Survival Guide: Starbucks

You may feel like a super skinny celebrity when walking around a shopping centre clutching your purse and a Venti Java Chip Frappucino Whip but holy shit, you have just mindlessly inhaled a huge 520cals and 19.6g fat. That is like scoffing two bars of chocolate, or even a Big Mac.
Heart attack alert!
There's no excuse for it. There are Nutrition Leaflets in store and even a pdf file here.
However, if you're feeling lazy, here are some of my favourite beverages:

For the hardcore coffee addict:
Tall Brewed Coffee: 4cal 0.1gfat
Tall Americano: 11cal 0gfat
Solo Espresso: 6cal 0gfat

For those who like it milky and sweet:
Tall Skimmed Cappucino: 64cal and 0.1gfat
Tall Skimmed Latte: 102cal and 0.2gfat
Tall Skinny flavoured Latte: 102cal and 0.2g fat

For those who drink coffee like it's a dessert:
Tall Frappucino Light Blended Coffee: 91cal and 0.7gfat
Tall Frappucino Light Blended Mocha: 113cal and 1.1gfat
Tall Frappucino Light Belended Coffee Caramel: 129cal and 1.4gfat

Quick tips:

• Always choose Tall, it's 254ml, about as much coffee as in a regular cup. A venti has a huge 473ml. Seriously, unless you want to pee every 5 minutes you do NOT need that much coffee.
• Always says Skinny. This means skimmed milk and sugar free syrup.
• Extra espresso = less room for milk = less calories.
• No whip. It can shamlessly add 50-100cals.

A side note on food:
Although I've never actually enjoyed anything I've eaten from Starbucks, if you are hungry these things have the lowest ammount of calories:

1. Fruit salad 102cals
2. Valencia Orange Cake 138cals
   
3. Marshmallow twizzle 140cals
4. Strawberry/Blueberry Yogurt 178 and 194cals respectively
5. Low fat Carrot and Orange cake 200cals

So there you have it. Now there's no excuses for consuming a quarter of your daily calories throug a straw!

Christmas Crisis: Say cheese!

Does anyone know why we eat cheese at Christmas? I don't.
What I do know is that cheese and crackers are packed with fat and it's way too easy to scoff a whole bunch.
But luckily there is low cal and low fat version of the most popular varieties of cheese:
As you can see, the lower cal versions are on the right.
Per 100g:
Philadelphia: 255cal, 24g fat. Extra Light: 111cal, 4.5g fat.
Leerdammer: 358cal, 28g fat. Lightlife: 275cal, 16.5g fat.
Laughing Cow: 239cal, 19gfat. Extra light: 116cal, 3g fat.
Cottage cheese is always a good option, with 80cal and 1.5g fat per 100g.
Low fat cheddar tends to taste rubbery and chalky so may not be a good option for some.
What about pickle? Well Branston pickle is surprisingly low in calories with 109cal and 0.2g fat per 100g.
Pickle onions are also a good choice, just 21cal and 0.1g fat per 100g.
As for crackers, a Jacob's Cream Cracker contains 35cals and 1.1g fat. That may not seem like much but the calories can add up fast. Regular crackers are usually made with white, bleached flour which offers absolutely no nutrition.
Munch on Ryvita Crispbreads and plain rice cakes instead, they contain fibre so are a healthier option.
You can even replace them with slices of apple, pear, celery and cucumber which are super healthy and super low in calories too!

In a nutshell:
Choose low fat varieties of your favourite cheese.
Choose crackers with fibre and wholegrain.
Serve with slices of apple, pear, celery and cucumber.
Pickled onions and Branston pickle are low cal and delicious.

Chocolate Craving

Another "How to Satisfy your Cravings" post. This time it's focussing on chocolate.
Here are seven great products that can keep your chocolate cravings down so you don't ruin your diet:
Ready Brek Chocolate Porridge
Chocolate porridge isn't just for kids. It is, however, an awesome way to start your day.
It will fill your tummy and give you long-lasting energy aswell. It's also very tasty, which is always a good thing!
When made with water, a serving contains 108cals and 2.2g of fat.



Chocolate Cereal Bars
There are tons of low cal cereal bars on the market and they make a great snack. Here is my favourite.
Coco Pops Coco Rocks, you may feel a little childish and silly eating one but these cereal bars have delish chunks of chocolate on top, are chewy and not overly sweet. They contain 83cals and 2g of fat.



Chocolate Snack a Jacks
These are more coco pop flavour than actually chocolatey.
However, they're crispy and sweet with cute little chocolate chips on top so for just 60cals and 1gfat you can't go wrong with these!





Options Hot Chocolate
Yum, this stuff is a cupboard staple. It's sweet and smooth without being too overpowering. It comes in a variety of flavours like toffee, hazelnut, mint and dark. Because it's hot, it also take ages to drink meaning a longer lasting chocolate experience.
Each serving contains 36cals and 1g of fat.



Skinny Cow Ice Cream
These things are so chocolatey and delicious it's hard to believe they're not super fattening. With chocolate chips and a little swirl, they satisfy ice cream and chocolate cravings at the same time. Not bad considering one stick has 87cals and 5g fat.


That's all for now. Remember, some chocolate cravings can be fixed with a sweet peice of fruit such as an apple or strawberries, which is always a healthier option.

Pizza Cravings

Oh pizza. A greasy combo of fat and carbs that has destroyed diets across the globe.
Well, not anymore. Here are some ideas and recipes to rid yourself of any pizza cravings.
(Psst, a large slice of pizza contains around 300cals and 10g of fat. Just another reason to ditch the dough.)

Real Pizza
Micky Mouse Pizza (from Tesco)
Made with wholemeal flour, this pizza is relatively healthy.
One pizza contains 285cals and 5.6g of fat which isn't too bad.
Serve with a huge salad and you've got yourself a good meal.
You can also add your delicious toppings like wafter thin ham, chicken strips and spinach, mushrooms, olives etc.
If you can't find this pizza just check the nutritionals on any mini-pizza. Mini pizzas are great as they are often super small which equals instant portion control.


Get Creative
Choose a base:
Rice cakes, Corn thins, Ryvita Crackers, Nimble bread, Weight Watchers bread etc.
Choose a sauce:
Light Laughing Cow Spread, Ketchup, Salsa, etc.
Choose toppings:
Olives, Mushrooms, Thin-sliced meat, Peppers, Tomato, etc.
Choose cheese:
A sprinkle of Parmesan, Low fat "Healthy Living" cheese, etc.

Simply grab your base, spread on the sauce and put your toppings and cheese on top.
If you like, heat in the microwave for 10secs.

Chicken Sandwiches are FAIL. 190cals

Bread is an obvious staple in any normal diet so it's no surprise that sandwiches are so freaking popular. They might seem like a balanced choice of carbs, protein and if you're lucky, vegetables but that doesn't stop them from being fattening.
A sandwich with brown bread, chicken and a bit of salad sounds diet friendly but Tesco's Chicken Salad Sandwich actually contains around 400 calories and 15g of fat.
I'm going to show you some swaps that can make your sandwiches a lot more diet friendly.

Nimble bread has a mear 40cals per slice compared to a regular slice of bread which has anything from 80 to 120cals.
Spread on a portion controlled triangle of Extra Light Laughing Cow, just 20cals.
Add in some Healthy Living Chiken, just 80cals for a generous portion, plus your low cal veggies such as cucumber and lettuce and you've got yourself a delicious replacement.

Ingredients:
2 slices of Nimble bread (80cals)
Extra Light Laughing Cow (20cals)
Healthy Living Chicken (80cals)
Lettuce, cucumber (10cals)
Total: 190cals

Notes:
Wholemeal bread has more fibre and is thus more filling than white bread. The more salad you add the better. Steer clear of mayonnaise and butter as you can needlessly add hundreds of calories. For even less calories use thin sliced meat such as ham, turkey, beef and chicken. The possibilities are endless!

Angel Delight is awesome 80 cals

Now, if you live in anywhere that isn't the UK this post will be irrelevant and you will not be able to try out this recipe. Sorry guys.
See that packet of Angel Delight on the left? Sugar free, right? You'd expect it to be low in calories and fat. WRONG. 464cals and 22g fat per 100g.
I know, I'm as shocked as you are.
However, if you buy the cheap, knock-off versions from Tesco or Asda they'll have 100cals and 3g fat per 100g. Hooray!

Some facts about Tesco Delight:
Each pack contains around 50g (50cals per pack).
The instructions say to make it with semi-skimmed milk, however, you can save a TON of calories by using skimmed milk instead.

Ingredients (2 servings):
1 pack of Tesco or Asda Delight (50cals)
300ml skimmed milk (110cals)
Total: 160cals. 80 cals per serving.

1. Whisk Tesco Delight into milk until creamy and thickened.
2. Pour into two small bowls/mugs and leave to set for 5 minutes.

Notes: You can put this in the freezer for a couple of hours for a super low cal ice cream alternative.

Mushroom Omelette 135cals

A quick and easy recipe that is low calorie and makes a good meal. (1 serving)
Ingredients:
1 egg (80cals)
2 egg whites (30cals)
Half tin of mushrooms (15cals)
Salt and pepper to taste
Total = 135 cals.

Optional extras include:
Ketchup (15cals per tbsp)
Salsa (5-15cals per tbsp)
Chopped onion, spinache, sliced wafer thin ham/turkey etc.

1. Spoon out half a tin of mushrooms (around 130g) in to a bowl. Try not to spoon out too much water.
2. Break one egg and two egg whites in to the bowl.
3. Stir well, add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Put in microwave on full power. Stir every 30secs until the egg has set but is not too rubbery or dry.
5. Eat

Notes: You can use ALL egg whites if you like but I find omelettes taste alot better with atleast one egg yolk. Don't forget to count calories for any other ingredients you add. Can be served with a salad. This meal is filling as it contains both protein and fibre.