Summary

THE ULTIMATE DIETER'S REFERENCE GUIDE! The Diet Detective returns, sharing his secrets for turning your favorite foods into "Calorie Bargains," with his easy-to-follow reference guide for healthy eating.InThe Diet Detective's Count Down, public health advocate Charles Stuart Platkin broke down thousands of popular foods into their "exercise equivalents" -- the time it took to walk, run, swim, bike, or dance off their calories. Now, the Diet Detective takes his philosophy one step further -- separating truth from myth, dispelling misconceptions, and giving you the best choices for meals and snacks, anytime, anywhere. From your favorite restaurants to the aisles of the grocery store, no food has escaped Platkin's scrutiny.We look for bargains everywhere. What if we were as cost conscious about our calorie consumption as we are about our spending? How can we be sure we're making good use of the foods we consume? The answer: Look for Calorie Bargains.The Diet Detective's Calorie Bargain Bibleis the ultimate dieter's reference guide. It's dieting made easy -- with the information that readers crave, can have fun with, and can put into practice immediately.

Author Biography

Charles Stuart Platkin, J.D., M.P.H., is one of the country's leading public health advocates, whose syndicated nutrition and fitness column,"The Diet Detective," appears in more than 165 daily newspapers across the country. He is also the founder of DietDetective.com, an online health and fitness network. Platkin is the author of Breaking the Pattern, Breaking the Fat Pattern, and Lighten Up.

Introduction
Find Your Calorie Bargains
What's a Calorie Anyway?
Take the Three-Day Food Challenge
The Power of One
What Makes It Difficult for You to Eat Healthfully?
A Final Word about Using The Diet Detective's Calorie Bargain Bible
What to Eat When You're Eating Out
The Basics
Restaurant Shockers
Restaurant Calorie Rip-offs
Fast Food
Casual Dining
Family Dining
Coffeehouses
Deli Food
Convenience Stores
Bar Food
At the Stadium
At the Movies
Appetizers
Sandwiches
Mexican Food
Italian Food
Chinese Food
Steak Houses
Seafood
Japanese Food
Desserts
At the Supermarket
The Basics: What's Healthy and What's Not
Organic Foods
Omega-3 Basics
Keeping Healthy Foods Healthy
Wonder Foods: Fruits
Wonder Foods: Veggies
Super Spices
Whole Grains
Sources of Protein
Eggs
Frozen Meals
Soups
Hot Dogs
Cookies, Crackers, and Chips
Condiments
Chocolate
Ice Cream
Food Fads, Facts, and Fiction
At Home and in the Kitchen
Kitchen Tools
Preparation and Stocking the Kitchen
Secrets of Eating Healthy at Home
Fast and Healthy Home Cooking
Breakfast
Burgers
Salads
Sauces
Barbecues and Picnics
Brown-bag Lunches
Holidays and Other Special Occasions
Halloween Choices
Thanksgiving Dinner
Christmas and Other Holiday Parties
At the Mall
Sports and TV Watching.The Big Game
Fueling for a Job Interview
At the Office
Wedding Day
Romantic Dinner for Two
Traveling
When You're Flying
Eating after Dark
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Supplemental Materials

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Excerpts

This is a book about bargains. We look for bargains in clothing, electronics, food, and travel -- to name just a few. We go to discount price clubs, cut coupons, and wait until things go on sale so that we can get more for less. We want to spend wisely and know that we're getting the most for our money.

What if we were as cost conscious about our calorie consumption as we are about our spending?

Unfortunately, we have a finite number of calories in our bodys' budget, just as we have limited funds in our pocketbooks. So how can we be sure that we're making good use of the foods we consume? The answer: Look for Calorie Bargains. These are foods that are relatively low in calories and high in nutrients, but still taste great and satisfy your strongest temptations. You use these "cheaper" foods to replace others you eat regularly that are more calorically "expensive." But remember, if it doesn't satiate you, a Calorie Bargain can easily turn into a Calorie Rip-off, because you'll end up eating more of it, consuming more calories, and gaining more weight.

You can find your own Calorie Bargains using these three easy steps:

STEP 1:Think of a food that you typically eat each day. It might be a guilty pleasure or simply a high-calorie food you think might be worth replacing -- if you had a good substitute.

Example:The food I eat now that I'm willing to change: Lay's regular potato chips, 150 calories per serving.

The serving size I would eat in a typical sitting (be honest!): three servings, about four handfuls.

Total calories:150 X 3 = 450 calories.

STEP 2:Now try to think of a substitute for that food. It's got to be something you think you might like, and it's got to have fewer calories.

Example:My potential Calorie Bargain: air-popped popcorn, 25 calories per serving. Serving size I would eat in a typical sitting (be honest!): three servings, about four handfuls.

Total calories:25 X 3 = 75 calories.

You just saved a whopping 375 calories. So if you normally eat chips three times a week, and you replace them with popcorn, you could lose as much as 15 pounds in a year!

STEP 3:Make sure you can live with the food choice you just made, and that you will not overindulge to make up for the fact that you're eating a food that is lower in calories and higher in nutrient density. If you consume more of the Calorie Bargain than you did of the substituted food, you will defeat the purpose.Learn to Get Good ValueYou have to learn to know a good thing when you see it. Understanding value in food is important, and it's important to think before you eat. Again, remember, Calorie Bargains are only to be used to replace something that you are already eating on a regular basis. A Calorie Bargain should never be added to your existing diet; it is only a replacement for higher fat and higher calorie foods. And if it doesn't satiate you, you'll end up eating more food, consuming more calories, gaining more weight, and losing that Calorie Bargain. So be careful. Experiment, negotiate, and keep track of your failures and successes.Your initial goal should be to reduce your calorie intake by 100 to 200 calories a day for maintenance, and about 250 to 400 calories per day for weight loss. This means you should substitute at least 20 percent of your current diet with Calorie Bargains for weight loss and 10 percent of your current diet for weight maintenance. As you become a skilled detective, however, you'll be able to find even bigger bargains.

Here's one of mine. I used to eat chips, cookies, and ice cream, averaging about 600 calories in an evening. Now I substitute pan popcorn. I don't love air-popped corn, so I started experimenting and found a way to use regular kernels, a skillet, and cooking spray. Put the kernels in a deep pot lightly coated with vegetable cooking spray, cover, and turn on the heat.Make sure to open the lid slightly from time to time to release the steam. Shake the pot during cooking. After a number of burned batches, I was finally able to get it right: 5 cups (popped) equals 150 calories. Calorie savings: about 450.Celebrity Calorie BargainsI've spent years finding Calorie Bargains for myself and getting tips on others from readers, so I began to wonder what health "celebrities" do to create the Calorie Bargains that help them stay fit. Here are a few notables:Mike Huckabee, governor of Arkansas, lost more than 100 pounds and made healthy living a priority for his administration. Used to eat premium ice cream: 2 cups, 550 calories.Calorie Bargain: Yarnell's Guilt Free "CarbAware" ice cream made with Splenda. "You can't tell the difference between this and regular premium ice cream, which it has replaced in my diet. Yarnell's is amazingly good, and it's what we serve at the governor's mansion. Guests are shocked to find out it's a sugar-free, low-fat, low-carb product." Breakdown: 2 cups, 250 calories.Calorie savings: 300.Bobby Flay, chef/restaurateur, cookbook author, and television personality. Used to eat: "When I was younger, I loved eating breakfast sandwiches consisting of fried eggs, bacon, and cheese every morning on my way to work." Breakdown: 440 calories.Calorie Bargain: "Now I prepare healthy smoothies for breakfast or yogurt with fresh fruit." Breakdown: 16-ounce low-calorie smoothie (no sugar), about 150 calories; low-fat yogurt with fruit, 220 calories.Calorie savings: about 250.Denise Austin, fitness expert, author, fitness DVD personality (star of more than forty exercise videos and DVDs). Used to eat: baked potato (100 calories) with 2 tablespoons of sour cream (about 120 calories) and 1 tablespoon butter (60 calories) for a total of 280 calories. Frappuccino and whipped cream at Starbucks, 390 calories.Calorie Bargain: "I've replaced the sour cream and butter with two tablespoons of salsa for thirty calories. And you can make your own coffee treat with a lot less calories. Use ice cubes, a half cup of skim milk (about fifty calories), and a half cup of decaf coffee. Froth it up and blend it."Calorie savings: 150 for the potato extras; 340 for the coffee drink.Copyright © 2007 by Charles Stuart Platkin

Excerpted from The Diet Detective's Calorie Bargain Bible: More than 1,000 Calorie Bargains, in the Supermarket, Kitchen, Office, Restaurants, Movies, Special Occasions and More by Charles Stuart Platkin
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