As you set out on our weight loss diet plan, you’re definitely going to want to look at all the things that you can do to keep the calorie level down while maintaining a high amount of nutrition. Since you will be consuming less food when aiming for fat loss, it’s important that you make the most of all those calories you are taking in by choosing the foods that offer the most nutritional punch.

One place that some people struggle with when on a lower calorie diet is the flavor of the foods they’re eating. If you’re like most people, you may have this notion that a low calorie diet has to taste like cardboard, and this can really keep you from starting up a diet plan altogether.

Fortunately though, if you’re willing to get just a little creative in the kitchen, you can find a way to add plenty of flavor to your foods without having to add all the fat and calories that you may have normally taken in.

Often by simply cutting back on high calorie sauces and condiments this can make a dramatic difference to the total number of calories that you consume, so something that’s not to be overlooked by anyone.

The following are some quick strategies that you can use to get yourself started.

Balsamic Vinegar
Many people are quick to turn to soy sauce for use as a condiment or sauce and while that is a lower calorie option, it is remarkably high in sodium.

Instead, consider some balsamic vinegar. This offers a very nice flavor to many different dishes and keeps the meals very low in calories.

Whether you choose to use this on its’ own for flavor or combine it with other ingredients is up to you but do try and include it in your meal plan this week.

Specialty Mustards
Second, another way that you can boost the flavor of the foods you’re eating is to turn to one of the specialty mustards that are available.
Whether you like Dijon mustard, honey mustard, or another option, mustard in general is a low calorie condiment that really packs a strong flavor quickly.

Just watch when ordering the sweeter varieties of mustard that there isn’t too much additional sugar added or that can take away from the benefits that it provides.

Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice that very often gets overlooked but should be added back into your diet regularly. Those who consume cinnamon at a meal often report that they have more stable blood sugar levels, so for anyone who suffers from high fluctuations or who deals with diabetes, this is the perfect spice to be adding.

Cinnamon is more traditionally placed in baked goods or breakfast foods, but don’t restrict yourself to just these options. It can also work well with many main dishes too, so look for a couple recipes to try it out in this manner.

Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
If you have a recipe that calls for oil or even butter in some cases, consider swapping that out for some chicken broth instead. Chicken broth is virtually calorie free and you can purchase lower sodium varieties if that is a dietary concern you have.
What’s best is that it forms a great base for many of the sauces that you might be preparing or can be used as a substitute for butter when making mashed potatoes.

Fresh Parsley
Finally, the last option that you might want to consider to add more flavor to your foods and make your diet more palatable is parsley. Parsley, especially when consumed fresh, works perfect in pasta’s, on your main protein source such as chicken or fish, or even served on top of a salad.

Parsley also offers numerous health benefits including being a rich source of vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, and iron.
If you can get it fresh, all the better but if not, dried will also work well.

So be sure that you consider all of these quick and simple methods for boosting the flavor of some of your dishes without adding all the fat and calories that you otherwise would have.

When you can make small changes like this on a daily basis, that’s when you’ll really notice a dramatic improvement in the overall results you see as you work towards your weight loss goals.

Author Bio: Nick Clipton is the owner of BuildingBodyMuscles.com.  He writes about gaining muscle mass and maintaining a healthy weight. You can subscribe to his RSS or email to read more.

My nephew with pumpkins

The best thing about fall is the food that associates with the season. My absolute favorite is Pumpkin. It’s not just a decorative item for Halloween! There are a bunch of pumpkinesque treats to enjoy. I love toasted pumpkin seeds and pumpkin pie and always look forward to making these two things. There’s also the Pumpkin Spiced Latte at Starbucks and the Pumpkin Smash smoothie at Jamba Juice that a lot of people rave about!

What are the health benefits of Pumpkin anyway? It is rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It is also an excellent source of fiber, and pumpkin seeds are a good source of vitamin E, iron, magnesium, potassium, and plant based source of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Basically, they’re better than a bag of potato chips or snickers bars!

I love how pumpkin is so versatile, as the pumpkin puree can be used to make soups, breads, smoothies, and pies. Not to mention, it can be quite therapeutic to carve out the pumpkin seeds from the inside of a pumpkin. I found this out today when I was scooping out our pumpkin for the seeds.

Besides pumpkin, what are your favorite fall foods?

Because I’m on a budget, I have been pretty much scouring the internet for coupons and mindful of the food I buy.  I do use coupons. I found this awesome website (seriously, I found this entirely on my own, so this is no sponsored post at all) where you can print out coupons for a bunch of organic snacks and products.

It’s called Mambo Sprouts, and you can find recipes, product reviews and coupons.  I signed up and got this coupon book in the mail for a bunch of different snacks, and although they’re no longer sending printed editions of their coupon books (to be green), you can sign up on their website to get emails on how to save money on natural and organic products.

There’s no shame in using coupons to save, after all, they’re there for you to use!

So for the past few days or so I’ve been trying some new snacks and I just wanted to review them all in one post. I love trying out new food and all the better if I enjoy it a lot. Some things were not my ‘cup of tea,’ but it’s better to try and find out rather than not try and never know, right? So here goes.

I found out about Chobani from a bunch of food/fitness blogs that I read and I must say, Chobani absolutely rocks! I got a response from them with the quickness and they sent the yogurt when they said they were going to, which was the day after I heard from them!

Chobani was nice enough to send me a bunch of different flavors to try.  My first taste of Chobani was the Strawberry flavor.

The yogurt is really smooth and creamy and really yummy.  There is some sugar in the yogurt, but is 0% fat free. If you ever tried Fage yogurt, it’s kind of the same texture, but in my opinion, Chobani isn’t as thick, which I like.  I also tried the Apricot flavor, and I love that one, so far.  I still have more flavors to try!

The nice people at EAS Myoplex sent me this a few weeks back, and I have too much food in my house and only got a chance to try this stuff recently. I really enjoyed the bars, but the drink was a bit too much for my taste. To each his own, I guess. If you’re kind of hungry and you’re about to work out, the bars are a great power booster, and has a blend of high-quality proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

I tried a couple bars over the weekend, Balance Bar in Honey Peanut and the Larabar in Chocolate Coconut Chew and both are yum. I enjoyed the Balance Bar the most. It tastes like a candy bar! The Balance Bars have 9g of protein and wholesome ingredients. There are a bunch of different types and a variety of flavors!

The Larabar has an interesting combination of Fruit and Nut, and Coconut, and to be honest I wanted to enjoy this one more. Each bar has 1 serving of fruit, no sugar and each flavor has no more than 6 ingredients. Larabar has a bunch of different flavors which I am looking forward to trying though!

Can you believe all these pictures were taken with my iPhone? 

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a PowerBar representative about their Energize line, and was happy to try out some of their products, notably the Energize Bars and Electrolyte mix.  I found them to be really great for when you need a quick boost while working out.  The flavors come in Smoothie flavors such as Tangy Tropical, Berry Blast and Creamy Citrus.  The one I enjoyed was the Tangy Tropical, since I’m a tropical fruit lover.  The other great thing about these bars is that they have a bunch of vitamins in them, so you’re getting a doseage of vitamins, without taking an actual pill.

Each of these bars have the following:

• Made with real fruit + 17 vitamins & minerals
• No artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives
• 6 grams of high-quality protein
• Fruit C2 MAX optimized carb blend with the same ratio of glucose to fructose proven to deliver more energy

I like the fact the Electrolyte mix is portable and easily made with a bottle of water.  I’m love anything that puts some flavor in my usual water… so it’s great, especially when I’m doing a tough workout!

It’s amazing how many products PowerBar has come up with to help rev up your energy when you’re on the go.  Thanks again PowerBar!