get the skinny

Whatever your motivation for seeking out healthy food—for weight loss or simply to provide your body high-quality fuel for optimum health, the most common and commonsense advice from a variety of sources is this: Don’t diet—change your lifestyle. That means learning how to trim calories from every dish and making nutrient-packed meals built around fruits and veggies, lean proteins, and whole grains.

That’s what Better Homes and Gardens® Skinny Dinners is all about. It’s filled with good-for-you recipes that make it easy to get a delicious, healthful dinner on the table any night of the week. The editors and dietitians behind Skinny Dinners know that if changing your lifestyle is not easy to achieve, you are more likely to abandon your weight-loss goals. Cooking and eating a new way has to fit into the busy, often hectic, lives we all lead. The calorie-smart recipes in Skinny Dinners trim time and hassle from the cooking process but they do not cut corners on great taste or nutrition—so you can feel confident that everyone in the family will love the food you make and will benefit from eating it.

A lively, interesting variety of dishes, including casseroles, stir-fries, main-dish salads, 5-ingredient recipes, and meals from the pantry ensures that you’ll never tire of cooking and eating skinny. These nourishing and tasty recipes don’t constitute a “diet,” but simply a new way to eat and live—well, happy, and healthy!

contents

the skinny on skinny

5 ingredients

dinner in 30 minutes

casseroles

skillets & stir-fries

low carb, high protein

from the pantry

make-ahead slow cooker

recipe makeovers

fresh & fast

100-calorie side dishes

sweets under 200 calories

index

the skinny

on skinny

Whether you’re looking to lose weight, get fit, or simply want to eat more healthfully, changing your diet in a way that is achievable without deprivation is the key to long-term success. Skinny Dinners provides the information you need and the recipes you want to feel great, lose weight, and keep it off for good.

lose weight for the right reasons

Before you embark on a weight-loss plan, take inventory of your ability to carry out your goals. Are you stressed out? Are you changing jobs, relationships, or relocating? Being in the right frame of mind can affect whether you are successful in losing weight or not. Additionally, it is best to lose weight for yourself and your health—not for your spouse, your mother, or your friends. It is also not wise to starve yourself to lose weight at lightning speed for an event. Not only is this unhealthy, the weight loss most likely won’t last. When you do decide the time is right, did you know:

Preventing weight gain or reversing recent weight gain can improve your health?

Health can improve with a relatively minor weight reduction (5 to 10 percent of body weight)?

Adopting a healthy lifestyle by eating better and moving more has positive health implications even when you don’t lose any weight at all?

common sense dieting

Many trendy fad diets encourage you to avoid whole categories of foods. By doing so, you run the risk of missing necessary nutrients needed to stay healthy. For a healthy eating plan, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest:

  1. Consume less sodium, saturated and trans fats, added sugars, and refined grains.
  2. Enjoy your food, but eat less.
  3. Avoid oversized portions.
  4. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
  5. Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
  6. Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals—and choose the foods with lower numbers.
  7. Drink water instead of sugary drinks. For additional information, see www.choosemyplate.gov.

Rather than thinking about eating “good food” or “bad food,” focus on eating a variety of nutrient rich foods. That means focusing on fresh foods rather than packaged or fast foods. The least amount of processing the food has undergone, the better. What is better for you: A powdered soup from a package or a homemade soup with fresh veggies and lean meat? The choice is obvious.

Bruce Ames, PhD, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of California in Berkeley believes that a deficiency of micronutrients due to eating a low-quality diet can lead to obesity. He hypothesizes that a person who is starved of critical nutrients will keep eating in order to obtain these missing nutrients. This deficiency diminishes the feeling of being satisfied after eating.

Excessive hunger is a big reason why some diets don’t work. A study reported in Nutrition Journal showed that increasing the nutrient quality of the diets of 768 participants dramatically reduced hunger—even when the prescribed diet was substantially lower in calories. The higher-quality diet decreased food cravings and overeating behaviors, even when meals were occasionally skipped. Nearly 80 percent of the respondents reported that their experience of hunger dropped since beginning a high-nutrient-density diet. The study concluded that a high-quality diet provides benefits for long-term health as well as weight loss.

calorie counting: to count or not to count?

For busy people, keeping track of calories isn’t easy. In one study, a group of Harvard scientists illustrated that eating a healthy diet is not just about counting calories. The study showed that people who ate certain healthful foods, such as yogurt and nuts, tended to gain less weight or even lost weight, while those who often ate foods such as french fries and sugary drinks tended to gain weight. It is true that what you eat is as important as how much you eat. The conclusion: Don’t count calories; make calories count.

get your plate in shape

Keeping healthy food top of mind, therefore, is key to any successful weight-loss plan. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics offers these tips when choosing foods to lose weight and to be healthy.

Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables. Choose reduced-sodium or no-salt-added canned vegetables. Add fruit to meals and snacks. Buy fresh fruits or fruits that are dried, frozen, or canned in water or 100 percent juice. Fresh, frozen, or canned fruits and vegetables are all viable choices.

Make at least half your grains whole. Choose 100 percent whole grain breads, cereals, crackers, pasta, and brown rice.

Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk. Fat-free and low-fat milk have the same amount of calcium and other essential nutrients as whole milk, but less fat and calories. Note: If you are lactose intolerant, try lactose-free milk or a calcium-fortified soy beverage.

Vary your protein choices. Eat a variety of foods from the protein food group each week, such as seafood, nuts, and dried beans or legumes, as well as lean meat, poultry, and eggs. Twice a week make seafood the protein on your plate and keep meat and poultry portions small and lean (see “Serving Sizes and Portions”).

Cut back on sodium. Add spices or herbs to season food without adding salt, which can increase blood pressure and cause fluid retention.

Reduce empty calories from solid fats and added sugars. Drink water instead of sugary drinks and choose 100 percent fruit juice instead of fruit-flavor drinks. Opt for fruit for dessert and choose sugary desserts less often.

Reduce solid fat intake. Make major sources of saturated fats such as desserts, pizza, cheese, sausages, and hot dogs occasional treats. Buy lean cuts of meat or poultry and fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese. Also, switch from solid fats to vegetable oils when preparing food.

Food Group BreakDown

The recommended number of servings for adults and the amount of food that counts as a serving.

Fruit

Amount You Need Each Day

1½ to 2 cups or equivalent

Vegetables

Amount You Need Each Day

2½ to 3 cups or equivalent

Dairy

Amount You Need Each Day

3 cups or equivalent

Protein

Number of Servings You Need Each Day

5 to 6 ounces or equivalent

Fats and Oils

Fats and oils are not a food group, however they provide essential nutrients. Adults can allow 5 to 6 teaspoons fats and oils in a healthy diet per day. Many people are able to consume enough fat in the foods they eat, but if you don’t, adding foods with healthy fats can benefit your health.

boost your nutrients while dieting

With the goal of eating more nutrient-dense foods, when slashing calories you must be more diligent in choosing what you eat. The following nutrients should be considered when cutting calories:

Carbohydrates Low-carb diets top the list of popular diets. In reality, the type of carbs to limit should be soft drinks, candy, and other foods with added sugars. Focus more on choosing whole and fortified grains (6 to 7 servings per day, at least half of them fiber-rich whole grains). Additionally, eat fruit (2 cups) and vegetables (2½ cups) every day. Cutting categories of foods from your diet is not the best way to lose weight because you cut out valuable nutrients.

Protein Don’t be tempted to ditch protein foods in order to lose weight. Protein foods help you build muscle, which is important in helping you look leaner. Protein helps keep you satisfied over the long run, especially when eaten at breakfast. Yogurt, a high-protein smoothie, or hard-boiled eggs are good breakfast choices. Low-fat dairy foods, lean meats, poultry, seafood, nuts, and dried beans and legumes (a total of 6 ounces per day) should be part of your meals.

Fat Eating a diet high in fat translates to higher calories. But when it comes to fat, it is a matter of balance. To a certain extent, fat is needed in a diet. Purchase leaner meats, such as ground turkey breast instead of ground turkey or ground round or sirloin instead of ground chuck. Reduce sneaky hidden fats in dairy foods by switching from whole milk to low-fat milk. Use unsaturated oils, such as olive oil, in cooking.

Vitamin B12 Vitamin B12 is a vitamin only found in foods of animal origin. Strict vegans who eat no animal products or vegetarians who eat only eggs and milk may need to supplement their diet by eating fortified cereals or by taking a B12 (cobalamin) supplement. Low levels of this vitamin are often found in people over the age of 50. It is also common in conditions such as digestive problems and anemia, causing fatigue, weakness, memory loss, and problems with the nervous system.

Calcium Foods rich in this mineral help keep your heart and muscles strong and may help prevent high blood pressure and colon cancer. It has also been shown to help reduce body fat. Low-fat milk, cheeses, and yogurt, of course, have calcium, but so do tofu, leafy vegetables, and calcium-fortified juices.

Iron Cut your iron intake and you could develop iron-deficiency anemia, which will make you feel tired and sluggish. Without energy, who wants to cook healthy meals? Include good sources of iron in your meal plans, such as lean red meat, iron-fortified cereals, poultry, fish, dried beans, and leafy green vegetables.

Fiber Adequate fiber helps food move efficiently through your digestive tract. It also helps prevent heart disease, diabetes, digestive problems, constipation, hemorrhoids, and weight gain. A diet high in fiber is generally lower in calories and helps make you feel full faster. Whole grains, dried beans, fruits, and vegetables provide fiber. The daily requirement is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. After age 50, your daily fiber needs drops to 21 grams for women and 30 grams for men.

nutrition labels

The “Nutrition Facts Panel,” which is usually found on the side or back of the package.

Serving Size

Serving sizes are noted in household measures. There will also be a weight listed with the serving size.

Servings per Container

The information is for one serving. Be aware—some packages contain more than one serving in the package.

Nutrients Per Serving

The values for the amount of calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, sugars, and protein found in one serving of the product. The % Daily Value is the percentage of the daily recommended level of that nutrient found in one serving, based on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet.

Vitamins and Minerals

Levels for vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron listed as percentages of the recommended levels that you should aim to consume in a day. Other vitamins and minerals may also be included.

serving sizes and portions

When reading food labels or the Nutrition Facts for the nutrients the food provides, a serving size is also listed. Many times these serving amounts are too much, especially if you are watching your calorie intake. Here are several ways to determine food portions or serving sizes visually when you don’t have a measuring cup or spoons handy.

square 3 ounces of meat = a deck of cards or palm of hand

square 1½ ounces of cheese = four stacked dice

square 1 cup of pasta = a baseball

square 1 cup of vegetables or fruit = a loose fist

square ½ cup of vegetables or fruit = a tennis ball or tight fist

square 1 tablespoon = the length of a thumb

square 1 teaspoon of margarine or butter = one dice

To avoid eating large portions, use a small plate, bowl, and drinking glass. It is smart to limit eating out when you can. Eating at home more often will help you control what is going into your food. Choose lower-calorie menu options when you do eat out. Look for menu items that include vegetables, fruits, and/or whole grains, and foods that are steamed, broiled, grilled, or baked.

One great way to keep track of what and how much you eat is to take a picture of your meals with your smartphone. This helps keep you honest! Or keep a log of what you eat to keep track of how much you eat. Most importantly, when you sit down to eat, be mindful of your meals and savor every bite.

hands

Practical Visual Tips for Portioning Foods

You may not always have a set of measuring cups or spoons handy, but fortunately, you have a built-in tool that can help you estimate serving sizes.

  1. Loose fist = 1 cup
  2. Tight fist = ½ cup
  3. Palm of hand = 3 ounces
  4. Two fingers lengthwise = 1 ounce
  5. Length of thumb = 1 tablespoon
  6. Tip of thumb = 1 teaspoon
 
 

strategies from weight-loss winners

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a study in 2012 found four key behaviors that separated people who have kept weight off and those who haven’t. Here is what the maintainers do:

 
 

1. Weigh away. You’ve often heard to throw the scale away, but maintainers regularly weigh themselves. Weigh yourself in the morning, take note of increases or decreases, and gauge your food intake accordingly.

2. Stay on track. Successful maintainers continue with their newfound behaviors, such as eating breakfast, journaling to keep track of food intake or exercise, and good portion control.

3. Be a planner. Plan your meals, schedule your exercise, and have healthy foods on hand for snacks and meals. Planning helps ensure success.

4. Be kind to yourself. Use positive self-talk as a way to encourage yourself on your journey. A journal with positive thoughts is a popular way to give yourself a boost that you need. Also, celebrate your successes with a meaningful token: A movie, a new piece of jewelry, or a luxurious body lotion.

healthy substitutions

Choose wisely when selecting snack foods or making meal decisions. Here’s a list to help you save calories, while boosting nutrition.

Instead of this:

Eat this:

Bagel

Whole wheat English muffin

Burger from ground chuck

Burger from ground sirloin

Candy bar

Dark chocolate covered almonds

Crackers and cheese

Popcorn (air popped) sprinkled with grated Parmesan

Cream cheese

Hummus

Doughnut

Whole wheat toast with low-sugar jam

Peanut butter cup

1 or 2 squares of dark chocolate with a smear of natural peanut butter

Pork sausage

Turkey sausage

Potato chips

Veggie chips (with beet or sweet potato)

Ranch-style salad dressing

Italian or vinaigrette salad dressing

Salad croutons

Shelled pumpkin seeds

Soda

Seltzer water with slices of lemon, lime, and/or orange

Spaghetti

Spaghetti squash

Strawberry ice cream

Strawberries with light whipped cream (canned)

Tortilla chips

Mini whole wheat pretzels

Chicken salad sandwich

Turkey (sliced) sandwich

you are not alone

Look for ways to enlist help on your journey. It goes without saying that exercise should be part of any goal for good health. Ask a buddy to go walking with you or to an exercise class. If you are new to physical activity, start slow. Do what you can for at least 10 minutes at a time and gradually increase your time. You should strive for 30 minutes per day.

For additional help, seek out cookbooks, such as Skinny Dinners, Skinny Slow Cooker, or books from trusted sources to assist you in reaching your goals of weight loss and healthy living. By choosing delicious recipes that meet all of your nutritional needs (which means including foods from all food groups), you can create a plan that will grow with your long-term health goals—while you grow thinner. Bon appétit and to your health!