A medium sized apple has 95 calories. While they say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, will it keep the unwanted fat away too?

apples calories

Carbs, short form of carbohydrates, refer to starch and sugars. These store energy which we consume in the food we eat.

Foods with carbohydrates include wheat, cereal, rice, fruits, sweets, potatoes and anything sweet or starchy.

Some of the popular quick weight loss diets are variations of the low carb diet. In these diets, you cut down on carbohydrates and increase your intake of protein. The Atkins diet is a very popular low carbs diet, where you eat all the meat you want but avoid starches altogether. The theory behind such diets is to force the body into ketosis.

During starvation or long physical activity, fat is used up for fuel instead of sugars. This fat burning state is the aim of these low carb diets. Ketones are produced. There is some controversy whether eliminating all the carbs from the diet is dangerous. One thing’s for sure, a high fat diet, low carb or not, would clog the arteries and would be bad for the heart.

Another alternative is to go for low Glycemic Index foods. The Glycemic Index measures how quickly glucose is released into the bloodstream when a particular carbohydrate is consumed. The lower GI foods are better as you stay full longer. Higher GI foods leave you hungry faster. So a Low GI diet can help you lose weight.

Low GI carbs are what you get in chickpeas, beans, whole grains, most fruits and vegetables.

High GI foods include cake, ice cream, white bread, white rice and corn flakes.

Personally, I’d go for a Low GI diet, to lose weight safely.

So got a craving for something sweet?

Ice cream? Chocolates? Mousse? Rich cakes?

How do you lose weight when you crave for sweets?

Well.. you could have your high calorie sweet desserts, then cut down the calories for the rest of the day and go for a run and some intense workout to balance the added calories.

baby in a watermelon

In summer, that’s doubly superb. Watermelon is 90% water anyway, so you get to quench your thirst and cool off.

Yes, there’s sugar to satisfy that sweet tooth completely, and lots of fiber to satisfy your appetite. Watermelon is rich in vitamin A (betacarotene), vitamin C and lycopene, potent antioxidants, that offer an antiageing effect.

Ok, that’s baby eating watermelon, not someone who looked younger because of watermelon, but hey, that’s one healthy, happy baby.

Natures bounty is healthy. Fresh produce are healthy foods. Fruits and vegetables harvested from the farm are delicious and full of nutrients, fiber to keep your full and help you keep off the excess weight. Watermelon is a healthy food.

It’s hard controlling calories when you don’t cook your own meals.
Lately, I’ve had my meals out. But outside food tends to be oilier, and higher in calories.

One way to watch the carbs is to ask for less rice and even then, eat only half of what’s on the plate.
One can order sandwiches but not eat up all the bread if there’s a carb overload.

One of my favourite places for healthy sandwiches is Subway. At least I’d get my fresh veggies there.

I need meat. Preferably beef, so I didn’t go for the healthier 6 grams of fat or less versions that day.
I needed steak, my comfort food.. also, I needed the iron and calcium, so I went for steak and cheese.

The steak cubes were put in the bread first and slices of cheese went over it. That was toasted in the oven before I shot this video.

As for the sauce, go for the red vinegar dressing.

I like that they show the zero fat dressings and 6 grams of fat or less sandwiches clearly in the menu. That makes sticking to a healthier diet much easier.
Here’s Subway’s nutrition information list in case you plan to eat there.

That’s one of the possible options for healthier eating out. Beats Macdonalds anyway. :p

I grabbed a quick lunch on the way home. Fast food. But the lower calorie version.

Roast beef salad at subway. Al veggies in.

Honestly, I prefer home made salads or veggie meals as outside salads focus in iceberg lettuce which aren’t as nutritious as the strongly colored vegetables that have higher concentrations of nutrients eg antioxidants like beta carotene.

I normally have my salads sans dressings as these are loaded with hidden calories. Today, I treated myself to 2 of the 0 fat dressings. Red wine vinegraitte and honey mustard.

By the time I got home, the salad was a mess but tasted a lot better than it looked. Pricey but worth it. Got my much needed protein, fiber and phytonutrients through it.

Crisp green salads aren’t necessarily bland rabbit food. When the vegetables are really fresh and the seasoning and dressing are done right, they are delicious. Add in shrimps, prawns, meat or tofu for protein and you have a very healthy meal.

Salad of fresh greens, bread sticks, boiled potatoes and a prawn at a healthy buffet dinner

For carbs, boiled, baked or roasted potatoes or bread sticks would do the trick.

This is what I picked at a Christmas buffet.

Utterly heavenly.

In the past, I would shy away from vegetables due to my prominently carnivorous taste.

Then because of health reasons, I began watching my diet. And forcing myself to eat more vegetables.

Actually, veggies are yummy when they are done right.

The soup of the day was brocolli soup made of fresh brocolli. I didn’t like the sound of it but ordered it anyway. It was not bad actually.

The freshness of vegetables make all the difference. At a holiday resort in the highlands, we had steam boat buffet. The vegetables freshly picked from the surrounding farms were amazing. Even better than the token seafood served with it.

Today, I had an utterly sumptuous snack of stewed prawns and mixed seasoned vegetables. It was so tasty, I ate it up before remembering to photograph it. Oh well. Maybe next time.

Veggies are interesting. The more you eat them, the tastier they seem. Tell that to your kids

I cooked a quick and easy pork chop meal for my lunch today. Ok, I used pork loin and really loaded up on fresh vegetables in a bid to get back in shape.

I marinated the pork overnight on dried oregano leaves and a pinch of salt. That’s my protein for the meal.

Here’s how to do this quick and easy microwaved meal.

Spread baking paper over a microwavable plate.

Chop half a zuchinni and one washed potato with the skin on.

Place the fully thawed, marinated pork on the paper.
Add on baby carrots, zuchinni and potato.

Sprinkle with mixed herbs.

Add a dollop of minced garlic and minced shallots if you like.

Drizzle a little olive oil.

Wrap all that in a package and staple to secure.

Microwave medium high about 8 minutes.

Carefully open the package. Beware of the steam!

Serve piping hot! Sprinkle sea salt to taste.

Beef gives me strength to last through the day. Maybe it’s psychological. Then again, beef is packed with protein and iron and vitamin A. Tenderloin is the best card in my opinion. It is so tasty if marinated overnight in lots of garlic, herbs and a pinch of salt.

Simple and delicious nutrient packed, low carb beef lunch.

Pour olive oil to coat the bottom if a small baking tin.

Add crushed garlic to the oil.

Roll marinated beef in oil and garlic.
Add mushrooms, diced capsicum and squash.

Sprinkle with herbs and salt.

Cook in the oven at the highest heat for 6 minutes or until it is done to your preference.

Let it sit 5 minutes before removing from tin and serving it.

One quick and easy way to make a yummy healthy meal from scratch is to wrap meat and veggies in baking paper and microwave it.

I’m not too adept at cooking but need to watch what I eat to reverse my ballooning. The easiest way to cook a meal is with the microwave oven and baking paper.

Today, I put marinated pork softened with a tenderizer in baking paper. Chopped 1 small potato and a small box of baby bell peppers. Sprinkled seasoning of garlic and herbs over everything, with a little salt. Wrapped everything in baking paper and microwaved it.

The pork was frozen and I mistook it for chicken so I microwaved it for 10 minutes on medium. It was still pink and raw on the inside when I took it out and realized my mistake.

Sealed and stapled everything again and microwaved another 4 minutes on high.

It was just right. That was my yummy healthy lunch for today.