How To Add Flavour To Food Without Adding Calories
Tips and tricks on how to lose weight without having to eat bland food.
Chicken breast, rice, and broccoli. That’s the staple bodybuilders' meal. It’s high in protein and low in fat, and you can easily adjust your carb intake. But it’s dry and flavourless.
For the top athletes (or extremely enthusiastic people like me) the job gets done; your muscles are recovered and fueled for your next workout with little to no fuss. For most people though, eating plain food isn’t sustainable in the long run.
Here are 10 ways you can add flavour to food without skyrocketing your caloric intake.
10 Ways To Add Flavour To Food
1. Artificial Sweeteners
All sugar-free drinks and sweets use artificial sweeteners as a replacement for sugar, the most common being sucralose. You can get sugar-free sweetener drops that you can add to anything, like homemade protein desserts, porridge, or coffee. Different artificial sweeteners have different use cases, but they can also have different side effects. Sucralose is fairly “safe”, but sugar alcohols, like maltitol, can cause bloating, so do your research.
2. Salt
Salt has been given a bad rep in recent years, especially in the mainstream. That’s because highly processed foods are very high in salt, and if processed foods comprise the majority of your diet, then reducing salt intake is necessary. But if you eat clean by cooking with whole foods, adding salt is fine, and even beneficial. Salt is used by the body in nerve function, muscle contraction, hydration, and digestion. Adding salt to food for flavour is fine, as long as your intake is under control.
3. Cooking Method
How you cook your food impacts the flavour a lot. If you boil everything, you should expect your food to taste bland. Instead, try barbequing or grilling your food. The smoke and slight char add flavour and depth without adding any calories.
4. Low-calorie cooking spray
Oil transfers heat, prevents sticking, and enhances flavour and texture. However, it’s pure fat, which is the most calorific macronutrient. Not the best when you’re trying to manage your weight. An alternative is to use low-calorie cooking sprays. Cooking sprays still contain calories, but much less, and it’s easier to control how much you use.
5.. Aromatics
Ginger, garlic, and onions are the foundations of almost every dish worldwide. By frying them in oil (or low-calorie cooking sprays), you release the flavour. They naturally don’t contain many calories, but after the flavour has been released, you can take them out if you’re really trying to tighten your caloric intake.
6. Herbs and spices
Dried oregano, basil, thyme, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, turmeric, the list goes on. Some of these are very high in calories per gram, but you’d rarely use a gram. These seasonings only need to be used sparingly to add complexity to your dishes without significantly impacting the calories. Even chicken, rice, and broccoli can be transformed using these.
7. Salsas and Chutneys
Instead of using ready-made sauces, which are high in sugar and salt, try making your own salsas and chutneys. Fresh salsa comprises of tomatoes, onions, coriander and chillies, all of which are low-calorie staples. You can have salsas and chutneys on the side with any savoury dish to add bold flavours without the high calories found in your usual store-bought sauces.
8. Hot Sauce and Chillies
If you enjoy a bit of spice, don’t hold back on hot sauce and chillies. Like seasonings, you only need to use them sparingly to enhance the flavour profile of your dishes. Be careful with processed foods like hot sauce though, they are high in salt, and some sauces may be higher in calories due to additional ingredients. Always read the label.
9. Cocoa powder
Everyone loves chocolate. Unfortunately, chocolate is high in sugar and calories, which are red flags when you’re trying to lower calorie consumption. Cocoa powder on the other hand is surprisingly low in calories when used in recipes. Although cocoa powder has 228 calories per 100 grams, you’d only be using a fraction of that, similar to herbs and spices. If you crave chocolate, get creative with cocoa powder.
10. Lemon and Lime
Sweet, zesty, and tangy, with virtually no calories. Both the zest and the juice can be used in drinks and foods to add a citrusy twist. Add lemon and lime to curries, grilled fish, or salads to add another layer of flavour to your food.
Takeaway
With a bit of effort and creativity, you can transform your low-calorie meals using the list above.
Put a little more time into your nutrition, it’ll keep you going for the long run.
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