Summer Slimdown Guide: Calorie-free foods (or close to it)
Posted on Jun 26th 2008 9:00AM by Deanna GlickFiled Under: Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
I learned about "free" foods 15 years ago upon my diagnosis with type 1 diabetes. By definition, they are foods with 25 calories or less per serving. They were often a lifesaver as I learned to navigate the disease and control my blood sugar with insulin, diet and exercise.
Thankfully, I was already a healthy person who enjoyed good-for-me foods and worked out often. Still, as I've hit my 30s, I realize free foods come in handy for weight control too. And isn't everyone thinking a little bit about that as they go bikini shopping?
Check out my favorite 5 calorie-free foods as part of our Summer Slimdown Guide and enjoy chewing, sipping, crunching through the season and feeling more confident in less clothing during the warm days ahead:
Chewing gum: I am not normally a gum chewer, but gum was one of the odd cravings I got when I was pregnant. It's easy to get carried away when you're eating for two, so chewing to my heart's content on sugar-free Extra Green Apple flavor was a nice guilt-free option.
Raw veggies: As it turns out, some things that require chewing, besides gum, don't have calories or have such negligible amounts of calories they're not worth counting. According to several dietitians who helped me understand how foods affected blood sugar, raw veggies such as celery, lettuce and cucumber are in this category. The same goes for pickles, but they're really high in sodium so don't go crazy with those.
Hot liquids: Tea and other warm liquids may not sound so good on a sweltering day, but they can make your stomach feel full. You can chew gum until your mouth hurts and lettuce with no dressing until you cry, but sometimes you've just got to feel a little satisfaction where it counts: in your stomach. Hot liquids such as herbal tea, lemon water and bullion can give you that full feeling without the calories.
Iced beverages: Tea or mineral water on ice with an orange, lemon or lime wedge can cool you off just as much as iced cream without the calories. When it's 90 degrees outside, I have a hard time using hot tea or broth trick, so I turn to unsweetened decaf iced tea (I love Paradise iced tea bags), mineral water with a citrus wedge (try orange) and, when I'm feeling really crazy, a Coke Zero, my favorite among the calorie-free refreshments on the market.
Fake foods: Foods typically known as fats made in fat-free versions, such as half-and-half, cream cheese and salad dressing are a popular dieting tool. And sugar-free alternatives for things such as Jell-O or hard candy can be a godsend for calming those cravings for something sweet.
Thankfully, I was already a healthy person who enjoyed good-for-me foods and worked out often. Still, as I've hit my 30s, I realize free foods come in handy for weight control too. And isn't everyone thinking a little bit about that as they go bikini shopping?
Check out my favorite 5 calorie-free foods as part of our Summer Slimdown Guide and enjoy chewing, sipping, crunching through the season and feeling more confident in less clothing during the warm days ahead:
Chewing gum: I am not normally a gum chewer, but gum was one of the odd cravings I got when I was pregnant. It's easy to get carried away when you're eating for two, so chewing to my heart's content on sugar-free Extra Green Apple flavor was a nice guilt-free option.
Raw veggies: As it turns out, some things that require chewing, besides gum, don't have calories or have such negligible amounts of calories they're not worth counting. According to several dietitians who helped me understand how foods affected blood sugar, raw veggies such as celery, lettuce and cucumber are in this category. The same goes for pickles, but they're really high in sodium so don't go crazy with those.
Hot liquids: Tea and other warm liquids may not sound so good on a sweltering day, but they can make your stomach feel full. You can chew gum until your mouth hurts and lettuce with no dressing until you cry, but sometimes you've just got to feel a little satisfaction where it counts: in your stomach. Hot liquids such as herbal tea, lemon water and bullion can give you that full feeling without the calories.
Iced beverages: Tea or mineral water on ice with an orange, lemon or lime wedge can cool you off just as much as iced cream without the calories. When it's 90 degrees outside, I have a hard time using hot tea or broth trick, so I turn to unsweetened decaf iced tea (I love Paradise iced tea bags), mineral water with a citrus wedge (try orange) and, when I'm feeling really crazy, a Coke Zero, my favorite among the calorie-free refreshments on the market.
Fake foods: Foods typically known as fats made in fat-free versions, such as half-and-half, cream cheese and salad dressing are a popular dieting tool. And sugar-free alternatives for things such as Jell-O or hard candy can be a godsend for calming those cravings for something sweet.
