Tips To Help Slash Food Waste
Calorie Tips, Healthy Eating, Food Facts
Ten Easy Ways To Save Some Calories
- If you’re full, stop eating and clear your plate right away. If the food hangs around in front of you, you’ll keep picking at it until there’s nothing left. An exception – a study has found that looking at the “carnage” – the leftover bones from barbecued ribs or even the number of empty beer bottles – can serve as an “environmental cue” to stop eating.
- Do you really need to stand in front of the buffet table or kitchen spread? The further away from the food you are the less likely you are to eat it. Don’t sit or stand where you can see the food that’s calling your name. Keep your back to it if you can’t keep distant. There’s just so much control you can exercise before “see it = eat it.” Take a walk or engage someone in an animated conversation. It’s pretty hard to shove food in your mouth when you’re busy talking.
- Before you grab another slice, some chips, mac and cheese, or a cookie — ask yourself if you really want it. Are you hungry? Is it worth the calories? Odds are, the tempting display of food in front of you is visually seductive – and may smell great, too — but you may be reaching out to eat what’s there for reasons not dictated by your stomach, but by your eyes. Have you decided that you want to splurge on something specific? Try deciding what that splurge will be ahead of time and commit to your choice so you don’t find yourself wavering in the face of temptation.
- Drink from a tall, thin glass instead of a short, wide one. You’ll drink 25%-30% less. People given short wide glasses poured 76% more than people who were given tall slender glasses, and they believed that they had poured less. Even experienced bartenders poured more into a short, wide glass.
- Let this be your mantra: no seconds. Choose your food, fill your plate, and that’s it. Keep a running account in your head of how many hors d’ oeuvre you’ve eaten or how many cookies. Keep away from food spreads and open bags of anything to help limit nibbling and noshing.
- Stop eating before you’re full. If you keep eating until your stomach finally feels full you’ll likely end up feeling stuffed when you do stop eating. It takes a little time (around 20 minutes) for your brain to catch up and realize that your stomach is full. A lot of eating is done with your eyes and your eyes love to tell you to try this and to try that.
- Divide your food up into smaller portions and separate them to help avoid overeating. Yale researchers took tubes of potato chips and made each seventh or fourteenth one red. The people who got to the red potato chip “stop signs” ate less than half as many chips as the people without the red chips — and they more accurately estimated how much they’d eaten. Definitely avoid eating from a large open bag — count out your chips, crackers, and pretzels or only eat from a single portion size bag. Who can stop when there’s an open bag of salty, crunchy food right in front of you? It’s amazingly easy to keep mindlessly eating until the bag is empty. A dive to the bottom of a 9-ounce bag of chips (without dip) is 1,260 calories. One serving, about 15 chips, is 140 calories.
- Cut down a little bit, you probably won’t even notice. Have a one scoop cone instead of 2 scoops, a regular portion of French fries instead of a large, a small smoothie instead of a medium. Eat slowly and give your brain time to register the fact that you’ve fed your body some food. You’ll probably be just as satisfied with the smaller portion and you’ll have saved yourself a lot of calories.
- Use a fork and knife instead of your fingers, a teaspoon rather than a tablespoon — anything to slow down the food going into your mouth. Chopsticks can slow you down even more. Chew your food instead of wolfing it down. If you have to work at eating your food – cutting it with a knife, for instance – you’ll eat more mindfully than if you pick food up with your fingers and pop it into your mouth. Before you eat, drink some water, a no- or low-calorie beverage, or some clear soup. The liquids fill up your stomach and leave less room for the high calorie stuff.
- Use a smaller plate. We eat an average of 92% of what we serve ourselves. We pile more food onto larger plates, so a larger plate means we eat more food. A two inch difference in plate diameter—decreasing the plate size to ten inches from 12 inches—would mean a serving that has 22% fewer calories. It’s a smaller serving but not small enough to leave you still hungry and heading back for seconds.
How Much Bread And Butter Do You Eat Before Your Meal?
Have you been known to invade the breadbasket with gusto as soon as it lands on the table?
Then do you mindlessly continue to munch before and during your meal either because you’re hungry or because the bread is there for easy nibbling or for sopping up gravy or sauce?
Butter or Oil?
Olive oil for bread dipping is giving butter some stiff competition. Olive oil arrives green or golden, plain, herbed or spiced. It can be plopped down on your table, or poured with a flourish. Some restaurants offer a selection for dipping – and attempt to educate you about the variation in flavors depending upon the olives’ country of origin.
Butter can also appear in many forms. It still may still arrive in shiny foil packets – what would a diner be without them – or mounded in pretty dishes and sprinkled with sea salt or blended with various fruits or herbs.
Don’t be misled by the presentation — butter and oil, although delicious, are high calorie, high fat foods. Certain oils may be heart healthy, but they are still caloric.
Who Takes In More Calories – Butter Or Olive Oil Eaters?
Hidden cameras in Italian restaurants have shown that people who put olive oil on a piece of bread consume more fat and calories than if they use butter on their bread. But, the olive oil users end up eating fewer pieces of bread than the butter eaters.
In the study done by the food psychology laboratory at Cornell University, 341 restaurant goers were randomly given olive oil or blocks of butter with their bread. Following dinner, researchers calculated the amount of olive oil or butter and bread that was eaten.
The researchers found:
- Olive oil users used 26% more olive oil on each piece of bread compared to block butter users (40 vs. 33 calories).
- Olive oil users ate 23% less bread over the course of a meal than the people who used butter.
- Although the olive oil users used a heavier hand than the butter users for what they put on individual slices of bread, over the course of the meal they ate less bread and oil.
- Olive oil users took in 17% fewer bread calories: 264 calories (oil eaters) vs. 319 calories (butter eaters).
The Caloric Punch of Butter, Oil, And Bread
- A tablespoon of olive oil has 119 calories, a tablespoon of butter has 102 calories, one pat of butter has around 36 calories.
- Butter and oil are all fat; olive oil is loaded with heart healthy monounsaturated fat, butter contains heart unhealthy saturated fat.
- Bread varies significantly in calories depending on the type of bread and the size of the piece. Harder breads and breadsticks are often less caloric than softer doughy breads.
- Most white bread and a small piece of French bread average around 90 to 100 calories a slice. Dinner rolls average 85 calories each.
- If you’re eating Mexican food, bread may not appear, but a basket of chips adds around 500 calories.
Pizza: 7 Calorie Saving Tips
If your mouth waters at the thought of melted cheese and pepperoni on thick or thin crust, take comfort that you’re not alone:
- American men, women, and children eat, on average 46 slices of pizza a year.
- 94% of Americans eat pizza regularly
- In the US, 61% prefer regular thin crust, 14% prefer deep-dish, and 11% prefer extra thin crust
- 62% of Americans prefer meat toppings; 38% prefer vegetables
- 36% order pizza topped with pepperoni
Good Food or Junk Food?
Pizza can be pretty good food – both in calories and nutrition. On the other hand it can be pretty lousy – both in calories and nutrition.
It’s difficult to estimate the number of calories and fat grams in a slice of pizza because the size and depth of the pies and the amount of cheese, meat, or other toppings vary enormously.
Here’s the good news: pizza can be a healthy food choice filled with complex carbs, B-vitamins, calcium, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin C and calorically okay if you choose wisely and don’t eat more than your fair share.
The not so good news: the amount of fat, calories, and the variation in portion size. If your mouth starts to water at the thought of golden brown crust and cheesy goodness — here’s the downer: that luscious slice of pizza that should be about the size of two dollar bills – not the size of a small frying pan or a quarter of a 12” circle.
7 Ways To Build a Better Slice of Pizza
- Order thin crust rather than a thick crust or deep dish.
- Resist the urge to ask for double cheese — better yet, go light on the cheese or use reduced-fat (2%) cheese (if they have it).
- Ask for a pizza without cheese but topped with veggies and a little olive oil. You can always sprinkle on a little grated parmesan for flavor; one tablespoon has only 22 calories.
- Instead of cheese go for big flavors from onion, garlic, or olives but use them somewhat sparingly because of the oil. And don’t forget anchovies – a lot of flavor for minimal calories.
- Choose vegetable toppings instead of meat (think about the fat content in sausage, pepperoni, and meatballs) and you might shave 100 calories from your meal. Pile on veggies like mushrooms, peppers, olives, tomatoes, onion, broccoli, spinach, and asparagus. Some places have salad pizza – great if it’s not loaded with oil.
- Order a side salad (careful with the dressing) and cut down on the amount of pizza. Salad takes longer to eat, too.
- If you’re willing (and not embarrassed or grossed out), try blotting up the free-floating oil that sits on top of a greasy slice with a napkin. Blotting (it’s easy to do this on the kind of hot slice where the oil runs down your arm when you pick it up) can soak up a teaspoon of oil worth 40 calories and 5 grams of fat.
Deep Dish, Hand Tossed, Thin Crust?
Check out the difference in calories for the same size slice (1/8th of a pie) between the classic hand-tossed pizza, the deep dish, and the crunchy thin crust for the same toppings. Then check out the difference in calories for the toppings.
Domino’s 14 inch large classic hand-tossed pizza
- America’s Favorite (Peperoni, mushroom, sausage, 1/8 of pizza): 390 calories
- Bacon Cheeseburger (Beef, bacon, cheddar cheese), 1/8 of pizza: 420 calories
- Vegi Feast (Green pepper, onion, mushroom, black olive, extra cheese, 1/8 of pizza): 340 calories
Domino’s 14 inch large ultimate deep dish pizza
- America’s Favorite (Peperoni, mushroom, sausage), 1/8 of pizza: 400 calories
- Bacon Cheeseburger (Beef, bacon, cheddar cheese), 1/8 of pizza: 430 calories
- Vegi Feast (Green pepper, onion, mushroom, black olive, extra cheese), 1/8 of pizza: 350 calories
Domino’s 14 inch large crunchy thin crust pizza
- America’s Favorite (Peperoni, mushroom, sausage, 1/8 of pizza: 280 calories)
- Bacon Cheeseburger (Beef, bacon, cheddar cheese), 1/8 of pizza: 310 calories
- Vegi Feast (Green pepper, onion, mushroom, black olive, extra cheese), 1/8 of pizza: 230 calories
Mall Pizza: There’s A Range
- A slice of Sbarro’s Low Carb Cheese Pizza has 310 calories and 14 grams of fat.
- A slice of Sbarro’s Low Carb Sausage/Pepperoni Pizza has 560 calories and 35 grams of fat.
- A slice of Sbarro’s Fresh Tomato Pizza clocks in at 450 calories with 14 grams of fat.
- Any of Sbarro’s “Gourmet” pizzas have between 610 and 780 calories a slice and more than 20 grams of fat.
- A slice of Costco Food Court Pepperoni Pizza has 620 calories and 30 grams of fat.
- “Stuffed” pizzas are even worse—790 calories minimum and over 33 grams of fat per slice.
Bunny Ears, Bunny Tails, and Lots of Eggs: Which Do You Head for First?
Peeps, jellybeans, and chocolate eggs are extremely popular types of Easter candy, but the National Confectioners Association says that on Easter, children head for chocolate Easter bunnies first.
No matter how old we are, we all have our preferred way of attacking the chocolate rabbit. Just so you know where you rank, 76% of us eat the ears first, 13% bite off the feet, and 10% go for the tail. Sixty-five percent of adults prefer milk chocolate; 27% prefer dark chocolate.
Bunnies aren’t the only chocolate treat of the season. Chocolate eggs — solid, hollow, decorated, candy-coated, and filled with sweetness – give the bunnies a race through the grass.
Easter Bunnies and Eggs – the Confectionary Type
Chocolate Easter eggs, along with chocolate bunnies, first made their appearance in the 1800’s. They can be found everywhere and at every price point, some decorated with flowers and others wrapped in foil. You can find them in chain stores, discount stores, high-end chocolatiers, and sitting in a bowl on just about every receptionist’s desk.
Easter is the second ranked holiday for candy purchases in the United States (just behind Halloween) and solid, hollow, and filled chocolate Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies are extremely popular choices.
Hollow and Solid Chocolate Easter Eggs
Today’s Easter eggs are mostly sweet chocolate made from cocoa solids, fat, sugar, and some form of milk. The first chocolate eggs were solid and made of a ground roasted cacao bean paste. Hollow eggs didn’t come on the scene until sometime later when a type of “eating chocolate” was developed. By the turn of the 19th century the improved process of making chocolate, along with newer manufacturing methods, made chocolate Easter eggs an Easter gift of choice.
Decorated with Flowers and Wrapped in Shiny Foil
John Cadbury developed the first French eating chocolate in 1842, but the first Cadbury Easter eggs didn’t arrive until 1875. A far cry from today’s Cadbury Crème egg, early Cadbury eggs were smooth surfaced dark chocolate filled with small silver candy balls called dragees.
Today’s Cadbury Crème Egg has a chocolate shell and a filling that’s a mix of white and yellow fondant made of sugar and water beaten into a crème. Since the first egg was made in the 1920s, new varieties include fillings of caramel, chocolate, mint, and peanut butter.
The average calories in popular types of chocolate Easter eggs:
Hershey’s
- Cadbury Chocolate Crème Easter Egg, 1 egg (39g): 180 calories, 8g fat, 25g carbs
- Cadbury Crème Egg, original milk chocolate with soft fondant crème center, 1 egg (39g): 170 calories, 6g fat), 28g carbs
- Cadbury Mini Eggs, 1 package (1.4 ounces): 190 calories, 9g fat, 27g carbs
- Cadbury Mini Caramel Eggs, 4 pieces (1.3 ounces): 180 calories, 9g fat, 23g carbs
- Cadbury Mini Egg, 12 eggs (40g): 200 calories, 9g fat, 28g carbs
- Milk Chocolate (foil) Eggs, 7 pieces (1.4 ounces): 200 calories, 12g fat, 24g carbs
- Candy Coated Eggs, 8 pieces (1.3 ounces): 180 calories, 8g fat, 27g carbs
Dove
- Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate Eggs, 6 eggs: 240 calories, 14g fat, 26g carbs
- Foil Dark/Milk Chocolate Eggs, 6 eggs (1.5 ounces): 230 calories, 14g fat, 26g carbs
Reese’s
- Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Eggs, 5 pieces (38g): 190 calories, 12g fat, 21g carbs
- Reese’s Pastel Eggs, 12 pieces (1.4 ounces): 190 calories, 8g fat, 25g carbs
- Reese’s Giant Peanut Butter Egg (whole egg, 6 ounces): 880 calories, 52g fat, 100g carbs
M&M’s
- Milk Chocolate Speck-Tacular Eggs: 1/4 Cup (12 pieces): 210 calories, 10g fat, 29g carbs
- M&M’s Peanut Butter Eggs, ¼ cup: 220 calories, 13g fat, 23g carbs
- M&M’s Pretzel Eggs, ¼ cup: 180 calories, 6g fat, 28g carbs
Snickers
- Original Peanut Butter Egg (1.1 ounce): 160 calories, 10g fat, 18g carbs
- Snickers Mini Filled Egg (0.9 ounce): 130 calories, 6g fat, 17g carbs
Russell Stover
- Caramel Egg (1 ounce): 130 calories, 6g fat, 19g carbs
- Truffle Egg (1 ounce): 140 calories, 8g fat, 15g carbs
Whoppers
-
Robin Eggs, 8 pieces (1.4 ounces): 180 calories, 5g fat, 3g carbs
- Mini Robin Eggs, 24 pieces (1.4 ounces): 190 calories, 5g fat, 35g carbs
Nestle
- Butterfinger Eggs, 5 pieces (1.5 ounces): 210 calories, 11g fat, 29g carbs
- Crunch Eggs, 5 pieces (1.3 ounces): 190 calories, 10g fat, 25g carbs
The average calories in popular types of chocolate Easter bunnies:
Solid Milk Chocolate Easter Bunny (2.5 ounces): 370 calories (average)
Dove Solid Chocolate Easter Bunny, whole bunny (4.5 ounces): 675 calories
Cadbury Solid Milk Chocolate Easter Bunny: 890 calories
Lindt Dark/Milk Chocolate Bunny (1.4 ounces): 225 calories
Sees Whole Bunny (4.5 ounces): 650 calories
Reese’s Peanut Butter/Reester, whole bunny (5 ounces): 720 calories
Russell Stover, whole bunny (4 ounces): 630 calories
Kosher Chocolate Candy
According to the Hershey Company website, Hershey’s candy coated milk chocolate eggs, chocolate crème eggs, peanut butter eggs, and all hershey’s kisses arel OUD.
How Much Easter Candy You Can Eat for 180 Calories or Less?
Most of us don’t need a reason to indulge on a holiday – it is a celebration, after all. But, just in case you want to “carefully” indulge on Easter candy, here’s how much of your favorite candy you can gobble down to the tune of 100 calories:
- 17 Brach’s jellybeans = 102 calories (6 calories each)
- 5 Peeps = 98 calories (28 calories for one Peep)
- 6 Cadbury mini eggs = 96 calories (16 calories for one mini egg)
- 2/3 of a Cadbury Crème egg = 100 calories (one egg is 150 calories)
- 5 Cadbury mini crème eggs = 100 calories (one Cadbury mini crème egg has 40 calories)
- 2/3 of a Cadbury caramel egg = 113 calories (one Cadbury caramel egg has 170 calories)
- 2 Cadbury mini caramel eggs = 90 calories (one Cadbury mini caramel egg has 45 calories)
- 2/3 Reese’s peanut butter egg = 113 calories (one Reese’s peanut butter egg has 170 calories)
- 5 Hershey’s milk chocolate eggs = 102 calories (one Hershey’s milk chocolate egg has 29 calories)
- 4 Reese’s Peanut Butter Mini eggs: 160 calories