Eating healthy and managing your weight are key components of the recommendations for living a heart-healthy lifestyle from the American Heart Association.  Preparing meals at Let’s Dish! each month is a great way to stock up on healthy and portion-controlled, main-course meals, but what about the rest of the time?   Being conscious of what and how much you eat is key - and sometimes you’ll need to work a little harder to choose healthy over unhealthy!  We asked Catherine Joiner, registered dietician and our AHA resource this month, for some advice.

Here are some simple ways to cut calories while still enjoying your favorite foods:

Breakfast:

• Eat one whole orange (47 calories) instead of your 12-ounce glass of orange juice (140 calories) and save 93 calories
• Make your omelet with 4 egg whites plus ¼ cup of egg substitute (94 calories) instead of 3 whole eggs (258 calories) and save 164 calories
• Eat a small plain bagel (195 calories) instead of a flavored bagel (up to 400 calories) and use 2 tablespoons of fat-free cream cheese (32 calories) instead of regular cream cheese (102 calories) to save up to 275 calories

For Your Coffee Break:

• Use nonfat milk or fat-free half and half instead of regular half and half or whole milk
• Use a sugar substitute in your coffee rather than regular sugar (1 teaspoon = 16 calories)

Lunch & Dinner:

• Substitute mustard for mayonnaise on your sandwich and save 100 calories per tablespoon
• Omit cheese from your sandwich and save about 100 calories per ounce.
• If you eat fast food, choose small fries (230 calories) over large fries (520 calories). Look for other side options such as side salads, baked potato (minus tons of butter, cheese, and sour cream), fruit, or low-fat yogurt.
• Sauté your vegetables and meats/poultry in low sodium broth or cooking spray rather than in oil, butter, or margarine and save up to 120 calories.
• Top your baked potato with 2 tablespoons of salsa (30 calories) or non-fat sour cream (30 calories) instead of butter (100 calories) or regular sour cream (120 calories)
• Use 2 tablespoons of non-fat salad dressing, balsamic vinegar, flavored vinegar, or lemon juice rather than regular salad dressing and save up to 220 calories or more.
• Use tomato sauces rather than cream sauces for your pasta and save up to 500 calories.
• Choose lower fat meals, for example 20 boiled shrimp equal 106 calories, while a 5 ounce steak equals 470 calories

Other Tips:

• If you eat pizza, choose plain or veggie pizzas over meat pizzas and limit consumption to 2 pieces or less.
• Choose a plain hamburger (260 calories) over a specialty burger, such as a Big Mac (560 calories).
• Cut out regular sodas. A 12-ounce soda has 150 calories!
• Don’t skip meals!
• Pack portioned out snacks such as mixed dried fruit and nuts, cut-up veggies, or low-fat yogurt.
• Exercise!

For more information on specific cuisines, please visit the American Heart Association’s website for healthy eating tips.
   
Catherine Joiner
Cardiac Clinical Dietician

Catherine Joiner, a registered dietician and volunteer for the American Heart Association, joined the Food for Thought blogging team as a guest writer as Let’s Dish! focuses on heart health in February.  If you’d like to ask Catherine a question, please email us or add a comment to any one of her posts.

>  Read all of Catherine’s tips on Food for Thought