Tip #1 – Eat More Cauliflower
This thing is like a magic diet food.
In 100 grams of Cauliflower you’ll get…
Energy 104 kJ (25 kcal)
Carbohydrates 5 grams
Sugars 1.9 grams
Dietary fiber 2 grams
Fat 0.3 grams
Protein 1.9 grams
Vitamins Thiamine (B1) (4%) 0.05 mg Riboflavin (B2) (5%) 0.06 mg Niacin (B3) (3%) 0.507 mg Pantothenic acid (B5) (13%) 0.667 mg Vitamin B6 (14%) 0.184 mg Folate (B9) (14%) 57 μg Vitamin C (58%) 48.2 mg Vitamin E (1%) 0.08 mg Vitamin K (15%) 15.5 μg Trace metals Calcium (2%) 22 mg Iron (3%) 0.42 mg Magnesium (4%) 15 mg Manganese (7%) 0.155 mg Phosphorus (6%) 44 mg Potassium (6%) 299 mg Sodium (2%) 30 mg Zinc (3%) 0.27 mg Other constituents Water 92 g
Quite the list eh? The beauty about cauliflower is that it can be used as a rice substitute, a mashed potato substitute, or even a pizza base. By chopping up your cauliflower, or throwing it in a food processor, then dry frying it in a pan, you can create a low calorie / low carb rice / potato substitution. It’s perfect for adding volume to your meals, or to kill your hunger late in the evening.
Tip #2 – Nuts
Nuts don't just contain healthy fats to help keep your cholesterol low — they are also good sources of appetite-killing fiber, which digests slowly so it stays in your stomach much longer than other carbohydrates. A quarter-cup of almonds, for example, contains four grams of fiber.
Tip #3 – Just Add Mushrooms
I have mushrooms all the time with eggs. Whether I’m scrambling them, or making an omelet, mushrooms are one of the foods I don’t even count calories on. (FYI though – the supermarket brand of frozen mushrooms I get do contain 12 calories per 100 grams)
By adding mushrooms into your eggs, or as a side dish to any meal, it gives you a lot more food volume to eat, without racking up the calories.
If you’re having steak, or any kind of grilled meat, you can’t beat adding pan fried mushrooms and onions on top to let the juices of the meat come onto the mushrooms for added taste.
Lee Hayward has posted up a YouTube Video showing how to make a tasty Low Carb Bodybuilding Meal of Grilled Chicken & Portobello Mushrooms that you can check out below.
Tip #4 – Eggs
There's a reason people are clucking about eggs lately. A recent study from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, LA, found that overweight people who ate eggs for breakfast take longer to get hungry later. The research participants had lower levels of ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone that tells the brain to eat, and higher levels of PPY, a hormone that helps stomachs feel full. "Eggs are a perfect combination of protein and fat, so they're more satisfying than other breakfast foods," says Julie Kaye, MPH, RD, CDN, a registered dietitian in New York City. Worried about cholesterol? Don't be. "Despite the high content in yolks, eggs aren't the main culprit in raising blood cholesterol," explains Kaye. If you're still concerned, try liquid egg whites, which also contain protein and can stave off hunger.
Tip #5 – Water
There are lots of reasons to raise your glass for water. H2O is critical for keeping organs, joints, tissues and the digestive system functioning well, but it can also curb hunger, says Elizabeth DeRobertis, MS, RD, CDN, CDE, a registered dietitian in Harrison, NY. In fact, one study showed that participants who drank two cups of water before a meal ate 75 – 90 fewer calories than people who drank no water at all.
Tip #6 – Fill Your Belly with Green Veggies
When it come to green vegetables it’s almost impossible to eat too much. We’ve all been told to eat at least 10 servings of veggies per day. And there’s no better time to fill your belly with all that green goodness than when you’re following a bodybuilding cutting diet!
My favorites are broccoli and green beans. They are full of fiber, and the much like jelly, full of water. The fiber makes you feel full, and coupled with the water, your body will think you’ve eaten more food than what you have. Again, there is little need to count the calories from green vegetables in my opinion. You’d have to eat mountains of veggies in order to actually consume enough calories to the point where it would be worth tracking.
There are lots of ways to get extra veggies into your daily diet… Add chopped veggies and baby spinach to a breakfast omelet, have a garden salad with lunch, cook up some steamed or stir fried veggies with dinner, and keep a fresh veggie tray in the fridge for in between meal snacking.