Zero Calorie Food List: No Guilt Foods

There is a God and you can eat food that takes more energy to digest and adsorb into the system than the actual energy in the food itself. What does that mean? food that has less calories than the calories your body uses to process it.

The revelation; you can eat these foods as part of your daily diet and not count the calories. Use a little imagination and these foods can and will rock your boat. So here's a few to get you started...

1. apples
2. apricots
3. asparagus
4. beet root
5. broccoli
6. cauliflower
7. carrots
8. celery
9. cranberries
10. cress
11. cucumber
12. fennel
13. garlic
14. grapefruit
15. green beans
16. kale
17. leek
18. lemon
19. lettuce
20. onion
21. orange
22. peppers
23. pineapple
24. plum
25. raspberries
26. spinach
27. strawberries
28. swede
29. tomatoes
30. watermelon

Fruits and Vegetables

• Fruits make great snacks. Top your breakfast cereal with raspberries and sliced apple adding bulk and flavor.
• Fruits make fabulous desserts. A scoop of ice sorbet and your in the mode. Try grilling pineapple slices or stewed sweet apples to accompany your sorbet.
• Fresh orange or grapefruit juice are an anytime cool drink, or really put the squeeze on and make fresh lemonade.
• Strawberries and cranberries make great smoothies. Chop them up and add to a yogurt for a quick fix.
• There is so much to do with fruit, especially the ones mentioned. If time is stretched a plum or apricot are easy to eat on the run.
• A special occasion doesn't have to cost you pounds (in weight). Pavlova is pretty low fat for a delicious dessert. Cream filled, topped with strawberries (or your choice from the list). A whopping 3 1/2 oz serving is less than a cheese burger at only 300 calories. There is more calories in two slices of toast; bet your canceling the bread order as I type.
• Steamed, stir fry, simmered or lightly roasted vegetables are an important part of our daily consumption. Cooking our vegetables with a little extra care, (not overcooking) we maintain a fuller flavor. Bulking our food intake without compromising the taste. Of course there's the added bonus of eating more without the calories which aids our metabolism.
• Throw a slice of orange in the pot when you cook your carrots or add a splash of orange juice.
• Add basil and oregano to your tomato soup.
• Try a little crushed garlic and sliced ginger with your stir fry.
• Use fresh herbs to enhance flavor, chillies, chives and cress really liven up a salad.
• Season your vegetables: carrots & coriander; peas & mint; peppers & thyme.

• Perhaps your reading this thinking, big deal; I hate all that anyway! Do you want to fit into your skinny jeans? Then be patient. We eat with our eyes and smell too plays an amazing part in what we eat. If you were staring at a double cheese burger that smelled of rotten fish; I doubt you'd want to eat it. Back to the grind stone.

• How often do you tuck into a bowl of soup? Most of the above vegetables are crying out to be part of something big! Carrot and orange, spinach and leek, tomato and basil, onion and cauliflower. Fresh veg, stock, a few tasty herbs and you've got a low fat snack, lunch or starter.

• Select your favorite fruits or vegetables. Add a little milk, ice and blitz. The result is a tasty liquid breakfast or a great snack. If you're going to blame Mr Time do it the night before, sorted.

• Bulk your main meals by adding more vegetables. Love your mashed potatoes, add a little carrot, kale or swede into your mash without adding calories. The result is a little similar to the Irish dish; colcannon.

• Stir fry your veg (choose from the list) in a little olive oil. Sprinkle over grated nutmeg and a few fresh herbs. You'll have a winner. Fresh herbs have very little calories yet are full of flavor and bring a little pzazz to your veggies.

• Enjoy natural low fat condiments and cupboard favorites in your dishes. Black pepper, mustard, salsa, tomato puree, hummus, horseradish and ginger to mention but a few. Marinade meats and fish with lemon or orange juice with complimentary herbs or spices and your food will taste great.

• Don't leave low calorie condiments on the shelf. Give mayo and butter a holiday and add a little salsa to your cheese or shrimp sandwiches. Ham loves mustard and beef is a marriage with horseradish. Don't forget to add onion, tomato or cress.

• Make your own sauces to compliment a dish. Tomato and oregano will be very happy along side grilled chicken or fish. White onion sauce will love pork. Knock up a vegetable provencal. Use orange and lemon zest to add a little zing.

• Bulk up stews and casseroles. Add plenty of carrots, onions, celery, swede and fennel. Place a mix of peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes in a roasting dish, sprinkle with fresh herbs and olive oil. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are just cooked. Serve as is or as a side dish. Left overs are great in an omelette or blitz and you have a great sauce for any white meat or pasta.

Salads don't have to be limp and tasteless. A dish of crisp lettuce, with thinly sliced onion, fresh ripe red tomatoes, diced cucumber, sliced beet root, fresh crunchy beans, grated carrot and a little sprinkle of chili flakes with a drizzle of olive oil and white wine vinegar is superb. Add a grilled chicken breast, shaved parmesan, or fresh cooked shrimp and dinner is served.

A mix of watermelon and strawberries with a little fresh mint and a spoon of greek yogurt really is good. Washed baby spinach with a pinch of nutmeg is an excellent replacement for lettuce leaves. A fresh salsa of tomatoes, cucumber and red onion, squeeze of lime, wonderful. Roast cherry tomatoes with a little olive oil and balsamic until just soft, when cooled mix through some rocket or spinach leaves with thinly sliced red onion. Yummy as a side dish or with a salmon fillet or beef steak.

Fruit and vegetables are a necessary food in our every day lives. They fight against all kinds of diseases from heart attacks to cancer. Improving eyesight, bringing a shine to our hair, giving strength to our nails and teeth not to mention boosting our energy. Just a few important jobs our friendly friends are happy to do for us.

We don't have to live off fruit and vegetables, but they are a natural low fat food served as they come or lightly cooked. Added to our daily meals they provide much needed vitamins and minerals. There is nothing wrong with adding a little dressing to your salad or a little greek yogurt to a fruit bowl or indeed a small scoop of ice cream (100 cals).

Enjoy your meat and fish dishes, but always serve with salad or vegetables (OK we all need chips now and then or life could get tricky). All this takes time, however broadening your knowledge about spices, herbs and condiments to compliment foods will last a life time.

Making your own soups and sauces will become a doddle. Portions can be frozen for easy access for future dishes. Our lives are so busy, we often have little time to prepare fresh meals. However, I guarantee you, your future is worth investing in.

Your health and your families health is worth investing in. The most difficult things we do, are somethings new and different. When we know what we're doing, well it's a piece of cake! (or should I say a piece of pavlova).

Copyright:

© 2010 Gabriel Wilson All Rights Reserved