KEY 3: THE LITTLE THINGS ADD UP OVER TIME
Be mindful of snacks, condiments and dressings. Bread and butter, or other high calorie spreads can wreak havoc on your weight loss plan. How much added calories and sugar are in some of those spreads that restaurants serve? It’s better to pass on the bread all together, but if you must indulge, try eating it plain, or dipping in olive oil as an alternative to using butter and other high calorie spreads. Remember that even a small daily addition can add up over the weeks and months. Be careful to use light salad dressings, as two table spoons of regular ranch dressing have 145 calories and over 15 grams of fat. One slice of American cheese contains almost 100 calories and has over 7 grams of fat. If you have a sandwich for lunch 5 days a week with 1 slice of American cheese, that’s an extra 2,000+ calories and 140 grams of fat per month. By eliminating the one slice of cheese from your sandwich, you’ll save an extra 24,000 calories a year! There are 3,500 calories in one pound, so you’ll be cutting back almost 7 pounds a year from this one small change!
STRATEGIES IN LITTLE THINGS FOR YOUR CHURCH
- Hold a Flavor-fest at your church. Schedule a nutritionist, chef, dietitian or other culinary expert to present a show-and-tell. It is a tasty way to educate members on healthier alternatives that can reduce overall fat, sugar and sodium consumption.
- Start a meal-of-the-week recommendation in your church bulletin, website, e-newsletter or display that specifically highlights how some of the little things have been reduced or removed.
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