Healthier eating plans are one of the most effective ways to lose weight. However, like many things in life, there is often quite a bit of misinformation regarding just what healthy food plans actually are.
It’s not just a weight loss strategy. It’s a tool that will help you live a more balanced and wholesome lifestyle.
How Many Calories Do I Really Need?
A low-calorie diet plan restricts the calorie count in a person’s diet, but what does this mean? In general terms, this means a healthy low-calorie diet plan will have a daily calorie count between 900-1400 calories, depending on the person. A diet with less than 900 calories is known as a very low-calorie diet (VCLD) and is not healthy.
Though Personal Chef To Go menus are geared for a healthier lifestyle, you might lose weight eating our food but you’ll lose weight at a more gradual, healthy pace. 2-5 pounds per week is considered healthy weight loss.
You’ll look and feel better with Personal Chef To Go’s meal plans which are low on the Glycemic Index, heart healthy, naturally low to no gluten and meet D.A.S.H. Diet guidelines. Since losing weight and eating healthy foods will make you feel less sluggish and more mentally alert, a healthier diet will enhance your brain power and give you a stronger sense of mental clarity.
Below are some healthier food and snack options if you’re not currently a Personal Chef To Go customer, or are away from home for an extended period of time and in need of some easy to find some healthier, lower calorie foods, many of which we incorporate into our meals.
25 Astonishingly Delicious and Healthy Foods
Celery and Peanut Butter: One stalk has just 5 calories, and the peanut butter provides an excellent protein boost to keep your blood sugar stable.
Green Tea: Besides having 0 calories, consuming two-to-four cups of green tea a day may cut out an additional 50 calories in your diet.
Watercress: One POUND only has 53 calories. It’s also loaded with vitamins A, C, and K.
Spinach: In addition to being super healthy, it’s also very low in calories. No wonder Popeye liked it so much.
Kiwi: There are 46 calories in one kiwi. It’s also full of fiber, potassium, vitamin E and one days’ worth of vitamin C.
Swiss Chard: One cup of chopped swiss chard only yields 7 calories. It is also packed full of 16 vitamins and vital nutrients.
Cottage Cheese: This delicious snack only has 20 calories per ounce and an added bonus of 3 grams of protein.
Green Bell Pepper: One cup of chopped green bell peppers equals 30 calories. Also, shockingly enough, you’ll get more vitamin C from a pepper than you would from an orange.
Purslane: This broad-leaved green weed yields just a few calories a cup. Purslane also has the highest amount of heart-healthy omega-3 fats of any edible plant.
Broccoli: An entire POUND of this veggie yields 100 calories. A seven-calorie serving gives you more than a day’s worth of vitamin K.
Bok Choy: For slightly more calories than a stick of gum, this green veggie also contains iron and potassium.
Mushrooms: Mushrooms can go into anything and small mushrooms each only contain two calories.
Summer Squash: One cup of sliced summer squash contains 18 calories. Summer Squash also contains vitamin B6, which helps our immune and nervous systems function.
Shrimp: There are only 30 calories in 4 large shrimps. Not only do you get a healthy serving of protein, but you also get a cocktail of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids.
Radish: These small and spicy little things make for a good snack if eaten whole. One cup of sliced radishes contains 18 calories.
Starfruit: Besides being seasonal and oh, so delicious, a piece of star fruit contains fewer calories than two Jolly Ranchers. It’s high in vitamin C and contains 3 grams of dietary fiber.
Cabbage: There are 22 calories in one cup of this chopped Irish favorite. One cup is also loaded with a type of isothiocyanate called sulforaphane, which increases your body’s production of enzymes that disarm cell-damaging free radicals.
Scallops: There are only 75 calories in 3 ounces of scallops and a whopping 14 grams of protein in three ounces as well. These sea scallops also contain vitamin B12.
Cauliflower: There are 25 calories in one cup of this ivory, flower-like veggie.
Asparagus: Two POUNDS of asparagus contains less than 200 calories. Each crispy bite is also loaded with vitamin K.
Plums: There are only 30 calories per fruit. This reddish-purple gem also contains antioxidants, small amounts of fiber and vitamins A, C, and K.
Tomatoes: There are 33 calories in one large tomato. Tomatoes also help eliminate skin-aging free radicals.
Broccoli: There are 30 calories per cup of chopped broccoli. One cup of this veggie also contains a hearty dose of calcium, phosphorus, protein, magnesium, and iron.
Flounder: This whitefish is one of the lowest low-calorie proteins under the sea. In addition to 103 calories per 4 ounces of boneless flounder, your body also gets 286 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids.
Strawberries: Packed with antioxidants and vitamin C, these delicious treats only have 49 calories per cup.
