Category: Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Sometimes the “bad” option isn’t so bad…

Dr Nancy P

Sometimes the “bad” option isn’t so bad… 🍔

So before anyone reacts – I’m not suggesting a McDonald’s is a healthy meal choice – it’s clearly not. It is however something you can have now and then as part of a balanced diet if you want to. There may also be times when, for whatever reason, you have no option but to grab a Mcdonald’s for lunch/dinner and in that case it’s worth considering the options.

Most people would assume the cheeseburger is a “bad” choice, whilst the grilled chicken wrap must be a better option – because it’s grilled chicken right? It’s grilled chicken, it doesn’t have cheese, it’s in a wrap – it must be a better choice ….

However when you actually look at the calories you may be surprised. Neither are particularly high in calories and both provide a range of fats, carbs and protein which will help to keep you fuller for longer. However the cheeseburger is actually lower in calories than the grilled chicken wrap. Now I don’t know about you but that surprised me.

Mcdonalds are one of the many restaurants that have all their calories on their website so it’s very easy to check before you order. But this does go to show that we need to consider our preconceptions about certain foods and whether the are “bad” or “good” and remember that ultimately it’s the calories that count.

Enjoy 🤗

xxx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Consider your snacks…

Dr Nancy P

Consider your snacks…

I think we’ve all experienced that mid-afternoon snack attack. You might be tempted to grab a muffin with your coffee. Now I’m not suggesting that a muffin is a great choice for a snack, nor are the items on the other side either as both are probably far more calories than you need for a snack, but I think the comparison is really useful.

I think most people realise muffins are quite high calorie and sometimes you may just want to spend those calories on one, and that’s fine! But whilst the muffin might taste good, in terms of keeping you full it’s not going to be that effective. It’s a calorie dense option – high cals, high sugar, in a relatively small package.

If you are trying to lose weight/fat and tracking your calories then it’s worth considering the volume of the food you’re having as well as the absolute calories. Higher volume foods will help to keep you fuller for longer. For fewer calories than a blueberry muffin you could have a bag of popcorn, a yoghurt, two squares of dark choc and a skinny flat white! Now that will definitely keep you full! And it has the added bonus of more fibre and protein which also help keep you fuller.

So if you’re looking for a snack – try to consider volume as well as absolute calories. If you really want a muffin, then have it, be aware of the calories it contains though.

Enjoy 🤗

xxx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Happy New Year and Decade!

Dr Nancy P

Happy New Year and Decade! 🥂🥳

Another short and sweet one today for New Year’s Day. I’m sure a few glasses of Champagne were raised last night and I’m sure a few more will be raised today! Enjoy! And at only 95 calories a glass it’s a bargain!

Happy New year 🥳🎉🌟xx

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Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Perfectly acceptable Christmas Day Breakfast

Dr Nancy P

It’s Christmaaaaaaaaaas!

So short and sweet today, no calorie comparisons! And because it’s Christmas chocolate is definitely a perfectly acceptable breakfast food this morning!

Enjoy! Merry Christmas 🎄🍊🍫xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

‘Just a quick festive drink…’

Dr Nancy P

‘Just a quick festive drink…’ 🥤

At this time of year all the coffee shops bring out their range of festive coffees and hot chocolates. You’re out Christmas shopping, or meeting up with friends and family, so you just grab a quick festive drink to enjoy and get you in the festive spirit. You’ll drink it in minutes, and possibly have a snack with it, without really thinking or noticing. But that’s ok, because it’s just a festive hot choc, and it’s Christmas….

These drinks do vary but are all pretty high calorie. This particular example is a Cafe Nero hot grande salted caramel hot chocolate – with skimmed milk (not even semi or whole milk) and comes in at over 500 cals and almost 60g sugar.

On the other hand that selection box contains 5 chocolate bars, with less calories and sugar. Now whilst I’m sure you could eat a selection box in one sitting (I certainly could) most people probably wouldn’t . You’d probably spread it over a few hours or possibly days, rather than eating it all in one go and certainly wouldn’t have it with a snack (unlike the hot choc).

Christmas is definitely a time to relax a bit on calories and certainly a time to focus more on sharing memories and happy times with people you care about. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be aware of the calories in some of the treats you are having.

Knowledge is power so being aware of the calorie content of things, and also of our own perceptions of the things we consume is always a good thing.

If you want the festive drink – have it and enjoy it. If you want to eat your way through a selection box in one go then go for it. Just be aware of the calories so you’re making an educated choice!

Merry Christmas 🎄

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

‘I’m going out for a curry, so I may as well just forget the diet’….

Dr Nancy P

‘I’m going out for a curry, so I may as well just forget the diet’….🥘

You’re trying to lose weight/fat, you’ve been ‘good’ (ie within your calories) all week, but you’ve got that curry with your friends on Friday night. Well there’s nothing you can do to control that right? It’s going to be a write off, so you may as well just switch off and go full out – I mean the diet is ruined anyway right? So what’s a few more beers and that extra naan?

It doesn’t have to be! You don’t need to avoid social situations, and you don’t need to just totally switch off and go mad either. If weight loss is going to be sustainable for the long term then you need to find ways to manage social events and inevitable take aways and meals out without throwing the towel in every time.

As you can see from above the difference between the two curry options are massive. For most people that 1,301 dinner is still going to take them over their calories for the day BUT it’s a lot more manageable within the context of the week overall. You can easily offset some of those cals with a lighter breakfast and lunch that day, and reducing calories by 100-150 a day for a few days either side (that’s just cutting a snack or a coffee or two out!). Switching from a creamy based curry to a dry, tandoori option, going for plain rice, having one poppadom instead of 4, and switching to a lighter beer means you can still have a really nice meal. You can still drink with your friends if you want to, and you can still have a fab night out without blowing weeks of effort in one fell swoop. And of course you’re probably less likely to want to eat rubbish the next day if you’ve had a few less beers…

Sustainable, long term weight management is about working out ways to compromise and manage social events without them always been all or nothing! So you can still have fun, still eat out, still have delicious food, but still stay on track!

Enjoy 🤗

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Convenient, comforting desserts for150 cals or less!

Dr Nancy P

Convenient, comforting desserts for150 cals or less!🍨

If you are trying to lose weight/fat then things like desserts are often one of the ‘easier’ things to cut down on to save calories. When I say easier I mean it’s an easily identifiable part of your diet which you can choose to either consume or avoid, not that it’s necessary an easy habit to change.

But there’s no reason you have to give up dessert to lose weight as it ultimately comes down to whether you’re in a calorie deficit. However as many desserts are 400 cals or more and will be on top of whatever your main meal is it’s very easy to rack up extra, unwanted calories.

However sometimes we just need or want a dessert and we may also not have the time to put together something from scratch. So if you do fancy a pud, but want to stay within your calories then here are a selection of lower calorie options. I can vouch for all of these being delicious too (especially the oppo cheesecake!). They’re also all very convenient – which helps when we’re all busy rushing around!

This list is by no means exhaustive – but it’s just a range of sow of the options out there.

Muller chocolate fix – Mint choc – 97 cals

Ambrosia rice pudding – 147 cals

Coconut collaborative choc pots – 100 cals

Muller corner – 105 cals (varies with flavour)

Oppo Sicilian lemon cheesecake – 150 cals

Alpro dessert moments chocolate hazelnut – 100cals

Coconut collaborative double chocolate paradise pots – 150 cals

Pots & co mango and passion fruit pot – 150 cals

So you can still have your pud and enjoy it without worrying it’s going to derail your progress!

Enjoy 🤗

Xx