Lakewood Heights Neighborhood Association

NUTRITION WITH NEILY

Hidden Calories

People often think they're eating healthy, but then sabotage their efforts with high-calorie add-ons. What kinds of diet hazards do people often make? What foods and extras will can sink your diet without you knowing it?

Have you ever eaten your kids’ leftovers? You don't want too much food to go to waste, so you eat what is left on their plates. But a few bites of their snacks and it all adds up. What if you ate one of their pancakes, a few goldfish, a graham cracker, crust from their pizza, a fork-full of macaroni and cheese, ¼ of a cookie from the mall, and a few swigs of their juice to wash it down? You just added several hundred calories to your daily intake!

Liquid beverages are another pitfall. How about fruit juice, isn’t that healthy? Yes, but those liquid calories often go undetected. Research shows that we don’t register the calories we drink as well as the calories we eat. So it’s not giving you a feeling of satiety or fullness.

Other hazards that often challenge the diet include skipping breakfast and “mindless” eating—eating while watching tv, reading, or working on the computer. Check the accompanying list and see where your mistake is and what changes you can make.

The mistake, why it's bad, how to fix it

Mayonnaise:
Not all that un-
healthy, just too many calories. One
tablespoon has 100 calories.

Use light mayonnaise with half the calories or mustard with negligible calories.


Restaurant portions:
Portions are HUGE, easily 2-3 servings. Most entrees (often not including extras) have on average 1,000 calories.

Split meals, eat less than one half. Take the rest home. Eat more often at home where you have more control.


Behold the power of cheese:
One ounce of cheese (about the size of a normal adult thumb or 4 dice) is 110 calories. Pre-sliced pieces are generally ¾ oz (80 calories).
Choose part-skim mozzarella or 2% milk cheese. Leave the cheese off the sandwich. Or use fat free—on a sandwich the difference won’t be noticeable and you’ll save calories.




Olive oil:
Yes, it’s very healthy, but portion matters. One tablespoon of oil (any kind) has 120 calories per tablespoon.
Don’t dip the bread in oil at Macaroni Grill! Measure how much you’re using and use sparingly. If cooking in a skillet, use a nonstick skillet and/or a cooking spray.

Deceptive labels:
The Nutrition Facts label lists all the nutrients per serving. What you may think is one serving may in fact may be 2 or more. An example is a 20 oz Gatorade or the new Vitamin Water. One serving is only 50 calories, but there are 2.5 servings per container, therefore 125 calories.


Make sure you read the label and multiply accordingly if you have more than one serving. Invest in the popular “100 calorie” packs for portion control.

Overeating healthy food:
For weight loss, the bottom line is caloric intake. Triscuits, nuts, pretzels, even fruits are good choices - but if you eat more than you need,
you’ll gain weight.

Monitor caloric intake. Use www.caloricking.com, or www.fitday.com or www.calorie-count.com to help keep track. Write down everything and measure foods.

When she’s not walking her Great Danes on Belmont, Jennifer Neily, MS, RD, LD is a registered and licensed dietitian at the Cooper Clinic and is President-Elect of the Texas Dietetic Association. She can be reached at jenniferneily@yahoo.com. If you would like to make an appointment to see Jennifer, please call 972.560.2655.