Adding Flavors without Adding Calories

devinalexanderWeight Loss

 

  1. “Freshen Up” – One of my favorite tips for adding flavor to dishes for nearly zero calories is using fresh herbs.  They can even can make for great presentation in your dishes too.  I always make sure to have fresh cilantro, flat leaf and curly parsley in my refrigerator.  As soon as I get home from the grocery store, I like to rinse off my fresh herbs with cold water and dry them with a linen towel or a paper towel.  Then, I wrap a paper towel around them and keep them in the fridge in an open food storage bag.  This helps the herbs last longer, and then they are always ready to use when I need them!  You can just pluck the leaves off the stems and use them whole in your dishes or chop them up and sprinkle them over the top or mix them in.  There’s so many wonderful herbs to choose from too so have fun exploring and finding your favorites from basil, thyme, rosemary, mint, sage, dill, tarragon and more!
  2. “Pucker Up” – Adding lemon juice is another great way to pack in flavor in your dishes without adding hardly any calories.  Make sure to always use fresh squeezed lemon juice and not the concentrated stuff!  I even make homemade salad dressings with lemon juice that are much healthier than any dressing you can buy at the store and so tasty and refreshing!
  3. “Salt-Free, Yippee!” I love using salt-free seasonings in my dishes to pack in delicious flavor without adding calories.  That way you can control the salt on your own and really focus on the flavor!
  4. “Claim you Roots” – Ginger adds a bold flavor and is great in Asian dishes.                                                                                                                              
  5. “Grass Fed” Add lemongrass to your dishes by itself or even with ginger to add in a really bold flavor especially to seafood or Asian dishes without many calories at all!
  6. “Instant Cover Up” Instant Coffee or Espresso Powder is a great and very low-calorie way to add flavor to your protein smoothies.  It does a great job to cover up that protein powder taste!
  7. “Sweet Treat” Cinnamon is perfect when you need a bit of a sweeter flavor without adding calories.  Plus, it’s actually really good for you…so good that people take cinnamon supplements for a list of benefits from building bones to preventing tooth decay and gum disease.
  8. “Tea Time” – Tea can be used different ways in cooking and is perfect for adding flavor with a negligible number of calories.  You can use it as a spice by simply grinding up the tea leaves and it can make a very delicious rub for a fresh Asian-cuisine flavor!  You can also, use leftover tea as a marinade for meat like chicken.
  9. “Crunch it up!” – Celery is great for dipping in tuna salad or other dips instead of eating them with crackers.  It can also add a great crunch in to your dishes for very few calories!
  10. “Turn up the heat!” Most hot sauces have less than 5 calories per teaspoon, so a few shakes will really kick your dishes up a notch without adding many calories at all.
  11. “Fine Dining” – Flavored Vinegars are the perfect way to add flavor without calories.  Most people stock white, balsamic, cider and/or red wine vinegars, but you can get even more creative and elegant by using a port or a champagne vinegar!