I read "The Ultimate Low Fat Baking Cookbook" recently. This is a huge, glossy-photo coffee table books, so I start flipping through and first thing I noticed the photos. They were taken close up to make it appear the cakes and slices of pie were normal sized, but if you looked closer you could see that was not the case. These were Barbie doll sized portions! Every cake recipe made the equivalent of a one-layer round cake that was to serve eight. Think about that for a minute. The last time you had cake did you eat a two-layer with icing? Did you divide the cake into 10 or 12 portions? That's still far more than you'd get dividing a one-layer cake into eight portions. If eating teensy bits is your idea of a diet recipe, then these cookbooks are for you. Otherwise, you're just being tricked into thinking you're cooking lower calorie treats.
Another cookbook is called "Six Ingredients or Less," but I laughed myself silly when I saw the recipes. For example: Strawberry Pie. Take 1 9-inch baked pie shell, 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 3 tablespoons strawberry Jello powder, and 3 cups fresh whole strawberries; serves 8. Yeah, right. Three cups of berries? Serves 8? Let's see, each person gets, about 1/3 cup of strawberries (about four big berries), a smear of Jello and a crusty bit? No topping either. ;-(
This recipe claims a calorie count of 284 per serving, so multiply times eight and that little bit-o-pie is 2,272 calories! Obviously you're not going to eat the whole pie, are you? It would make more sense to eat a bowlful of berries, as a whole cup of raw berries has only 46 calories, even adding some whipped cream sweetened with Splenda wouldn't add many calories.
Here's another: Ground Turkey Sandwich touted as "great for kids." It calls for 3/4 pound ground lean turkey, 1 cup finely chopped onion, 1 1/2 cups of catsup (vegetable?), 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 2 teaspoons sugar (why sugar, the catsup has tons), and 2 teaspoons dry mustard. So not counting the spices and flavorings this recipe has 3/4 pound ground turkey, 1 cup chopped onions and 1.5 cups of catsup and it serves six! Yikes. That's 2 ounces of meat, not quite three tablespoons of onions and a quarter cup of catsup per person, or child as the case may be. No wonder they beg for chips.
Too many times these recipes trick people into thinking their eating low calorie when they are not, simply because they didn't notice the recipe should serve 8 and instead are splitting it with their husband.
Create Low Calorie Recipes Yourself
Simply split the recipe into another portion. If you usually eat it all between yourself and your husband, leave enough for lunch tomorrow. Instant lower calorie. Check the cookbook if it claims lower calorie recipes to be sure they don't simply reduce the portion sizes, and you'll have a great cookbook.
So what are they, and are they really all that 'super'?
In modern times, the term is generally used to indicate that a food has nutritional properties that are above and beyond those needed just to sustain life - usually that they contain vitamins and nutrients that have been proven to reduce the risk of disease and promote good health.
The claim is that 'Super foods' are jam packed with nutrients and have great health giving properties. They are also supposed to boost our energy levels, prevent illness, boost brain power and repair cell damage.
If you want to test this theory out for yourself, look for ways to get the following super foods into your diet.
1. Brazil nuts ? These contain selenium which helps to protect the body against certain cancers, Alzheimer's disease and depression. For More details login on to www.breakfasts-recipes.com. Nuts help to reduce our risk of heart disease and can help to control our appetites. Look for free recipes online which make use of this wonderful nut.
2. Olive oil ? Olive oil is a mono-unsaturated fat which helps to lower cholesterol. It is a source of antioxidants which help to fight the signs of ageing and protect us from damage caused by free radicals like smoking and pollution. Olive oil is a main ingredient in the healthy Mediterranean diet so look for Mediterranean diet free recipes online.
3. Apples ? The humble apple is high in Vitamin C, which is an antioxidant, and high in pectin, a soluble fiber which keeps the digestive system in good working order and helps to lower cholesterol.
4. Seeded Wholegrain Bread ? The fiber in the bread keeps the digestive system healthy, the seeds are a source of essential fatty acids and phytoestrogens in linseeds and Soya can help relieve symptoms of the menopause. These high fiber breads also help to control appetite.
5. Baked beans ? Baked beans are brilliant. The tomato sauce is rich in leucopenia, an antioxidant which protects the body from prostate cancer and heart disease. Insoluble fiber in the beans helps to keep the digestive system healthy. Beans are also rich in calcium, iron and protein. Serve baked beans on seeded bread toast for a great super food meal!
6. Tea ? Both black tea and green tea is rich in antioxidants. An antioxidant in tea, catching, helps to keep our arteries healthy and stops blood clots forming.
7. Bananas ? Bananas are high in potassium which is essential for healthy hair and skin and also helps to lower blood pressure. Bananas are also high in antioxidants and are a great source of energy. Bananas can be used in low fat recipes to replace half the fat content in cake recipes.
8. Yogurt ? Yogurt is a great source of calcium which is essential for healthy teeth and bones. Bio yogurts also help the digestive system by topping up the amount of friendly bacteria present in the intestines. Make your own yogurt ? find free recipes online.
9. Salmon ? Salmon is an oily fish and oily fish are often known as ?Brain food? because eating oily fish regularly helps to prevent dementia and depression. You can also go to www.cajuns-recipes.com. Eating oily fish also reduces the risk of heart disease, build up of plaque on the walls of the artery and lowers triglyceride levels.
10. Broccoli ? This vegetable is high in folic acid which is thought to lower the risk of heart disease and photochemical which help to prevent cancer. Broccoli also contains the antioxidants Vitamin C and lute in which is thought to delay the onset and progression of AMD, age related macular degeneration.
Both Kathryn Martyn Smith, M.nlp & Roos Andy are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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