You Are What You Eat: Condiments That Compliment Your Waistline

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By Mia Bolaris-Forget

With the warmer weather making it’s first appearance and reminding us that soon enough beach season and backyard bbq bashes will once again be on the horizon. Still, where there’s summer time fun, there’s also usually plenty of food and drink and that could cost you your slammin’ summer bod, if you’re not careful.

Still, experts suggest that you don’t have to deprive yourself entirely. Here’s just a few ways you can indulge and enjoy.

· Choose baked nachos and chips instead of the traditional standards and top them off with sexy salsa (even a healthy cheesy one) instead of sour cream. Believe it or not, you WILL be saving yourself some serious calories.

· Compliment burgers, hots dogs and other grilled specialties with mustard instead of ketchup. Ketchup typically adds 25 calories to your meal for every tablespoon used, where mustard adds none.

· Pickles say experts make a great side to a summer-time sandwich. They’re even better than those irresistible and robust roasted peppers, with the latter adding 40 calories to your sub, while the former only adds 5.

· Use your bean, at least when it comes to dipping. While it’s best to reach for the crudite over chips, dipping your snack in hummus rather than in low-fat dressing cuts snack calories in half.

· When in “Rome” do as Caeser would do. Believe it or not, two tablespoons of oil and vinegar add about 16 grams of fat and 150 calories to salads while the same serving of Caesar dressing adds 11 grams of fat and 110 calories.

· Opt for reduced fat rather than light mayo for sandwiches and salads. According to experts reduced fat mayo contains less fat and calories than both regular and light-style mayo.

· Avoid “pigging out” at the salad bar by passing on the bacon or ham bits. Instead experts suggest “heaping” (sparingly) on the same amount of grated parmesan cheese. Bacon bits will cost you about 30 calories and 1.5 grams of fat, while the cheese contains only 20 calories to the same 1.5 grams of fat for the same tablespoon’s worth of topping.

· Replace regular condiments such as ketchup, mustard, etc with “spicier” varieties or hot sauce. While the initial caloric content is negligible, over time the former will add up while the latter won’t.

· Beef it up. Replace chicken gravy with beef gravy sine the same

Long Island Health, Fitness & Beauty Articles > You Are What You Eat: Condiments That Compliment Your Waistline