Small changes can make a big difference. Food expert, Jane Curran, shows how you can still enjoy your food while watching your waistline with the slim waistline diet plan.
Wonderful wine
Wine is good for you… in small quantities. Alcohol makes you relax and less single-minded about scoffing those chips and peanuts. Give yourself at least two alcohol-free days a week. When you do have a glass, always drink water afterwards. Dry wines – red or white – are lower in kilojoules than sweet wines.
Lean lasagne
Cut the fat right down in a lasagne by making your meat sauce a day before. Fry the meat in a non-stick pan, letting it brown in its own fat, and don’t add any more. When making the béchamel sauce, use packets of instant white sauce (available in all major supermarkets) with skimmed milk. Instant sauce doesn’t need butter. Skip the mozzarella, the Italians do. And go easy on the Parmesan.
Take it slow
Chewing your food slowly makes a big difference. Your brain thinks you’ve eaten more when you chew more. You also fill up your stomach much more slowly and, importantly, you swallow less air, which makes you feel less bloated.
Three cheers for chicken
A wholesome free-range chicken can offer up a variety of dishes, and there’s no need to add cream. A perfect roast chicken will provide the most gorgeous gravy, without having to add anything. Simply roast with a glass of white wine, plenty of fresh thyme and rosemary, a good squeeze of lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
For some delicious sauces try:
1) Fresh tomatoes, capers and olives tossed in a little splash of oil
2) Mushrooms cooked in chicken stock with a single spoonful of low-fat crème fraîche added at the end
3) Reduced red or white wine with some Dijon mustard whisked in and lashings of fresh tarragon
Perfect potatoes
Here’s a hot tip for your spuds… and there’s not an ounce of butter in sight. Bake the potato as usual, scoop out the filling into a bowl, add a generous spoonful of Greek yoghurt or fromage frais and plenty of chopped fresh chives and season. Spoon it back into the potato skin, then place under a hot grill for a minute or so.
Smaller servings
It’s as simple as eating less. If you struggle with this, try using a smaller plate and pile it up with more vegetables than anything else. Leave a few bites on your plate to get over that “I must finish it all” mindset.
Ditch the chips
Salt is so addictive and once you start munching, you just can’t stop. Instead, try low-salt pretzels, unsalted nuts, Japanese rice crackers, unsalted Brazil nuts and roasted pumpkin seeds.
DISCLAIMER: Before starting any diet, you should speak to your doctor. You must not rely on the information on this website/newsletter as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare provider.
