Betty Crocker - Betty Crocker 300 Calorie Comfort Food: 300 Favorite Recipes for Eating Healthy Every Day

General Mills

Food Content and Relationship Marketing Director: Geoff Johnson

Food Content Marketing Manager: Susan Klobuchar

Editor: Grace Wells

Kitchen Manager: Ann Stuart

Recipe Development and Testing: Betty Crocker Kitchens

Photography: General Mills Photography Studios and Image Library

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Publisher: Natalie Chapman

Editorial Director: Cindy Kitchel

Executive Editor: Anne Ficklen

Senior Editor: Adam Kowit

Associate Editor: Heather Dabah

Managing Editor: Marina Padakis Lowry

Production Editor: Jamie Selzer and Jacqueline Beach

Cover Design: Tai Blanche

Interior Design and Layout: Tai Blanche

Production Manager: Kevin Watt

Calories are simply units measuring the energy value of foodyou need a certain number of calories to give your body energy and keep it functioning. But eating more calories than you need might result in weight gain, so its important not to overdo the amount of calories you eat daily. Thats where this book comes inall of the recipes in this book offer up satisfying servings of delicious foods without a lot of extra calories! Youll see that eating better-for-you foods can be simple and tasty, and you wont need to give up your favorites or feel deprived.

Remember that, gram for gram, some foods are more concentrated sources of calories than others. And because fat contains more than twice the calories per gram as protein or carbohydrates, a good way to start reducing calories is to cut the fat content of foods that you makeeven by just a little. Small reductions in fat content can make a big difference in calorie content, and chances are you wont even notice the difference.

How many calories are right for you? Your daily calorie needs will depend on your age, gender and activity leveland whether you are trying to lose, gain or maintain your body weight. One key to leading a healthier lifestyle is to eat fewer calories and increase your activity level.

Heres an easy formula to help you estimate the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight.

• For a sedentary person (inactive most of the time), multiply current weight by 12.
• For a moderately active person (exercise a few times a week), multiply current weight by 14.
• For a very active person (participate daily in heavy exercise), multiply current weight by 16 to 18.

For example, for a sedentary woman who weighs 140 pounds, multiply 140 by 12 to get 1,680an estimate of the calories she may need per day to maintain her current weight. If weight loss is her goal, she would need to consume somewhat fewer than 1,680 calories per day.

Eating well is like a two-piece puzzle. Its about eating the right types of food in the right amounts. Without proper portion sizes, weight management can be very difficult. Heres the catchportion sizes in some restaurants and in the marketplace can be larger than we really need. Value, yesportion control, no. But you can still enjoy your favorite foods and train yourself to eat right-size portions with these 10 tips.

1. Snack on fruits, because theyre loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber, plus these gems are easy-to-find options that are often fresh and delicious.
2. Journal everything you eat and drink, including the portions and how youre feeling, for a few days to understand your personal dietary challenges.
3. Read labels to understand a true serving size, and try to stick to eating just that amount.
4. Theres no need to give up eating outjust ask about the portion sizes. If portions are large, split with a friend or take half home for another meal.
5. Dont skip meals, because being too hungry can cause you to overeat, defeating your best intentions and sending normal portions out the window!
6. Treat yourself to a small piece of chocolate, a cookie or a few chips once in a while so that you dont feel deprived.
7. Make your own DIY snacks and take a couple with you to help keep the edge off.
8. To fill up, go heavier on veggiesthey offer great taste, fewer calories and plenty of vitamins and minerals compared to other options.
9. Say no to supersize anything except water!
10. Weigh and measure your portions for 21 daysthen youll be able to eyeball appropriate portion sizes more accurately.

Youre trying to eat healthier, but there are many pitfalls along the wayafternoon cravings, birthday celebrations, before-dinner hunger pains. Instead of steering clear of all snack occasions, when you crave a comforting snack, try substituting one of these 15 super swaps.