4 Diet Changes to Cut the Gut

April 16, 2010, By 23 comments

4 Diet Changes to Cut the Gut

For the typical cheeseburger-loving, ice cream-gobbling guy, it can be depressing just to turn on the TV, pick up a magazine or even log onto a website. Regardless of the media, we’re continually bombarded with warnings like "you really shouldn’t be eating this" or "don’t even think about eating that."

Yes, we know by now there are lots and lots of things we grew up eating that aren’t exactly health food but man, they’re really hard to give up. So, are you doomed to choosing between subsisting on rice cakes or tossing caution to the wind and indiscriminately filling the pie hole?

Fortunately, there’s a happy medium. Try these healthy yet tasty replacements for some of your favorite comfort foods.

1. Sour Cream Dip vs. Hummus

Digging into a bowl of cultured sour cream dip with a salty chip is one of life’s great guilty pleasures, but your waistline may suffer the aftereffects. According to NutritionData.com, a cup of cultured sour cream has a whopping 45 grams of total fat, including 26 grams of saturated fat. Hummus, by contrast, has 24 grams of total fat and only 4 grams of saturated fat. It also has almost four times the protein of sour cream and 15 grams of beneficial dietary fiber vs. zero for sour cream.

A savory mixture of chickpeas, olive oil, sesame butter and spices, hummus has the creamy texture of sour cream dip and it comes in several flavors like roasted red pepper, garlic and Greek. And, would it kill you to eat some carrot sticks or baked crackers instead of potato chips with your dip once in a while? We think not.

2. Beef Burger vs. Veggie Burger

A hamburger is the ultimate comfort food but does it have to be beef? Not really. Before you turn your nose up at the thought of chomping on a veggie burger, consider that a typical beef burger has 13 grams of fat and 65 mg of cholesterol while a veggie burger’s comparative numbers are 3 and zero. They have roughly the same amount of protein, and frozen veggie patties are actually better micro-waved so they’re a smart on-the-go meal that doesn’t require clean up of a greasy frying pan.

If the standard veggie burger (made to taste like a beef burger) just isn’t your cup of tea, try a black bean burger. Similarly, there are a host of low-fat, soy-based sausages and hot dogs that make acceptable replacements for the real things.

 

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Comments (23):

Dave C. And how can we talk about obvious changes without recommending giving up soft drinks? They are probably the biggest contributor to our collective fat arses and they are sneaky, too; people often loose track of how much they drink. Switch to something healthier, like water. - 08/11/2011
Dave C. I have an idea: let's make an article professing to help with one of the most common problems faced by Americans but actually just rehash old news and old advice that people already know. Hummus vs sour cream? Who even eats sour cream dips anymore? Who doesn't keep hummus and low-sodium whole grain crackers around for snacking? And white bread? Really? Is this 2011 or 1981? Everybody knows whole grains are healthier and anyone who's still eating Wonder Fluff is not going to stop because of an article on the internet. Oh and veggie burgers, good idea. A delicious healthy veggie burger on a nice fluffy white bun! A buffalo burger on a whole wheat bun is way healthier, or forget the bun altogether and go for spicy lean ground meat spooned into lettuce wraps. This is advice for fat morons. - 08/11/2011
Tex B. For those of us that do like Baked Potatoes and the topping are our downfall, try this plain, nonfat yogurt mixed with dijon mustard. Believe it or not some of the finer restaurant offer this and it does give the baked potato a bit of bite but it is tasty. - 06/28/2011
Paul G. Following this advice will make you fat and generally unhealthy just as it did for the millions of people who followed low-fat diet advice the last two decades. It's the chips not the dip and the bun not the burger that will spike you blood sugar, kick in the insulin sugar/crash cycle and cause you to be hungrier all the time and tend toward eating more than you need to. The body does not store fat without the presence of insulin in the blood and insulin in the blood is the result of eating carbs. All the research being done is showing the same things; eating fat makes you fat is a myth, eating carbs shortens your life span and causes weight gain. - 06/24/2011
Joe C. It is abundantly clear that you do not know anything about diets. I recommend that you do some research before writing on any topic again except for your resume - you'll be needing that soon if you continue to write such utter garbage. - 06/19/2011
Dave C. I'm an absolute carnivore, but I have to admit, veggie burgers are far better than I would ever give them credit for. My biggest problem is cutting my soda intake. No caffeine? Tea and coffee maybe, but going cold turkey on caffeine gives me a massive headache. - 06/18/2011
Jay P. Dianne -- EVERYONE needs calcium, not just women. - 06/17/2011
Jay P. GOMBS: Garlic, onions, mushrooms, beans/berries, and seeds are the secret to life. Of course you can eat other things, but get these high fiber, high antioxidant, HDL building, immune systems boosting items into your mouth every day!!!!! - 06/17/2011
Tim S. I've lost 25 pounds following a similar diet to this and lowered my colesterol. Cut out the bad fat + sugary stuff. Not all carbs are bad, your body needs carbs. Eat carbs that are high in fiber like wheat bread/pasta and brown rice. Leave the sugary stuff for the kids. Cut way down on dairy foods like cheese, whole milk and ice cream. - 06/15/2011
Dianne V. One size does not fit all when it comes to diets. Men and women and people of various age groups have different nutritional needs. Particularly for women, calcium and protein are important. Moderation in quanities consumed is key as well as a balanced diet and regular exercise are the true components to successful weight management. - 06/14/2011
Neuron F. Yep. Your nutrition advice is stuck in the 90s. Every single piece of advice that you give will make the person who follows it gain weight. Bread of any type will be turned into fat. Sorbet truns into fat. The fat in the sour cream does not turn into body fat but actually turns off the :hunger swith in the body. Your better off following the new USDA Nutrition plat guidelines. Better yet, go back to the USDA guidelines from the '30's with the 7 food groups. Any wacky advice that throws out fat and replaces it with carbs (starch from grains or sugar) will create fat in your body. - 06/03/2011
Donald K. Give me a break! I lost 130 pounds eating the foods this writer recommends avoiding! - 05/29/2011
Marvin M. My doctor is very thin so every patient is perceved to be very fat and must lose weight. My thought is that I need a very fat doctor so I can be perceved as very thin and eat cookies. I just became 81 years old, why would I consider change of diet now except for a weight restriction at the space station. Would my weight then be considered big government? I wish to be creamated when I die so my weight and height will not matter, Just find a larger urn. - 05/28/2011
Marvin M. My doctor is very thin so every patient is perceved to be very fat and must lose weight. My thought is that I need a very fat doctor so I can be perceved as very thin and eat cookies. I just became 81 years old, why would I consider change of diet now except for a weight restriction at the space station. Would my weight then be considered big government? I wish to be creamated when I die so my weight and height will not matter, Just find a larger urn. - 05/28/2011
Hunter A. There is more than one way to lose weight people. Sure, high protein, no carb diet works for some but also does this diet work for others. I've done both and both work. I also exercise frequently and can relate that both are similar, however, I do feel lighter and more energetic with less fat in my diet compared to less carbs. - 05/24/2011
Dr D. I disagree with any mention of fruit smoothies. Like fruit juices, we're filling up with too much sugar. While fruit will provide you with vitamin C which is always good, fructose does about as much for a diet as the sugar in coca cola. Much better to limit fruit intake and focus more on a balanced meal that includes low-glycemic index vegetables. Stay away from bread and pasta, but include grains with a high fiber component. Meat, chicken and fish are all fine but chicken should be skinless and meat ought to be in limited portions per sitting and lower in fat content. Refined foods ought to avoided. Total calories should be spread between minimum 6 meals every 3 hours. - 05/22/2011
J M. More USDA/AHA idiocy. This author knows exactly ZIPPO about nutrition or what makes people fat. He's obviously one of those write-for-pennies guys who's just regurgitating something he read somewhere that fits the parameters. RESTRICT CARBOHYDRATES if you want to lose weight, NOT FAT, NOT PROTEIN. - 05/21/2011
Stephanie S. I agree with Steve S. and this article. I have followed these changes since January and I have lost 35 lbs. I want to lose 20 more so I will continue cutting out processed food and eating lean meats. I love the fake chicken patties and BOCA burgers. Part that I didnt read about is that as long as you are doing a hard one hour work out a day then you can have 100 or so calorie treat. No excercise, no treat. Eat ALL THREE MEALS!! - 05/17/2011
Mike W. If my choice is between veggie burgers & hummus, or early death, I'll take early death. - 05/12/2011
Phred P. What sort of dipXXXX wrote this. You should lose so much weight that you disappear, idiot. - 05/09/2011
David D. Agree with the other posters -- this is utterly terrible advice. Read Gary Taubes' article "Is Sugar Toxic" from April 2011 in the New York Times, or his recent book, "Why We Get Fat." Fat is not the problem -- carbs are. Have the burger, but ditch the bun and fries and soda and have a Diet Coke instead, and you'll have a much healthier meal than a veggie burger, bun and regular soda. - 05/09/2011
William J. Congratulations. This is some of the worst nutrition advice I've read. Consistently bad. The premise is that fat is bad, vegetables good, low-calorie good, etc. Anyone who keeps going back to this well, founded on American Dietetic Association guidelines, deserves the constant hunger and never-ending battle with obesity that they will inevitably get. Luckily, the truth is out there for those who seek it. Limit the carbs and eat more meat. - 04/09/2011
Steve S. IF YOU WANT A REAL DIET THAT REALLY WORKS TRY THIS ONE 1. NO DAIRY 2 NO STARCHES 3 NO UNHEALTHT CARBS FRUIT SMOOTHIES ARE GOOD FOR BREAKFAST LUNCH SALADS AND ALL YOU CAN EAT VEGATABLES IN FACT EAT 2XS MORE VEGGIES THEN FRUIT DINNER VEGGIES WITH EITHER FISH,LEAN PORK, CHIC, OR FISH. EAT SMALL MEALS AND DRINK MIN OF 64 OZS OF WATER EA DAY. V-8 JUICE LOW SIDIUM ,AND GREEN TEA. NO CAFFENE AT ALL. DO THIS FOR 1 MONTH YOU WILL SEE A BIG DIFFERENCE REMEMBER NO CHEATING. I HAVE BEEN ON THIS DIET NOW FOR 12 DAYS AND LOST 8 LBS WITH MORE ENGERY AS WELL. - 04/08/2011

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