It’s possible that baking is not something you often consider while attempting to lose some weight. Most of the time, you’re so focused on preparing meals that are better for you that baked goods are the last thing on your mind. Although healthier meals are technically possible to bake, the first things that spring to mind are sweets and other unhealthy indulgences.
There is good news, you can have both cake and ice cream. The Nutrition Twins, Lyssie Lakatos and Tammy Lakatos Shames were the subjects of our conversation, and they provided us with some advice on the best baking practices for weight loss. They are demonstrating to us that, as long as you adhere to these optimal baking methods, you can still bake when you are trying to lose weight.
1 — Avoid baking if you’re hungry
When you are hungry, everything around you seems to be wonderful, and you’re tempted to eat it all.
The Nutrition Twins state, “If you start to bake when you’re hungry then it’s game over. It’s hard enough to resist endless bits of wonderful raw dough and seductive toppings like chocolate chips when you are not even hungry. You’ll be hunting for calorie-dense foods to calm a growling stomach since it’s all too simple to eat a day’s worth in calories before your baked products have even been put into the oven.”
2 — Substitute prune puree for calorie-dense butter and oils
Although it may not seem like the most popular baking tip, this is excellent for weight loss!
The Nutrition Twins advise using calorie-dense prune puree for butter and oils when baking to save calories without sacrificing taste. All baked products, appetizers, entrees, and desserts will have better texture, more moisture, and richness when bad fats are replaced.
According to The Nutrition Twins, substituting prune puree for one half cup of oil may result in a 600-calorie savings.
What should you trade for? For you, The Nutrition Twins provide a breakdown:
In recipes, use 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup prune puree for the 1/2 cup of oil.
Replace 1 stick of butter with 1/2 stick and 1/2 cup of prune puree.
The Nutrition Twins state, “We favor Sunsweet prunes due to their high amounts of antioxidants and acidity which adds a delightful acidic caramel taste.”
3 — When baking, restrict yourself to three little taste tests
Let’s face it, who doesn’t like sampling fresh dough to see whether it tastes good or not? It’s crucial to limit your sampling, despite how alluring it may seem.
The Nutrition Twins advise against tasting during baking in order to reduce calorie intake, but sometimes it’s necessary to get the optimal flavor and texture. Just be careful to limit your three samples since, depending on the cuisine, they might still cost you more than 150–200 calories.
The Nutrition Twins claim that if you’re not careful, taking a few additional, bigger bits might suddenly lead to you eating more calories than you should for a full meal—or even two.
4 — Use pureed beans in lieu of cream in recipes
Beans are another another strange substitution, but they work well for delicious and healthy baked items. To reduce the number of calories in white cakes, The Nutrition Twins advise using white beans for butter. The Nutrition Twins suggest using the same quantity of cooked white beans as butter. “Per cup, there would be a reduction of about 1,400 calories! You may thus save roughly a day’s worth of calories by substituting white beans for each cup of butter.”
Adding beans to baked goods has other health benefits besides calorie reduction. It’s not surprising that studies suggest that individuals who consume white beans and other beans tend to have smaller waistlines and weigh less since beans, including white beans, contain fiber and protein to keep you full. Additionally, your pals who are vegan and lactose-free may eat these recipes as well.
5 — As soon as your delectable product is finished baking, cover it and hide it
This “out of sight, out of mind” philosophy might assist in removing any further temptations.
According to The Nutrition Twins, “the scent of baked goods might be enticing enough, but if it is sitting there, staring you down too, it’s much harder to refuse.” Out-of-sight, out-of-mind may prevent you from ingesting hundreds of extra calories.