacon or lean ham |
|
Regular ground beef |
Extra-lean ground beef or ground turkey |
|
Chicken or turkey with skin |
White-meat chicken or turkey without skin |
|
Oil packed tuna |
Water-packed tuna |
|
Beef (chuck, rib, brisket) |
Beef (round, loin) with fat trimmed off, if
possible, choose select grades |
|
Pork (spareribs, untrimmed loin) |
Pork tenderloin (trimmed), lean smoked ham |
|
Whole eggs |
Eggs white |
|
Baked Goods |
|
|
Croissants, brioches, etc |
Hard French rolls or "brown 'n serve" rolls |
|
Donuts, sweet rolls, muffins |
English muffins, bagels, reduced-fat or fat-free
muffins |
|
Cake (pound, layer) |
Cake (angel food, gingerbread) |
|
Cookies |
Reduced-fat, low-calorie, or fat-free cookies
(graham crackers, ginger snaps, fig bars) |
|
Fats, Oils, Salad Dressings |
|
|
Regular margarine or butter |
Light-spread, reduced-calorie, or diet margarines;
look for "trans fat-free" soft margarines |
|
Regular Mayonnaise |
Light or diet Mayonnaise |
|
Regular salad dressing |
Reduced-calorie or fat-free dressings, lemon juice,
vinegars |
|
Butter or margarine on toast |
Jelly, jam, or honey on toast |
|
Oils shortening, or lard |
Nonstick cooking spray instead of greasing pans for
sauteeing |
You can find many more substitutions in our service
database. Please sign in and go to Meals. If you are following a plan, you will see how
easy and fast it is to make food substitutions. If you are not following a plan, start by tracking what you eat.
You will immediately see the nutritional facts, learn and adjust portions or choose more nutritional foods.
Source: National Institutes of Health - U.S. Department of Healthy and Human Services - NIH Publication no. 05-5213 August 2005
Adapted by Editorial Staff, December 2007
Last update, August 2008
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