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Fat Free Meals - Healthy Foods For Weight Loss

Making smart choices during the colder months can be tasty and enjoyable if you delve into a selection of recipes and cooking ideas. Flavoring is a big deal for competitors and bodybuilding due to the weeks of strict eating. One has to become creative in order to keep the simple and repetitive foods exciting. There are limited choices when dieting or leaning so in order to help vary the repetition you need to look at alternative ways of cooking, new and flavorful spices and recipes which are easy and fat free!

Winter brings us hearty wonderful greens brimming with phytonutrients yet fat free. This is a carb which is non starchy and useful in calorie, fat and/or carb reduced diets.

Squashes are also a winter vegetable but tend to be starchier and best in moderation during dieting.

Corn I would suggest to avoid or limit. Peas and carrots should also be limited as they too are starchy so I suggest getting your starches elsewhere and filling your carb choices with greens instead. Green beans, spinach and broccoli lend for more low fat, excellent quality carbs. Fill up on these items. Top up your vegetable/carb allowance with a choice of yam, squash, carrot, peas, or potato on occasion. The rest of your starchy carbs should come from grains which are whole and best utilized for optimal diet such as quinoa, oats, brown rice with other whole grains moderately included on occasion.

Fruits can be very sweet and full of natural sugar, natural yes but still sugar which is not best for fat loss ultimately but great for maintaining a healthy diet or for very slow dieting. Some fruits work well and depending on your diet goals you may not need be as strict. 2 servings average is the norm but choose grapefruit or a less high glycemic choice while seeking fat loss. Moderately incorporate other fruits, including the sweet ones but as a treat. It is not uncommon for competitors to exclude fruits completely during the lean down phase of their diets but when they do have fruit; it is fresh as is the produce whenever possible.

In order to Jazz up the foods mentioned as well as the proteins many include in diets such as poultry, fish and meat alternatives, you need to work with spices and special ingredients.

Lemons and limes are a natural flavor bomb which work on top of any food, great for marinating and dressings. Cracked pepper goes well with this combo. Extra Virgin Olive oil is excellent in moderation, and not meant to over cook, best used atop foods. Other oils good for topping with which are essential fatty acids and help with fat loss goals are Flax seed and Udos type oils.

Worcestershire Sauce, soy sauce, wines, beer, fruit juices, vinegars, ciders, mustards and low fat yogurt are all interchangeable when used in various combinations for salads, marinades, sauces and dips. If sodium is an issue, then choose salt free choices from the above.

Another excellent item is almonds, raw and plain. Used whole, grated or chopped they can liven up any protein by coating it, any salad by topping and can virtually go on top of most meals with a sprinkle to add a nutty taste to your food. Hemp and mustard seeds also add some pop to meals. Avocados are a great fat you can use mashed with the above flavorings or chopped raw atop foods.

Salsas are excellent topping and easily made with items which are all diet friendly such as the lime and lemon combo mentioned above, avocados, onions of various types including chives, tomatoes of various choices from cherry to plum, cilantro, parsley, and a sprinkle of chilis!

Add your favorite vinegar to the salsa to change it up for a new dish compliment. These are just a few ideas which should help take you through the rest of the season with goals in check and diet dialed in!

By Linda Cusmano