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Learning all about High Quality Calories - Improving the Quality of the Calories
The concept of improving your diet by using high quality calories might sound confusing. What is a high quality calorie? A high quality calorie is getting the most amount of nutrients with as little fat and sugar as possible. The opposite of a high quality calorie is an empty calorie. Empty calories are those typically found in sodas and candies. These items contain large amounts of sugar and fat while supplying virtually no nutrients. While these sweets are enjoyable to eat, a simple substitution can be made to improve the quality of the calories. Broccoli and Asparagus are perfect examples of high quality calories.
Ways to Improve the Quality of Calories.
| Original Choice |
Quality Choice |
| Potato Chips & Dip |
Baked Potato w/ Light Sour Cream |
| Glass of Orange Juice |
Fresh Whole Orange |
| Bowl of Ice Cream |
Cup of Yogurt w/ Fruit |
| White Bread w/Butter |
Whole Wheat w/ Peanut Butter |
These are just some examples of how to improve the quality of the calories you are eating. It is always better to eat the food in its original form. The original food has more nutrients to satisfy our needs and less fat and sugar.
A Good Fat, is There Such a Thing?
Believe it or not, fat plays a very essential role in your body. The fat that tends to slowly accumulate around your hips or your waist is not the good fat. The good fat makes up cell membranes, hormones, allow mothers to breast feed and keep us warm. Certain dietary fats are deemed essential because are bodies do not make them. We must consume them from our diets. Saturated fat and hydrogenated fat are considered bad fats since they promote high cholesterol and heart disease. The fats from vegetables, nuts and fish are healthy fats and offer heart protective properties.
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Going out to dinner.
There's nothing more enjoyable than spending quality time with friends and family at a wonderful restaurant. Most social events offer some type of food or refreshments. It is often difficult to watch what we eat at these events. The challenging task is to chose high quality calories. It boils down to making those simple substitutions already mentioned earlier.
| Original Choice |
Quality Choice |
| Steak, mashed potatoes |
Salmon, baked potato, vegetable |
| Pasta Alfredo w/ Veal |
Pasta Primavera w/ Shrimp |
By choosing high quality calories over empty calories you can improve your health. There are resources available on the World Wide Web that will give you the information you need to make healthy food choices.
http://www.eatright.org/nuresources.html
http://www.nalusda.gov/fnic/index.html
By Scott Mayersohn BS, RD
Registered Dietitian
Newtritiousbeginnings, Inc.
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