Slimming Secrets From The Kitchen

To get the svelte figure, start in the kitchen. Slimming down is about taking in less calories, while you burn more calories through exercise.

For a food lover, the dieting part is tough. Exercise is easy, using the stairs instead of the elevator, getting off a stop or two before your actual destination and walking the rest of the way, all these add up helping you burn the calories.

Dieting, or consuming less calories requires discipline, or does it?

My mom is svelte. She eats what she likes. I was slim too, when I lived with her. Her style of cooking made all the difference.

Dieting is not about denying yourself your favourite food. Sooner or later, you'll feel so deprived, you end up binging.

A smarter way to go about this is to take a look at how you prepare your food.

Do you deep fry your food? Do you love crispy, oily fried stuff?

That could be part of the problem.

Maybe you have been dieting by eating lots of salad, heaping your favourite salad cream on it. Salad is great but salad cream contains so much hidden fat. With all the calories in most salad creams, you might as well have a full 5 course dinner instead.

Do you binge on ice cream? Sweet, delectable desserts that are oh so creamy?

Let's start with crispy foods. If you absolutely love dining on crispy meat, try roasting the meat instead. The oil in the meat itself is enough to cook the food with. No need for additional oil.

My mom had a turbo broiler. That was excellent for for cooking chicken wings. Our toaster was used to give food that crispy effect you can't get from microwave ovens. Now there are ovens that do both. A great way to make food crispy without resorting to deep frying it.

Grilled food is yummy. Again, by grilling, the meats cook in their own juices. No need for additional oils that characterize deep frying. We use an oven with grill functions to grill chicken wings, roast meat, the works. Again, no frying needed. Use an oven to do that.

If you must have a crispy snack, the latest snacks in the supermarket feature freeze dried slices of fruit and vegetables which are just like potato crisps. Or go for unbuttered pop corn, freshly popped in the kitchen. Make your own using a popcorn machine but skip the butter. Use salt or herbs to season it instead. Or if you must, sprinkle honey or cocoa powder on it before eating.

On to the issue of salads. Salads are good, if you pay attention to the dressing you put on it. Avoid mayonnaise. Try a herbal vinegar instead. Or if you can't stomach a salad without the cream, try steaming your vegetables instead. Steamed corn tastes great. Sprinkle a little salt on it and avoid the butter. Actually, steamers are vital in the kitchen of anyone who wants to lose weight. A steamer makes preparing a healthy, slimming, tasty meal so easy.

A svelte 60 year old told me how she stayed so slim and healthy. She has steamed fish and rice for most meals. Fish contains less fat than meat. Chicken meat itself is ok, but the chicken skin is laden with fat. Regular meals based on steamed fish are an excellent way to slim down. All you have to do is to season the fish with soya sauce, a slice of ginger, sesame oil and steam it. Eaten with steamed vegetables and steam rice, you have a tasty, healthy, low fat meal.

If you absolutely love ice cream, switch to low fat frozen yogurt instead. You can buy that at the supermarket or make your own using a yogurt maker. The great thing about making your own yogurt is you decide exactly what goes into it. You could use low fat milk, and all your favourite fresh fruit, then freeze the yogurt when it is done, for a creamy, fruity treat. You could add cocoa powder and honey to it. Just use your imagination for a really yummy, healthy treat.

Please note that when you switch to healthy, lower calorie foods, avoid increasing the amount you eat, no matter how yummy the food. 10 helpings of a 100 calorie snack is 1000 calories, so watch how much you eat.

Invest in these equipment to revamp your kitchen for a slimmer you.

The writer is the webmaster of Kitchen which helps you find your kitchen essentials online, easily.

---

Compact Refrigerators Are Great When Small Is Needed

The small refrigerator can be used in many places that... Read More

Picture Perfect Bread

The secret-at least most of it-is in the rise. The... Read More

10 Smoky Tips To BBQ Food Safely

Cooking outdoors was once only a summer activity shared with... Read More

Digital Kitchen Timers ? Never Burn Another Dish

Digital kitchen timers come in many shapes and sizes. Timers... Read More

Wok this Way! (Part 4 of 5) Cleaning and Caring for Your Wok

Non-stick woks do not require seasoning, and come with simple... Read More

Kitchenaid Stand Mixers ? A Kitchen Work Horse

Kitchenaid stand mixers are very popular in today's kitchens and... Read More

Two for One Dinners: Beans

If you find leftovers boring, uninviting or downright "yuck," then... Read More

High Altitude Baking - A Cooks Guide

High altitude baking can be a real adventure for the... Read More

Pyrex Mixing Bowls ? A Kitchen Favorite

Pyrex mixing bowls typically come in sets of 3 with... Read More

10 Deadly Bacteria That Can Get In Your Food (And How To Stop Them From Getting There)

Thousands of types of bacteria are naturally present in our... Read More

How to cut a cake

Have you ever wondered how to cut a cake? I... Read More

Making Homemade Pasta for Dinner Tonight

Homemade pasta cooked al dente (to the teeth), is a... Read More

10 Critical Ways To A Perfectly Food-Safe Kitchen

Food poisoning is related to unsafe food, a dirty kitchen,... Read More

How to Cook a Lobster

French chefs plunge them into boiling water; English ones, in... Read More

The Joys of Refrigerator Cookies

Baking cookies seem to fill the house with a sense... Read More

How to Care for Your Cast Iron Skillet (includes recipes)

Some of the best meals I've ever eaten were made... Read More

Cut The Take Out

A long hard day at work. You get home and... Read More

What is a Serving Size?

Have you ever wondered how much a serving really is.... Read More

How to Bake: How Long Should My Bread Rise?

It depends. The best way to tell if the dough... Read More

Grilling Tips ? Safety Comes First at the Barbecue

You're standing at the gas grill in the hot sun,... Read More

Dutch Oven Cooking Basics

Pioneer CookingWhen you think of a cast iron Dutch oven,... Read More

Two for One Dinners: Turkey

If you find leftovers boring, uninviting or downright "yuck," then... Read More

Baking Bread and Your Freezer

There's a lot of bread in our freezer. In our... Read More

6 Tips for Perfect Homemade Hard Candy

There's nothing better than the juicy, flavorful hard candy from... Read More

The Noble Crescent Roll - How to Roll a Masterpiece

Ahhh?the noble crescent roll. In some forms it has its... Read More

Perfect Picnics - Frugal Food Safety Tips

Summer is finally here and for a lot of us... Read More

Rice Cookers - Perfect Rice Every Time

Love fluffy cooked rice but dislike the preparation time and... Read More

Gourmet Sauces, Rubs and Marinades - Give Your BBQ a Gourmet Kick

Many individuals agree that the sauce on barbecued meat is... Read More

Low-Budget Meals In a Minute

Ever go home and look in the fridge only to... Read More

Caring For Your Wooden Cutting Board

Researchers have found that bacteria have a tougher time surviving... Read More

Homemade Whipped Cream

Most grocery stores carry cans of whipping cream ready to... Read More

Unique Cake Decorating With Flowers

Flowers as a Cake Decoration, unique and easy to place... Read More

Season Your Pans for Non Stick Cooking

Nothing is more frustrating than trying to cook a delicious... Read More