Better Call Saf (Registered Dietitian)

Pudding could be a good snack alternative if we pay attention on the amount of calories sugars and fats that can change enourmously from one brand to another So here is a selection of which one to choose: Tesco low fat rice pudding per 100 gr: 76 calories   0.8  gr of fat 14.4  gr carbs (7 gr of sugars) Alpro smooth chocolate per 100 gr: 83 calories   1.9 gr of fat 13 gr carbs (10.5 gr of sugars) Muller light chocolate fix per 100 gr: 95  calories   2.7 gr of fat 15 gr carbs (9.6 gr of sugars) Muller low fat rice pudding per 100 gr: 101 calories   2.6 gr of fat 16.1 gr carbs (10 gr of sugars)

Sometimes Sugar free products can be very expansive or just not tasty. I came across this product which is easy to find in almost every grocery, even in Poundland and the taste is like the classic digestive but with an amount of sugar that is very low (less than half a gram for 100gr of product): Maria sugar free biscuits from Gullon per 100 gr: Calories: 412  I would recommend a portion of 50gr or less (3 or 4 biscuits) Fibre: 4.5 gr Protein: 7 gr  Fats: 11 gr Salt: 1gr The amount of fat could be high, but if combined with some low fat product like semi skimmed milk or light yogurt, it could balanced to obtain a low caloric intake overall, especially if you want to reduce your sugar intake.

We already discussed about the amount of calories in each spoon of sugar or honey and we already discussed the natural alterantives to reduce the intake of artificial sweetener If you would like to read these two articles here the links: https://www.safdietitian.com/2019/07/white-sugar-honey-and-fake-brown-sugar.html https://www.safdietitian.com/2019/07/alternatives-to-sugar-and-stevia.html Now if all of the above is not working because of the taste, as a last resort you could try this syrup To be honest having the natural sweetener like stevia would be the best solution but if you can't get use to the taste, having a zero sugar and zero calories alternatives is still better than having white sugar, especially if you are Diabetic, pre-diabetic or Obese. Jordan's skinny syrup has: Zero Calories Zero Sugars Comes in different flavours: Vanilla  Salted Caramel Toffee Brown sugar  Where to find it: in TKMAXX or easier to find online i...

Usually vegetables don't provide the same amount and quality of protein like animal products But there is an exception made for different varieties of legumes which can provide a healthy and complete protein source Let's compare now different varieties per cup Peas 150 gr: Calories  120 Protein  8gr Fibers 8 gr Lentils 200 gr Calories  240  Protein  18gr Fibers 16 gr Chickpeas 150gr Calories  260  Protein  14gr Fibers 12 gr Black Beans 150 gr Calories  200 Protein  15 gr Fibers 14 gr Via Pixabay

What is and why Edamame ?  Is a soybean which means is suitable in vegan diet Naturally Gluten Free and Cholesterol free  Excellent source of protein Iron and Calcium considering is not an animal product  How? They are usually sold in their pods that are not meant to be eaten  The beans can be boiled, steamed or microwaved before eating them, so th ey could a very quick and easy snack alternatives Nutritional info for half cup (80gr): Calories: 90  Protein: 9 gr Carbs: 8 gr which more than half are Fibres (4gr)  Fat: 4 gr  Minerals: Magnesium, Iron and Calcium  Via Pixabay

Another quick and easy snack alternative could be crab sticks Per 100 gr of products: 95 calories, usually less than 20 calories per stick so a serving of 4 or 5  sticks is under 100 calories  Less than 1 gr of fat, depending on the brand but usually is always zero point something which is a very low amount  15 gr of Carbs, but less than half of this quantity is actually sugars so is relatively low in carbs too Things to consider: Could be high in Sodium so not recommended if you are trying to cut down on your salt intake. Again depends on the brand, so that's why is always important to check the label, to compare and choose the lowest in salt content  Important note:  This is just an alternative to use once in a while to have more varieties, certainly is not a nutritious food, so not to be used everyday

Why to choose it ? First of all is not counting as a carb but could be used as a replacement to the traditional rice and other carbs like pasta, once in a while to have more variety and reduce the caloric intake at the end of the month. Per 100 gr of product: 30-40 calories, which compared to any other carb alternatives is 3 or 4 time less in calories (for instance the same portion of rice would have been around 150 calories or more)   4 gr of Carbs which is almost nothing and that's why is countable as a 5 a day  0 gr of fat There are different ways to cook it: in the microwave: the easiest and quickest way, also consider that no oil is used for this Roasting is preferred than stir-frying because won't be soggy but instead will be even closer in taste and texture like proper rice  Always add a nice rich sauce to that to enjoy this product like a chilly or a curry for instance  Extra tip: You can find it ready m...

Quinoa know as the mother of all grains from the ancient population in America has different reasons to be chosen in your diet: Slow carbs release and naturally gluten free Essential Vitamins and Mineral such as In good amounts:  Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus  In relevant amounts:  Folate, Copper, Iron, Zinc and Potassium Vitamin B1, B3, B6 and E Now for 100gr of cooked Quinoa contains: 120 Calories 21 gr of Carbs which 2.8 gr are fibres 4.4 gr of Protein 1.9 gr of Fat Some additional facts: As explained before is a low glycemic index product with slow carbs release (GI score 53) which good compared to other traditional carbs like white rice and pasta Higher amount of Fibres than brown rice Has complete proteins which is not to easy to find in non-animal products Contains QUERCETIN and SQUALENE, both of them antioxidants So all of these means that can be helpful to control and improve blood sugar levels and weight l...

I discussed in few articles about different minerals and vitamins because they are important to make your body work and function correctly. Especially talking about metabolism and how your body burn the food when you are trying to loose weight. Why is essential? To keep a proper working immune system  Help to increase satiety  Help to improve metabolism Enzyme function in triggering the process to create body protein and DNA  You can have plenty through your diet but you need to be careful and keep the limit of recommend dose by your Doctor If you are already taking supplements Food High in Zinc:  Lean meat especially beef or lamb, Turkey and shrimps. Seeds (see the article already published https://bettercallsaf.blogspot.com/2019/08/are-seeds-helpful-with-weight-loss.html) Eggs contain moderate amounts  Beans and Legumes especially for vegan diets

First of all: what is Metabolism exactly? To simplify that, is the process where your body use the actual food to get energy and "burn" that. Age and genetics can slow down this process and unfortunately we can't change that But some vitamins and minerals can help to  boost this process and increase your metabolism, and we can definitely work on this! Here is a list of nutrients that can help to reach and maintain the full potential of your metabolism (included a list of food high in each of this vitamins and minerals) B vitamins  There are many (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12) Where? - Whole foods can maintain better and keep a higher doses of this vitamins (whole grains or brown rice for instance) - Veggies and fruits (especially spinach, squash, apples and watermelons) - Eggs and lean meats note: vitamin B12 is only from animal products but if you are vegan or vegetarian that doesn't consume eggs you can find it in fortified foods (...

Managing comfort eating is never easy, especially at the very beginning.  But how to stop this vicious circle ? Usually f ood high in white simple sugar s   are a common choice to satisfy this craving. But the problem is that makes you crave even more sugars later on, because this ingredient is strongly addictive , and   your brain will always ask for more and more white sugar. To overcome this, having something similar in taste which is actually lower in simple sugars and higher in  fibre   will help you to  reduce  and stop the craving in the  long term , y ou will not even think about comfort eating.  Step by step guide: First of all avoiding temptations make things easier , not having high sugar and high calories products at home will help you to maintain your will power, so just try to avoid buying those products when doing groceries or if you are living with someone just have a talk with other members of your house t...

First of all they are quite good in taste which is helpful to have an alternative during the week to have more optionse instead of regular bread, pasta, rice or potatoes. Here some pros: High in FIbre Low saturated fat Vitamin B complex especially B1 and B6 Minerals including: Iron, Magnesium and Zinc Now let's the see the nutritional facts for each of their products: Multigrain crispbread per slice: - Calories: 37 kcal  - Protein: 1.1 gr - Carbs 6.7 gr - Fibre: 1.8 gr - Fat 0.6 gr Cruncy rye breads per slice: - Calories: 37 kcal - Protein: 1.3 gr - Carbs 5.8 gr - Fibre: 1.8 gr - Fat 0.5 gr - There are different version you can choose, with similar nutritional values Rye cakes per piece: - Calories: 23 kcal - Protein: 0.6 gr - Carbs 4.3 gr - Fibre: 0.9  gr - Fat 0.2 gr - There are different version you can choose, with similar nutritional values Original Cracke...

The name says  "sweet" but this doesn't mean that is high in sugar. Here is a comparison with the regular Potatoes SWEET POTATOES (100 gr baked with skin) - 90 kcal  - Carbs 20 gr - Fibers 3.3 gr - Fat 0.2 gr - Protein 2 gr Contain high amount of Vitamin A but also Vitamin B1, B2, B3. B5. B6, C And minerals like Iron, Manganese, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Phosphorus YAMS (100 gr boiled or baked) - 115 kcal - Carbs 27 gr - Fibers 3.9 gr - Fat 0.1 gr - Protein 1.5 gr Same kind of vitamins and minerals like in the sweet potatoes but the amount is defintely lower excepts Potassium and manganese  Now let's compare these two with the common Potatoes per 100 gr boiled with skin - 90 kcal - Carbs  20.1 gr - Sugar 0.9 gr - Fibers 1.8 gr - Fat 0.1 gr - Protein 1.9 gr The amount of calories seem the same but they are completely different: The amount of sugars in po...

Vitamin D helps the absorption of calcium to maintain bones density giving thems strength and hardness.  Without supplements or enough sunlight especially between October to April could be hard to get enough of this Vitamin So here is a list of food you can find in any groceries and contains a high amount of vitamin D: Grilled herring 1 portion of 120gr contains 19.2 mg of vitamin D Pink Salmon 1 drained portion of 100gr contains 13.6 mg of vitamin D Grilled Kipper 1 portion of  130 gr contains 13.1 mg of vitamin D Mackerel 1 portion of 150gr contains 12.3 mg of vitamin D 2 Scrambled or boiled Eggs contains 3.3 mg of vitamin D As you can see fish is rich in this Vitamin but consider that nowadays is easy to find fortified foods that are not supposed to have any vitamin but has been added, which is completely fine you can check this kind of products on my previous article or just checking on the label.

Time to time I will recommend some drastic advice in case you need to reach a target quicker, but this doesn't mean that has to be unhealthy. If you are really determined and you are ok to compromise a little bit with the taste, these two brands  can help you: Better than pasta Slim pasta or rice or noodles Cutting carbs could be very hard, but to help you with the portion control this variety of products can give you the easiest way to cut down to over 100 kcal for each meal you are having. So if you are ok with the flavour you can switch from your normal pasta or rice and slowly cut down on the portions but you are already cutting down with the calories only for the switch itself. Instead, if you really don't like the taste even having this just a few times during the week will be a huge cut down on the calories at the end of the month, so in this way, you can still have your favourite food. For instance, a serving of 100 gr of this pasta contains:...