Waffles for Weight Loss

 Waffles for Weight Loss thumbnail

How do waffles stack up as a nutritious low calorie choice for weight loss diets? With all the commercial frozen varieties available it would seem to be a quick to prepare and nutritious option for a healthy breakfast. Getting off to a good start can set the stage for healthy low calorie eating the rest of the day. Are waffles as good as they seem? I have to admit I am a waffles fan. Waffles may be a comfort food for me because my mom used to prepare homemade waffles for her big family when I was a kid. Warm, tasty, and filling, waffles definitely hit the spot. Preparing homemade whole grain waffles would be a good choice for a healthy breakfast. But most days, I just don’t have the time. Do you? Commercial brands offer variety and ease for my breakfast. To find the best choices where I live, I’ve spent some time researching what’s available. I’m disappointed to say that even the best brands are not as good as the manufacturers would like us to believe. I did not find any whole grain waffles with at least 51 percent whole grain or more. Unfortunately many brands would like you to believe you are getting plenty of whole grains. Now in all fairness to the companies that make waffles, I must tell you that creating a light, low calorie waffle with whole grain as the first ingredient and no refined grains may not be possible. Baked goods made with only whole grains such as whole wheat tend to be dense. Some of the best waffle products I’ve found are made by Nature’s Path. This company makes a number of healthy waffle products with various benefits. When it comes to weight loss I like the Organic Power Waffles with flax, soy, and blueberry. You get 5 grams of protein along with 5 grams of fiber for a serving of 2 waffles and only 160 calories. The biggest problem is that it isn’t cheap and as such it may be out of reach for many people. Watch for coupons and sales. If you can get a discount price it’s a good choice. I like Kashi products in general but I’m disappointed with their waffles. The one I like best is Kashi GoLean Original 7 grain. With 8 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, and only 3 grams of fat for a 170 calorie serving it sounds great. However, don’t let the name of the product mislead you with respect to whole grains. Image via Wikipedia Water is first in the ingredient list followed by unbleached/unenriched wheat flour. Multigrain (7 Whole Grains) is far down the list and in my opinion was added for effect not nutritional value. Whole wheat is the third ingredient and not likely to be present in a very high amount. Most of the dietary fiber probably comes from the added wheat bran and oat fiber. If you read my previous article (Whole Grains are a Weight Loss Winner) you’ll learn why it is preferable to eat more whole grain than refined grains whenever possible and dietary fiber from the whole grain not isolated fiber. Van’s waffles offer some definite pluses if you are vegan or have special dietary needs. These waffles seem to be dairy-free, yeast free, eggless, and contain no cholesterol. Both Van’s Premium Waffles (5 grams fiber, 5 grams protein, 158 calories per serving) and Van’s Gourmet Belgian 7 Grain Waffles (7 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein, 230 calories per serving) are made with whole-wheat flour. Whole wheat is the second ingredient listed after water. Most of the fiber is likely coming from the added functional fiber (inulin and oat fiber). Nutrigrain Waffles by Kellogg’s may be the most affordable of the brands listed here. But they are not as nutritious as the cover label might suggest. This product is made with primarily refined flour and a little added wheat bran to boost the dietary fiber content. A serving of 2 waffles has 5 grams of protein and 3 grams of dietary fiber for 170 calories. Don’t be misled by the 6 grams of whole grain claim on the package cover. 6 grams out of a total 70 grams per serving is very little. Taken out of context it might seem important but it is not. If I have left you feeling confused as to what to buy if anything, here’s the bottom line. For weight loss and better health I think there are more nutritious choices for breakfast than commercial waffles. However, that said, they are a far better choice than pastries or donuts. Top your waffles with some low calorie yogurt and fresh or frozen fruit and you have a healthy low calorie start to your day. More healthy low calorie breakfast ideas: Best Breakfasts for Weight Loss Part 1 Best Healthy Breakfasts for Weight Loss Part 2 Healthy Low Calorie Breakfast Ideas Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy food! Health weight loss Health, weight lossweight loss waffles diet calories nutritious healthy weight loss diet breakfast healthy breakfast

Read more about this story…


Whole Grains are a Weight Loss Winner!

 Whole Grains are a Weight Loss Winner! thumbnail

Whole grains have become quite popular in recent years. According to a 2007 survey reported on in a recent issue of the Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter, 71% of Americans are trying to consume more whole grains. Are you? Do you know why whole grains matter? Are you getting what you want when you purchase whole grain products? Preliminary studies suggest whole grains may reduce the risk for cardiovascular diseases and type II diabetes. Whole grains are also a source of dietary fiber, which has been shown to provide additional benefits. Dietary fiber may be beneficial for weight loss. Foods with a significant amount of fiber can slow the chewing and digestion of foods. This gives your body time to get feedback that you have eaten enough. Soluble fiber from such whole grains as oats and barley can slow down the rate at which your stomach empties and that helps you feel full longer. However, keep in mind that whole grains are not the same thing as fiber. Eight grams of whole grain typically have less than a gram of dietary fiber. That’s because the fiber comes primarily from the bran portion of the whole grain. Although you can get lots of fiber by eating only bran, you may not find that to be appealing. The beauty of eating whole grains is that you benefit not just from the fiber but also from the total array of nutrients present in the “whole” grain. This includes a significantly higher percentage of many nutrients then you will find in the refined grain. There are important phytochemicals such as antioxidants that have been greatly reduced or eliminated in the refined grain. Also, the nutrients and antioxidants are packaged in the ratio that nature intended. In addition, there is another little known benefit of whole grains for dieters. A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared weight loss results for dieters who consumed only 100% whole grains as part of their reduced calorie diet in contrast with those who consumed only 100% refined grains. After 12 weeks both groups lost 8-11 pounds BUT the 100% whole grain group lost significantly more abdominal fat than the refined grain group. Understanding the benefits of eating whole grains is the first step. Taking the next step of translating this knowledge into better choices for your diet is not quite so easy. Preparing one ingredient whole grain cereals for a hot breakfast such as oatmeal (Hot Cereal for Weight Loss) or a serving of whole grain with lunch or supper such as brown rice will provide you with a guaranteed source of whole grain. However, choosing other whole grain food products may not be quite so simple. Here are some tips to guide you with your selections at the grocery store: 1. Remember that a gram of whole grain does not equal a gram of fiber. (Women between the ages of 19 and 50 need approximately 25 grams of dietary fiber per day and women 51+ need 21 grams. At this time we do not have a recommendation for daily grams of whole grain.) Also, the words whole grain on a package cover may or may not mean 100% whole grain. If it does not specifically say 100% check to see if there are any refined grains or flours in the ingredient label as well as whole grain. Semolina flour, milled corn, durum flour, rice, enriched or unbleached flour, rice flour, wheat flour, and corn meal are all examples of refined grains. 2. Made with “whole grain” (for example, made with whole wheat) does not necessarily mean 100% whole grain. More likely than not this will be a product with only a little whole grain and mostly refined grains. 3. “Whole grain blend” usually means a mix of whole and refined grains but could mean a number of things. It might mean mostly refined grain or mostly whole grain or half whole grain and half refined grain. At this time there is no way of knowing what percentage of each is present when there is a mixed blend. 4. A product with “multigrain” on the label may have a variety or blend of grains, however, if they are all refined grains it won’t provide you with the benefits you might be hoping for. Multi-grain is not the same thing as whole grain. I believe we will learn more about the benefits of whole grains in the years to come. However, unless and until we have more regulations with respect to the labeling of products, most consumers will not enjoy the benefits of whole grains. What we need is a greater selection of 100% whole grain products on the grocery store shelves. For the time being check both the ingredient label and Nutrition Facts to know what you are buying. It’s all to easy to be misled. I know. It happens to me! Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy food. diet Health refined grains weight loss whole grain whole grains diet, Health, refined grains, weight loss, whole grain, whole grainswhole grains weight loss diet health whole grain refined grains

Read more about this story…


Another Sample Menu for 1200 Calories!

 Another Sample Menu for 1200 Calories! thumbnail

My latest 1200 calorie diet sample menu does require some cooking unlike some of my previous menus. However, you could choose to do much of the cooking ahead of time. Then you would have a number of easy, healthy, and low calorie meals that you could eat more than once during the week. (Eating leftovers is good planning but do allow for variety during the week for better nutritional balance and good health.) As a time saver for breakfast I suggest heating up a couple of frozen waffles. The commercial brand I list here is Eggo Low-fat Nutri-grain waffles by Kellogg’s. However, if you have time to make your own waffles from “scratch” you might have a healthier meal. These waffles are O.K. but could be better. Most commercial waffles come up short for nutrition despite the impressive claims on the box covers. In particular, I am not pleased with the way the word whole grain has been conveyed on commercially prepared products and feel that it unnecessarily confuses and misleads the average consumer. I plan to write an article soon about whole grains to clear up some of the misconceptions and to do a separate review of waffle products. The lunch recommendation for African Peanut soup is a personal favorite. It comes close to being a full and balanced meal in and of itself. I hope you will give it a try! For supper take note that the recommended amount of pasta is for DRY pasta (1/2 cup). The equivalent amount for a cooked serving is about 1 and 1/2 cups. I enjoy putting together the sample menus when I can find the time. However, coming up with the most nutritionally well-balanced choices would not be possible without doing a nutrition analysis. The service I use is MyFoodDiary.com . Keep reading to learn about the great feedback I received when I finished this menu. (You’ll find it listed after the sample menu.) Sample Menu for 1200 Calories #15 Breakfast 2 waffles (Eggo Low-fat Nutri-grain by Kellogg’s, 180 calories) 1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened (50 calories)(Fruit sauces can make a nutritious substitute for topping waffles instead of butter and syrup! However, not all fruit sauces are low calorie.) 4 oz. orange juice (56 calories) 1/2 cup egg substitute, scrambled (You might want to try cooking the eggs in a paper cup in your microwave to save time and clean up.) 1/2 tbsp. Light Butter with canola (Land O’Lakes, 25 calories) Snack 6 oz. yogurt - low-fat strawberry yogurt (Stonyfield Farm, 130 calories) Lunch 1 cup African Peanut Soup (280 calories) 4 oz non-fat milk Snack 1 Clementine 1 piece Mini Babybel Light cheese (50 calories) Supper 1/2 cup (DRY) rotini, whole wheat (makes about 1 1/2 cups cooked) 1/2 cup Marinara pasta sauce 1/2 cup Broccoli steamed 2 cups mixed salad greens 1/2 cup raspberries (35 calories, When raspberries are out of season or too high-priced, go with the good old standby of chopped tomatoes for the salad. Only 16 calories for 1/2 cup.) water, unsweetened tea, or coffee (Always remember to get plenty of water throughout the day. Read Water, Weight, and Women to learn more about your water needs.) Total Calories = 1189 Total Fiber = 30.7 g Fat = 24% Carbs = 58% Protein = 19% Calcium = 1053 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years need approximately 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 + mg a day) Iron = 18.2 mg (Women 19 to 50 years need 18 mg of iron, 51+ need 8 mg) 1500 Calorie Diet Menu Modify the 1200 Calorie Diet Menu to fit your needs. Other than coming up a little short on calcium for women over 51, this is a healthy well-balanced menu. You can increase the total calories to 1500 by choosing larger portion sizes for any of the foods in the menu. Or you can add additional food of your choice. As mentioned earlier, I design the sample menus with the help of the large database of nutrient information and other calculators provided at MyFoodDiary.com . When I have completed a menu, I have fun seeing the kind of feedback I get about the nutritional balance. As a nutritionist, I know when a menu is well-balanced by the results of the data analysis. But it is fun to see if we are in agreement. Each positive comment gets a smiley face. I like that! Here’s the feedback My Food Diary gave me about this menu: Notes A high-fiber breakfast can help you lose weight and reduce your risk for heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes You have eaten fiber-rich foods. This is a good indicator of a healthy diet. Saturated fats only accounted for 6.1% of your calories. Good job staying below the 9% limit! You consumed 354.7 mg of vitamin C. This is 473% of the recommended daily value (75 mg) for adult women You consumed 12226 IU of vitamin A. This is 408% of the recommended daily value for women. You consumed 18.1 mg of iron. This is 101% of the recommended daily value for pre-menopausal women. You deserve another smiley face for having no frowns. Great job! That’s seven smiley faces. If I were calculating my daily diet, which would include adding my water consumption and minutes of exercise, I would have received two more smiley faces. There would have been an additional one each for getting enough water and another for exercise. If you need help with assessing the calories and nutritional balance of your diet, I highly recommend MyFoodDiary.com Food Diary Review: My Food Diary.com For more sample menus see: 1200 Calorie Diet Plan (scroll to the bottom of the page) Hope this menu helps. Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy food! weight loss weight loss1200 calorie diet sample menu menu weight loss healthy diet menu diet menu

Read more about this story…


Another Sample Menu for 1200 Calories!

 Another Sample Menu for 1200 Calories! thumbnail

My latest 1200 calorie diet sample menu does require some cooking unlike some of my previous menus. However, you could choose to do much of the cooking ahead of time. Then you would have a number of easy, healthy, and low calorie meals that you could eat more than once during the week. (Eating leftovers is good planning but do allow for variety during the week for better nutritional balance and good health.) As a time saver for breakfast I suggest heating up a couple of frozen waffles. The commercial brand I list here is Eggo Low-fat Nutri-grain waffles by Kellogg’s. However, if you have time to make your own waffles from “scratch” you might have a healthier meal. These waffles are O.K. but could be better. Most commercial waffles come up short for nutrition despite the impressive claims on the box covers. In particular, I am not pleased with the way the word whole grain has been conveyed on commercially prepared products and feel that it unnecessarily confuses and misleads the average consumer. I plan to write an article soon about whole grains to clear up some of the misconceptions and to do a separate review of waffle products. The lunch recommendation for African Peanut soup is a personal favorite. It comes close to being a full and balanced meal in and of itself. I hope you will give it a try! For supper take note that the recommended amount of pasta is for DRY pasta (1/2 cup). The equivalent amount for a cooked serving is about 1 and 1/2 cups. I enjoy putting together the sample menus when I can find the time. However, coming up with the most nutritionally well-balanced choices would not be possible without doing a nutrition analysis. The service I use is MyFoodDiary.com . Keep reading to learn about the great feedback I received when I finished this menu. (You’ll find it listed after the sample menu.) Sample Menu for 1200 Calories #15 Breakfast 2 waffles (Eggo Low-fat Nutri-grain by Kellogg’s, 180 calories) 1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened (50 calories)(Fruit sauces can make a nutritious substitute for topping waffles instead of butter and syrup! However, not all fruit sauces are low calorie.) 4 oz. orange juice (56 calories) 1/2 cup egg substitute, scrambled (You might want to try cooking the eggs in a paper cup in your microwave to save time and clean up.) 1/2 tbsp. Light Butter with canola (Land O’Lakes, 25 calories) Snack 6 oz. yogurt - low-fat strawberry yogurt (Stonyfield Farm, 130 calories) Lunch 1 cup African Peanut Soup (280 calories) 4 oz non-fat milk Snack 1 Clementine 1 piece Mini Babybel Light cheese (50 calories) Supper 1/2 cup (DRY) rotini, whole wheat (makes about 1 1/2 cups cooked) 1/2 cup Marinara pasta sauce 1/2 cup Broccoli steamed 2 cups mixed salad greens 1/2 cup raspberries (35 calories, When raspberries are out of season or too high-priced, go with the good old standby of chopped tomatoes for the salad. Only 16 calories for 1/2 cup.) water, unsweetened tea, or coffee (Always remember to get plenty of water throughout the day. Read Water, Weight, and Women to learn more about your water needs.) Total Calories = 1189 Total Fiber = 30.7 g Fat = 24% Carbs = 58% Protein = 19% Calcium = 1053 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years need approximately 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 + mg a day) Iron = 18.2 mg (Women 19 to 50 years need 18 mg of iron, 51+ need 8 mg) 1500 Calorie Diet Menu Modify the 1200 Calorie Diet Menu to fit your needs. Other than coming up a little short on calcium for women over 51, this is a healthy well-balanced menu. You can increase the total calories to 1500 by choosing larger portion sizes for any of the foods in the menu. Or you can add additional food of your choice. As mentioned earlier, I design the sample menus with the help of the large database of nutrient information and other calculators provided at MyFoodDiary.com . When I have completed a menu, I have fun seeing the kind of feedback I get about the nutritional balance. As a nutritionist, I know when a menu is well-balanced by the results of the data analysis. But it is fun to see if we are in agreement. Each positive comment gets a smiley face. I like that! Here’s the feedback My Food Diary gave me about this menu: Notes A high-fiber breakfast can help you lose weight and reduce your risk for heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes You have eaten fiber-rich foods. This is a good indicator of a healthy diet. Saturated fats only accounted for 6.1% of your calories. Good job staying below the 9% limit! You consumed 354.7 mg of vitamin C. This is 473% of the recommended daily value (75 mg) for adult women You consumed 12226 IU of vitamin A. This is 408% of the recommended daily value for women. You consumed 18.1 mg of iron. This is 101% of the recommended daily value for pre-menopausal women. You deserve another smiley face for having no frowns. Great job! That’s seven smiley faces. If I were calculating my daily diet, which would include adding my water consumption and minutes of exercise, I would have received two more smiley faces. There would have been an additional one each for getting enough water and another for exercise. If you need help with assessing the calories and nutritional balance of your diet, I highly recommend MyFoodDiary.com Food Diary Review: My Food Diary.com For more sample menus see: 1200 Calorie Diet Plan (scroll to the bottom of the page) Hope this menu helps. Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy food!

Read more about this story…