Cutting calories with Mushrooms

With holiday season, it’s a festive time to whip up delectable menu to offer to our loved ones, families and friends. It is also a season to be wary of high calorie eatables not to mention pastries, cakes, pastas and meat recipes served on the table! Finding appealing and effective ways to still achieve a healthy weight even in this lavish season is an important move.

Being overweight can increase the risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Carrying excess weight can put stress on joints causing pain and making it difficult to enjoy daily activities. Eating more fruits and vegetables, including fresh mushrooms, is a tasty way to help you keep your weight in check. Fresh mushrooms can truly help. Here are facts:

1. A half-cup serving of cooked sliced mushrooms has a mere 14 calories, virtually no fat and can be a satisfying substitute for higher-calorie ingredients.

2. Mushrooms can be folded into everyday dishes to boost of flavour and help you fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables, without weighing down the dish with calories, fat, cholesterol or sodium.

3. Mushrooms provide B vitamins including riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid, which help to provide energy by breaking down proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Image credit: www.noordinaryhomestead.com

Therefore, consume fewer calories this season with these mushroom subtitutes!Adding mushrooms make a difference.

1.Substitute ½ cup sautéed white button mushrooms in quiche for 4 ounces of cooked bacon. Benefit: Save 580 calories, 45 g fat, 15 g saturated fat and 128 mg cholesterol.

2.Substitute 1 cup diced portabella mushrooms in spaghetti sauce for ½ cup lean ground beef (80% lean). Benefit: Save 285 calories, 19 g fat, 7 g saturated fat and 101 mg cholesterol.

3.Substitute ¼ cup sliced fresh crimini or brown mushrooms on panini for 2 slices of provolone cheese. Benefit: Save 192 calories, 15 g fat, 9.5 g saturated fat and 38 mg cholesterol.

www.newscanada.com