Less Xtreme Eating Alternatives

All these dishes might make you salivate just from the descriptions, and in theory you can eat anything you like when dieting, provided it fits into your calorie requirements and you keep treats like this to a minimum.

However, for most folks, making even a half serving of any of these fit into your diet is going to provide a serious challenge. Therefore, you’re better off skipping them entirely and looking for healthier options instead.

The temptation may be to drastically scale back your calories for a few days before going out, fast for the whole day, binge on one of the above in the evening, then starve yourself for another few days. While the calories may balance out in the end, it’s not a good idea. This is disordered eating, and it plays havoc with your metabolism.

Instead, look for ways you can make healthier versions of these dishes.

Burgers

Forget Johnny Rockets or McDonalds burgers and opt instead for a lean beef burger on a whole-wheat bun, accompanied by loads of salad and veggies. You can make it more interesting by adding a slice or two of low-fat cheese, a piece of avocado, or some low-carb salsa. Reduce the calorie and carb content even further by swapping out the bun and wrapping your burger in a huge lettuce leaf instead.

Pasta and Fried Chicken

You can easily do better than the Cheesecake Factory’s attempt at pasta. Pasta is pretty carbohydrate-dense, so watch the amount you have. 2 ounces of dry pasta should be enough – just top up on veggies if the serving looks a little small. Switch to whole-wheat penne or fusili and serve it with plenty of lean meats. If you’re after a creamier sauce, use low-fat cheese or crème fraiche, quark or cream cheese along with lots of fresh herbs.

Unfortunately, you can’t really make fried chicken much healthier, though you could make faux fried chicken, by coating raw chicken breasts in olive or coconut oil, a light dusting of oat flour and baking them in the oven. They’ll be far less greasy and far lower in calories.

Smoothies

A shake with apple pie and ice cream is probably out, but try a protein smoothie. Grab a blender and throw in some ice. Add a scoop of whey protein, along with various fruits or veggies, a handful of nuts and some regular milk or almond milk. The higher protein content will keep you feeling fuller for longer and help with building lean muscle and stripping fat.

Breakfast

Have a “healthier” fried breakfast. Grilled steak with poached eggs as mentioned before is an awesome start to your day, or grill some good quality bacon and serve it with a few eggs scrambled in organic butter, tomatoes and mushroom, perhaps with some rye toast on the side.

Veal Porterhouse

Be sensible when choosing your steak and go for a leaner cut. Grill it rather than fry it and serve it with a fresh green salad, rather than potatoes or fries. A good steak shouldn’t need much added to it, so hold the calorie-laden sauces.

These alternatives might not be as extreme as our award winners, but they’re just as tasty, and certainly far more diet-friendly.