It is that time of year again … ‘Tis the season for barbeques!! Although barbeques are great for the whole family, BBQ foods can be high in saturated fat, low in fiber and packed with calories. If you are trying to maintain your shape or lose a few pounds for bikini season, don’t fret, there are so many healthy and delicious foods to substitute.

Tanya’s Tips

1) Simply grill it: With barbeques comes barbeque sauce. One tablespoon of sweet barbeque sauce has 20 calories, 4 carbohydrates and no fiber. Although this doesn’t seem like a lot of calories, who only uses 1 tablespoon of BBQ sauce? Eliminating sauces can be an easy way to cut calories.

2) Choose lean protein: Lean meats, such as chicken, fish, turkey and sirloin provide less calories, saturated fat and cholesterol than high-fat meats, such as hot dogs, and full-fat hamburger meat. One ounce of lean protein has 45-65 less calories, and 5-8 grams less fat than high-fat meat. Opt for chicken or shrimp skewers, and if your hamburger craving is a must, chose USDA Select or Choice grades of lean beef trimmed of fat, such as ground sirloin.

3) Choose whole-grain buns: Whole-grain products have more fiber than white bread. Remember, fiber is the indigestible part of carbohydrate that provides bulk without any calories. Fiber fills you up without filling you out.

4) Skip the potato and pasta salads: Traditionally-made potato and pasta salads are loaded with calories and fat. They provide excess calories in the form of carbohydrate without any fiber, which may cause drops in blood sugar, making you feel lethargic and irritable an hour after you eat them. Instead, make a big salad mixed with all your favorite veggies. Spinach and rocket lettuce are in season — or throw some sliced vegetables on the grill — asparagus is also in season and grills very nicely.

5) Choose your alcohol wisely: Alcohol is allowed on the F-Factor diet, however, some choices are better than others. So, if you want to have a drink in the shade and you are a beer-lover, try low-carb beer. Otherwise, chilled white wine is always yummy or vodka and Crystal Light tastes great, especially when it is blended with some ice!!

6) Don’t forget to hydrate: Although alcohol is allowed on the F-Factor diet, drinking in the sun can speed up the effects of alcohol. Alcohol plus sun can equal headache and dehydration. Therefore, it is important to drink adequate water when the sun is hot, especially if you are drinking alcohol. Drinking 6-8, 8 oz. glasses of water every day is great for your skin, helps regulate bowel function and will prevent dehydration, so don’t forget to DRINK UP!

F-Factor Best Bets

*On the Grill – a serving size is about 4-5 oz.

Depending on how lean the meat you buy is, this will vary. Try to get lean meat, trimmed of fat.

Instead of Potato Salad and Cole Slaw – Try this!

Tanya’s House Salad

1 bag romaine hearts (or spinach, rocket lettuce)
1 bag baby carrots
2 celery hearts
1 red pepper
1 seedless cucumber
1 box cherry tomatoes
1 14-ounce can hearts of palm
1 14-ouce can garbanzo beans
1 red onion

Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD is a nutritionist and founder of www.Skinnyandthecity.com.    She is also the creator of The F-Factor Diet™, an innovative nutritional program she has used for more than ten years to provide hundreds of her clients with all the tools they need to achieve easy weight loss and maintenance, improved health and well-being.  For more information log onto www.FFactorDiet.com.

In the past few years, omega-3 fatty acids have become increasingly popular with their numerous amounts of health benefits. Omega-3 fatty acids work as an anti-inflammatory agent that helps reverse the processes of heart disease, cancer and many other conditions.  As of Monday, April 13th, new research has just been added to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on the effects of walnuts and fish on heart disease.

Researchers from Loma Linda University concluded that in healthy individuals walnuts lowered cholesterol more than fish, while fatty fish lowered triglyceride levels ultimately both reducing the overall risk of coronary heart disease. This study was conducted to show everyone including the healthiest of people how imperative and easy it is to simply add walnuts and fatty fish to their daily diet.

The American heart association recommends eating fish 3 times a week to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease. Using this as a guideline, the researchers found that healthy people who included fatty fish twice a week, decreased triglyceride levels by 11.4 percent. In addition, adding 1.5 ounces of walnuts to their eating regimen lowered their LDL levels by 9.3 percent compared to a control diet based on USDA recommendations. Studies have shown that walnuts can significantly reduce blood cholesterol. Walnuts are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, and they also help keep blood vessels healthy and elastic.

Some of the highest levels of omega-3 fats can be found fish like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, and salmon.  The reason for this being, that fish is a good source of protein and doesn’t have the high saturated fat like ones found in fatty meats.  

Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD is a nutritionist and founder of Skinnyandthecity.com.    She is also the creator of The F-Factor Diet™, an innovative nutritional program she has used for more than ten years to provide hundreds of her clients with all the tools they need to achieve easy weight loss and maintenance, improved health and well-being.  For more information log onto www.FFactorDiet.com.

Don’t those models look so good with their milk mustaches? Well you should try one! Studies show that drinking 3 glasses of low-fat or fat -ree milk a day can help maintain a healthy weight and have better quality diets, compared to those who didn’t.

Milk provides you with essential nutrients such as:
• Calcium: Which helps build strong bones and teeth.
• Potassium: Which helps maintain normal blood pressure.
• Protein: Which serves as a source of energy.
• Vitamin A: Which helps maintain normal vision and skin
• Vitamin D: Reduces the risk of heart disease and protects against many cancers.
• Vitamin B12: Which is required for normal cell activity. It also protects against the risk of stroke and Alzheimer’s disease.

Today, there are many different varieties of milk,  but here are some other alternatives to your typical milk:

Soy Milk:
For people who are vegans or lactose intolerant, soy milk is the perfect drink for you. People who drink soy milk have much to gain because it is made from beans which contain fiber, while dairy milk has none. Soy milk is also a good source of protein, and although it contains more fat than reduced-fat 2 percent milk, it is low in saturated fat and cholesterol free. Although it is not a good natural source of calcium, some brands of soy milk are fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Soy milk is a good source of isoflavones — estrogen compounds that seem to have a myriad of health benefits.

Lactaid Milk:
Approximately 75 percent of the world’s population (including 40 million Americans) is lactose intolerant. Lactaid milk contains the same nutrients as regular milk — the only difference is that lactose has been broken down so that it is easily tolerated by those people who are intolerant to it. Lactose is the predominant sugar in milk products. An enzyme called lactase is produced in the small intestine and breaks down lactose so it can be absorbed into the blood stream. It is not usually serious, but symptoms can be bothersome, so Lactaid milk is the perfect option for a dairy-free diet.

Organic Milk:
Organic milk is the purest and healthiest form of milk. Organic milk means that cows’ feed, such as corn, soy and hay were grown organically. In addition, organic regulations prohibit the use of antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones. Organic regulations also mandate specific humane animal standards including access to fresh air and pasture. However, organic milk can be at least twice the price of regular milk, and there is still a debate over whether this milk is really worth your money.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to force yourself to drink a glass of plain milk! Here are some helpful and tasty ways to receive your three servings of milk a day:

• Use milk instead of water in your oatmeal
• Pour it over a bowl of cereal
• Stir it up into hot chocolate
• Blend it with frozen fruit for a delicious smoothie
• Grab a skim latte or cappuccino
• Substitute cream in soup for milk

Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD is a nutritionist and founder of Skinnyandthecity.com.    She is also the creator of The F-Factor Diet™, an innovative nutritional program she has used for more than ten years to provide hundreds of her clients with all the tools they need to achieve easy weight loss and maintenance, improved health and well-being.  For more information log onto www.FFactorDiet.com.