Top 7 Fatty Spring Foods

BBQ Foods: What a perfect way to enjoy a beautiful spring day with a BBQ! Sure grilling meats is healthier than giving them a dip in a crap load of oil but depending on what you grill your waistline can still take a beating.

Indeed you have your typical things like burgers, hot dogs, ribs and giant steaks, but enjoying these foods will just add more to your fat count. Try to BBQ things like fish, lean meats (poultry), vegetables or fruits. There’s less fat content, they still taste great and have fewer calories than the list I mentioned above.

Rich Dressings and Sauces and Toppings: What could be more tempting than a bowl of strawberries smothered in whip cream, or topping off your hot dog with ketchup, mustard and the ever so fattening mayonnaise. Yep, you can easily make a “healthy” food into a crazy calorie monster if you’re not careful.

The key here is to choose lighter sauces and dressings, and if you really want some of those rich sauces, just take a dab.

Iced Beverages: What I mean by “Iced Beverages” are things like iced cappuccinos, iced coffee, rich smoothies, milkshakes, and tropical mixes. You don’t feel it, but liquid calories do add up pretty quickly. Having just 2 iced beverages in one day can increase your caloric intake by 200-500 calories! Yikes!

Creamy Salads: Every time I’m invited to a potluck lunch or dinner there’s always that one person who ends up brining some sort of pasta salad tossed with some vegetables and mayonnaise. And hey who could blame em’ its easy to make and doesn’t take much time to prepare. However, it doesn’t matter if it’s a potato salad or chicken salad the point is…it’s drowning in mayonnaise and fat that you should definitely stay away from!

Solution? Keep it simple with a mixed greens salad, its healthier, fresh and guess what…no fat!

Mothers Day Chocolates: You survived Easter, but can you survive Mothers Day? Yes it’s true that dark chocolate holds some benefits but only in small proportions. Instead of chocolates and the hidden fat and sugar, give fruit salads or a gift basket of vegetable seeds, so the person you love can plant their own vegetables – it’ll keep them healthy and save money at the same time. And if you’re a mother yourself, drop hints for some healthy cookbooks, or new workout attire.

Brunch: Augh! I cringe when I hear this word. Why? Because, if you’re not careful, brunch can literally destroy all your hard fitness, and weight loss efforts. Restaurants usually serve breakfast casseroles or quiches packed with cheese, sausages, butter, cream and cheese that are served with buns, cinnamon rolls, and pastries.

If you’re going out for brunch here’s a fat saving tip for you: Keep it simple.

Go for some eggs, whole grain slices of bread with maybe some jam, and fruit – simple, delicious and nutritious.

Desserts: Oh yes…I saved the best for last. Desserts. With the warm weather it’s easy to cool off with ice cream, ice cream cakes or things like “Blizzards” or “Mcflurries” where the ice cream is mixed with toppings like, Oreos, Smarties, Coffee Crisps and pretty much any other kind of chocolate bar you can think of.

But to be honest this is a pretty easy habit to cut out. Simply replace your ice cream craving with, frozen yogurt topped off with fresh fruit or sorbet. They’re equally refreshing and will cool you down with out the added calories.