Healthy Meals With Less Carbs

The single biggest truth of successful dieting is your total caloric intake vs your caloric expenditure over time. There’s just no escaping it.

So how do we prepare healthy meals that can also help manage our intake of calories? All healthy meals, in fact all healthy foods regardless of their health-value, are a mix of fat/protein/carbs. In this article we’ll look specifically at the role carbs play in a healthy, weight loss diet.

When it comes to carbohydrate consumption it’s important as it affects your body’s blood sugar and hormones plus it stimulates cravings. You could eat 2200 calories a day of a higher protein, higher fat meals along with reduced carbs and actually finish the day at 2200 calories all because your appetite is satisfied.

On the flip side,  eat the same amount of calories per day of a high carb diet (ie 2200), and you may end up eating 3000 calories or more because the higher carbohydrate diet stimulated your hunger cravings and you overeat.

I know for me if place a nice lean beef fillet in front of me with a mound of vegetables and salad, my appetite will be satisfied immediately and for hours afterwards.  However, I find it easy to eat a big plate of pasta and even easier to go back for more. And sometimes more again!

This is what happens to many people… once you start eating large quantities of carbs like pasta or cereals or rice, it’s hard to stop and then you’re craving more carbs within the next hour.

What I’ve found works best is to eat in a “reduced carbs” way… this doesn’t mean no-carbs… it means lots less processed grains, no refined sugars, and instead, preparing healthy meals where almost all of your carbs are from healthy foods like whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans.

Here’s a quick breakfast recipes to get you going.

• Low GI cereal with low fat milk and fresh fruit. Not only good for you the low glycemic index (GI) means you’ll feel fuller for longer.

Low GI diet food can be yummy

• Eggs and sausage. Yes, eggs and sausage! Use a non-stick pan (no oil), free range egg and a low fat sausage. A quick to prepare and filling healthy breakfast.