Food Fight
What Your Calories Really Look Like
This leads us to consider one aspect of food that we often forget about - volume vs. calories. We know that whole foods are healthier than processed foods; more vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other goodies. Since most fruits, vegetables and lean proteins have a low caloric density (high volume with low calories), you can also consume a significant amount of food throughout the day without eating too many calories. When comparing the meals below, the caloric difference is shocking in some instances, but more surprising is the size of the meals supplying those calories.
Before we get to the meal comparisons, I want to touch on a couple more items. I have tried to include as many ingredients as I could that are either organic, purchased from the local farmers market or grown right here in my back yard. I have not had weight loss surgery but food is one of my passions, and the quality of the food, where the food is grown, and how the food is grown, is extremely important to me. While local food is often best for many reasons, you can certainly substitute local foods and produce with standard items purchased at the grocery store. I do not eat meat very often so none of the meals I have made below contain meat. Most of the meals below contain decent amounts of protein but you may want to add some lean meat to increase protein content.
Additionally, I understand that the serving sizes shown below may be more or less than what you would typically eat. Depending on the surgery type you have had, or planning to have, you will need to make the necessary adjustments. If you need to decrease the caloric and/or fat content of some of the meals below, I encourage you to substitute ingredients such as avocado or pesto with lower fat alternatives like low or non-fat mayo and dressings. For individuals that require higher caloric intake, such as those who have had the Duodenal Switch, the meals on the left are still more appropriate due to the quality of the calories contained in the meal. While I did not provide the full "nutrition facts" type information for each food, the meals on the left contain a better vitamin and mineral profile, higher fiber content, less saturated and/or trans-fats and more healthy fats.
Let the meals comparisons commence!
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Waffles and Mixed Berries
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McDonald's Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit
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Total Calories (2 waffles): 314
Total Fat: 9 g Total Carbohydrate: 51 g Fiber: 8 g Total Protein: 12 g
Ingredients & Instructions (makes 6 waffles): - 1 cup multigrain pancake/waffle mix -1 farmers market egg beaten (beaten? how cruel) - 1 tbsp vegetable oil - 1 tbsp honey - 3/4 cup of West Soy Organic Unsweetened Soymilk - 1/2 cup each of farmers market raspberries, blueberries and blackberries mixed together in sauce pan on low/medium heat - add a few tablespoons of water initially to give the berries something to swim in |
Total Calories: 420
Total Fat: 23 g Total Carbohydrate: 37 g Fiber: 2 g Total Protein: 15 g Ingredients from McDonald's
Chemist anyone?
Biscuit (Regular) Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), cultured nonfat buttermilk, vegetable oil (palm oil, palm kernel oil), water, leavening (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate), contains 2% or less of the following: salt, sugar, modified cellulose, wheat protein isolate, natural flavor (botanical source), soy lecithin.
Prepared with Liquid Margarine: Liquid soybean oil, water, partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservative), artificial flavor, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene (color).
Bacon Pork bellies cured with [water, salt, sugar, natural smoke flavor (plant source), sodium phosphate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite].
Folded Egg
Pasteurized whole eggs, food starch-modified, soybean oil, natural flavors (botanical source), sodium acid pyrophosphate, carrageenan, flavor enhancer [salt, maltodextrin, natural flavor (plant source), spices, herb, turmeric (color)], monosodium phosphate, citric acid, soy lecithin (release agent). Prepared with Liquid Margarine: Liquid soybean oil, water, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soy lecithin, mono-and diglycerides, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives), artificial flavor, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene (color).
Pasteurized Process American Cheese
Milk, water, milkfat, cheese culture, sodium citrate, salt, citric acid, sorbic acid (preservative), sodium phosphate, artificial color, lactic acid, acetic acid, enzymes, soy lecithin (added for slice separation).
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Oatmeal, Strawberries and Soymilk
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Starbucks Blueberry Streusel Muffin
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 Total Calories: 227
Total Fat: 7 g Total Carbohydrate: 29 g Fiber: 9 g Total Protein: 14 g Ingredients & Instructions: |
 Total Calories: 360
Total Fat: 11 g Total Carbohydrate: 59 g Fiber: 2 g Total Protein: 7 g Ingredients from Starbucks: Unbleached, enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, blueberries, buttermilk (cultured pasteurized nonfat milk, salt, sodium citrate), heavy cream, whole eggs, unsalted butter (cream [from milk]), water, baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate), lemon flavedo (lemon peel, sugar, lemon oil), salt, cellulose gum, vanilla extract, xanthan gum, natural flavor. |
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Whole Grain English Muffin, Banana and Soymilk
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Glazed Donut
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Total Calories: 263
Total Fat: 5 g Total Carbohydrate: 46 g Fiber: 11 g Total Protein: 15 g Ingredients & Instructions: |
Total Calories: 310
Total Fat: 18 g Total Carbohydrate: 32 g Fiber: <1 g Total Protein: 4 g They even stick to the ceiling if you give them a toss up there! Enriched bleached wheat flour (contains bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), dextrose, vegetable shortening (partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil), water, sugar, soy flour, egg yolks, vital wheat gluten, yeast, nonfat milk, yeast nutrients (calcium sulfate, ammonium sulfate), dough conditioners (calcium dioxide, monocalcium and dicalcium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate, whey, starch, ascorbic acid, sodium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate), salt, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated mono-and diglycerides, lecithin, calcium propionate (to retain freshness), cellulose gum, natural and artificial flavors, fungal alpha amylase, amylase, maltogenic amylase,pentosanase, protease, sodium caseinate, corn maltodextrin, corn syrup solids and BHT (to help protect flavor). Glaze may also contain: Calcium carbonate, agar, locust bean gum, disodium phosphate, and sorbitan monostearate.
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Portobello Mushroom and Avocado Burger
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Ruby Tuesday's Avocado Turkey Burger
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Total Calories: 358
Total Fat: 20 g Total Carbohydrate: 42 g Fiber: 7 g Total Protein: 9 g Ingredients & Instructions (makes 4 burgers): |
Total Calories: 1234 (insanity)
Total Fat: 81 g (more insanity) Total Carbohydrate: 68 g Fiber: 6 g Total Protein: NA As a note, this is WITHOUT the fries. I hear you can also have them bring out an EKG machine while you eat this thing. |
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Pesto Pizza
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Large Papa John's Pepperoni and Onion Pizza
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Total Calories: 464
Total Fat: 24 g Total Carbohydrate: 52 g Fiber: 9 g Total Protein: 14 g Ingredients & Instructions: (should serve 6 but the way I cut the pizza it served 4) - 12" whole grain pizza crust - 1 cup of feta cheese - 3 tbsp of homemade pesto with homegrown basil and homegrown garlic - 1/2 homegrown green bell pepper chopped - 1 small homegrown red onion chopped - 8-10 pieces of artichoke hearts - 2 oz of black olives sliced - 1 homegrown tomato chopped - preheat oven to 450o F - spread pesto on pizza crust - spread onion, pepper, artichoke hearts, olives, tomato and feta cheese evenly on crust - cook for 8-10 minutes or until the crust meets your desired level of tastiness - serve hot and don't worry about tipping the delivery guy |
Total Calories: 660
Total Fat: 28 g Total Carbohydrate: 74 g Fiber: 4 g Total Protein: 26 g The serving size here is really one slice instead of two. We do not have ingredient information available on this. |
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Tomato, Cucumber, Mozzarella and Pesto Salad
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Zaxby's Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
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Total Calories: 364
Total Fat: 21 g Total Carbohydrate: 32 g Fiber: 8 g Total Protein: 17 g Ingredients & Instructions: - 2 homegrown lemon cucumbers with peels sliced (can be replaced with a single standard cucumber) - 30 homegrown grape tomatoes sliced - 1-2 oz of part skim milk mozzarella - 1 tbsp homemade pesto made with homegrown basil and homegrown garlic - if you want to knock off about 100 calories, substitute the pesto with something else or go dressing-less - in case you have not seen a lemon cucumber, I have included one in the picture above...they have quickly become a favorite of mine this year...I purchased my lemon cucumber seeds here this year |
Total Calories: 675
Total Fat: 40 g Total Carbohydrate: 26 g Fiber: 5 g Total Protein: 51 g The above is using 1 of the 2 packets of Caesar dressing provided. If the second pack of dressing is used, this will increase the total calories of the salad to right around 800 calories. The salad pretty much consists of mixed greens, parmesan cheese, bacon, croutons, and grilled chicken. |
What are some of your favorite healthy meals to make at home? Provide the ingredients and prep instructions below.
Batwingsman · 0 replies · 324 views
Batwingsman · 0 replies · 324 views