What Is Liquid Diet And How Does It Help In Weight Loss?

Help In Weight Loss

Each and every lady, or could be most women, these days wishes to glimpse as beautiful and sexy since the products, Television set actresses and Film heroines. They give the impression of being astounding in their very well curved bodies on hoardings, Television and perhaps in newspapers. Many of us prefer to be like them, specially when we're about the fatter facet. Getting rid of body weight is crucial not only to search wonderful but additionally to remain in great health and fitness. Weight reduction won't imply that When you are of suitable fat, just get rid of far more bodyweight to seem appropriate for a certain fad. Excess weight depends upon many components and every of the is Similarly essential.

What’s with the green tea?

You must have heard about many benefits of green tea, one of which is weight loss. Green tea has been famous for improving health and saving from many diseases like cancer, infection, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease etc.. But most recent health benefit realized was the weight losing advantage of green tea. You must be thinking how does green tea helps in weight reduction. It simple, it helps you burn calories faster and increases your metabolism from 10 to 15%, which we already know is very beneficial for weight loss. 

Green tea will bring you many benefits like keeping you healthy, slows down the ageing and it works well as an anti depressant. 

You can also add some lemon into your green tea cup to help reduce weight more effectively. 

There are some cautions that I will suggest you. Do not drink green tea on empty stomach as it has the ability to reduce calories and if you have not eaten anything it can cause you stomach ache. I would suggest you to drink green tea after a meal so that green tea can burn the extra calories you have taken in your meal.

Training your brain to lose weight

Fighting my own self to lose weight has been the most difficult part. You must have also experienced the desire to eat a chocolate or dessert which you know will cause you a week’s dieting. You fall for this temptation when a colleague at your office or a friend offers you high carbohydrate food. You try to resist it but at the end you eat it. The happiness of eating such food will only last till the last bite and afterwards you will start to regret eating that food. You feel guilty about it but you cannot do anything to undo it, as unfortunately life doesn't come with an undo button. I will suggest you to think this sentence in your mind “life doesn't come with an undo button and so does my diet plan” when you find yourself falling for the tempting food.

One technique to make your will power stronger is that changing the files of your brain. You must be thinking I have gone nuts and brain is not a machine which contains files that can be changed.

But in reality our brain has some strongly held believes which can lead us to actions we do in our daily life. To cut the story in short, when you are about to fall asleep remind yourself that eating unhealthy food is the only hurdle to weight loss. When you are about to fall asleep your brain goes in alpha state which is more receptive state of brain for taking notes to add in your strong believes. When you remind yourself the goal of weight loss in that brain state, your brain enters this thought in strongly held believes. By doing this every day before falling asleep will change your brain files and will help you stick to your diet plan more strictly. When someone offers you any unhealthy food, your brain will not only warn you before eating it but will also stop you from eating it.

If you have any confusion regarding brain state I mentioned, more information is available on http://www.biotele.com/Brain%20States.htm

Adopt a balanced diet instead of starving

The secret behind losing weight is utilizing more than the daily calories you intake. When you utilize more calories than the daily intake, your body starts breaking down the accumulated fats.

There are different ways of losing weight and the most common among them is the starving method which people adopt. They reduce their daily intake of calories by not eating anything or eating very little. Then their body on not getting enough calories for proper functioning starts breaking fats. Well this is what people do to achieve their goal of weight loss but I won’t suggest this to you due to the harms it can cause in the longer run.

I will not suggest starving due to a simple reason; our body needs some very essential proteins and vitamins, on starving fats are broken down to run the normal functions yet fats cannot fulfill the requirements of those essential protein and vitamins. As a result our body grows weaker and our immune system weakens and we are prone to diseases and viral.

A balanced diet is what will help you reduce weight without causing any harm to your body organs. You can reduce your daily calories intake by eating foods containing less calories and carbohydrates instead of starving. Avoid things having lot of oil used during the preparation process. Avoid foods having high carbohydrates like potatoes and rice. Fast food is an enemy of your health so try to avoid burgers, fries, soft drinks etc.

If you follow these tips alone for 2 weeks, I can assure you 1 lbs. weight loss without any work out during these two weeks.

You can consult the following websites to know about calories per meal:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/calories-chart

http://www.fitwatch.com/caloriecounter.html

http://www.calories-in-foods.com/

Water o water

Recently I happen to read some articles that suggested that water is no magic potion for losing weight but rather people consuming water before meals consume less food which results in weight loss. That’s what the article said and I agree to it partially. I said partially because there are many other wonders that water can do for you resulting in weight loss and many other benefits are realized.

Drinking enough water say 10 to 16 glasses helps improve your metabolism rate. A good metabolism will definitely help you reduce few pounds. I have often seen people eating like monsters and still manage to have balanced weight and the reason for it is simple; a good metabolism rate.

There is one more important benefit that can be realized by drinking enough water throughout the day, and that is the calories you lose when you pee. Drinking less water than the amount required by your body leads to calories left out in your body because of urinating less often.

Other benefits of drinking water are fresh and glowing skin, healthy kidneys, energetic day and more. 

Minted Pea Soup

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp olive oil (or vegetable oil)
  
  


• 1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
  
  


• 1 potato, peeled and cut into ½” cubes
  
  


• ½ tsp salt
  
  


• 3½ cups water
  
  


• 1 lb frozen peas, thawed
  
  


• Salt and pepper, to taste (optional.)
  
  


• Low-fat plain yogurt
  
  


• Fresh mint, minced, to garnish
  
  

Preparation:

• Heat olive oil in a large-size saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook approximate 2-3 minutes or until softened.
  
  


• Add potato, salt and cook approximate 2 minutes. Add water then cover and simmer approximate 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
  
  


• Add peas, uncovered and simmer approximate 2 minutes.
  
  


• Using a food processor, carefully process soup in batches and then strain through a sieve back into saucepan. Reduce heat, add salt and pepper to taste
  
  


• Serve with a dollop of yogurt sprinkled with mint.
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/6 of recipe (144 g)): 110 Calories, 6 g Protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 5 g Dietary Fiber, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 295 mg sodium

New Potato Leek Soup

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1½ tbsp butter
  
  


• 1 lb. new potatoes, halved
  
  


• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
  
  


• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  
  


• 1 onion, chopped
  
  


• ¼ cup white wine
  
  


• 1¾ cups low-sodium vegetable stock
  
  


• 1¾ cups water
  
  


• 2 tsp nutmeg
  
  


• 3 small leeks, trimmed, halve lengthwise and cut across into thin slices
  
  


• 1 tsp cilantro, coarsely chopped
  
  


• Salt and pepper to taste (not calculated in Nutrition Facts)
  
  

Preparation:

• Melt butter in a large-size saucepan. Add the potatoes, mustard seeds, garlic, onion, white wine and sauté for about 5 minutes.
  
  


• Add vegetable stock, water, nutmeg and heat to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes).
  
  


• Add leeks, cilantro and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (optional) before serve.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (471 g)): 209 Calories, 6 g Protein, 36 g carbohydrates, 5 g Dietary Fiber, 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 1,436 mg sodium

Corn, Potato and Tuna Chowder

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or olive oil, canola oil)
  
  


• ¾ cup chopped onion
  
  


• ¾ cup sliced celery
  
  


• 3 large scrubbed potatoes, cut into small cube
  
  


• 2½ cups water
  
  


• ¼ tsp black pepper
  
  


• 2 tbsp flour
  
  


• 3 cups low-fat milk
  
  


• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
  
  


• 1 (6 oz.) can of (water-packed) tuna fish, drained
  
  

Preparation:

• In a large-size saucepan, heat vegetable oil in over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and cook until onion is tender.
  
  


• Add potatoes, water and black pepper. Bring to a boils then reduce to medium heat. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes) or until potatoes to soften.
  
  


• In a medium-size bowl, mix flour and 2 tbsp low-fat milk to make a smooth paste. Stir in the rest of the milk until combined then pour into potato mixture. Stir in corn. Heat over medium heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes then stir in tuna and serve.
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/6 of recipe (432 g)): 345 Calories, 17 g Protein, 54 g carbohydrates, 6 g Dietary Fiber, 8 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 18 mg cholesterol, 183 mg sodium

Vegetarian West African Soup

(makes 8 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped onions
  
  


• 2 tsp olive oil (or vegetable oil)
  
  


• ⅓ cup peanut butter
  
  


• 6 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
  
  


• 1 tbsp ground cumin
  
  


• ¼ tsp salt
  
  


• ½ tsp pepper
  
  


• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  
  


• 2 (15.5 oz.) cans garbanzo beans, undrained
  
  


• 2 (14.5 oz.) cans low-sodium vegetable broth
  
  


• 1 (28 oz.) can diced or crushed tomatoes, undrained
  
  

Preparation:

• Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large-size saucepan and sauté onions until lightly browned.
  
  


• Stir in the butter, potatoes, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, beans, broth, and tomatoes then raise heat to bring to a boil.
  
  


• Reduce heat, cover and simmer until sweet potatoes are softened (about 45 minutes).
  
  

Make 8 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(⅛ of recipe (446 g)): 386 Calories, 16 g Protein, 61 g carbohydrates, 11 g Dietary Fiber, 10 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 391 mg sodium

Vegetarian Chili

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 chopped onion
  
  


• 4 minced cloves garlic
  
  


• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or olive oil)
  
  


• 2 finely chopped carrots
  
  


• 2 chopped tomatoes
  
  


• 2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained
  
  


• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, chili powder, or chili seasoning mix
  
  


• 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
  
  


• Salt and black pepper, to taste (optional)
  
  

Preparation:

• Heat vegetable oil in a large-size saucepan, sauté onions and garlic. Add carrots, tomatoes, black beans, herbs and spices.
  
  


• Cook over medium heat until the carrots are tender (about 15-20 minutes). Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/6 of recipe (226 g)): 236 Calories, 13 g Protein, 40 g carbohydrates, 14 g Dietary Fiber, 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 348 mg sodium

Sweet Potato Soup

(makes 8 servings)

Ingredients:

• ⅔ cups chunky peanut butter
  
  


• 1 tbsp canola oil (or olive oil)
  
  


• 2 cups chopped onion
  
  


• 6 cups peeled and chopped sweet potato
  
  


• 1 tbsp ground cumin
  
  


• Salt and pepper, to taste
  
  


• 2 (15.5 oz.) cans garbanzo beans, drained
  
  


• 2 (14.5 oz.) cans low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth, if desired)
  
  


• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  
  

Preparation:

• Heat oil in a large-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until lightly browned.
  
  


• Stir in remaining ingredients, bring to a boil then reduce heat, uncovered and simmer until sweet potato is tender (about 30 minutes).
  
  

Make 8 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(⅛ of recipe (475 g)): 436 Calories, 16 g Protein, 64 g carbohydrates, 11 g Dietary Fiber, 15 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 696 mg sodium

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter
  
  


• 1 cup chopped onion
  
  


• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  
  


• ¼ tsp cumin
  
  


• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  
  


• ½ tsp curry powder
  
  


• 2 crushed garlic cloves
  
  


• 1 cup peeled and cubed sweet potato
  
  


• ¼ tsp salt
  
  


• 2 (14 oz.) cans of non-fat and low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
  
  


• 1 (15 oz.) can of pumpkin
  
  


• 1 cup 1% milk
  
  


• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  
  

Preparation:

• Melt butter in a large-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute onion for about 3-4 minutes then add flour, cumin, nutmeg and curry powder and saute for about 1 minute.
  
  


• Add sweet potato, salt, chicken broth (or vegetable broth) and pumpkin and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially covered and simmer until sweet potatoes are cooked through and softened (about 20-25). Transfer from heat and let stand for about 10 minutes to cool.
  
  


• Place half of the pumpkin mixture in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Using a strainer, pour soup back into pan. Repeat with rest of soup.
  
  


• Heat to medium-high heat then stir in milk and cook until soup is heated through (about 5 minutes).
  
  


• Transfer from heat and add lime juice.
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/6 of recipe (300 g)): 128 Calories, 6 g Protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 3 g Dietary Fiber, 3 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 7 mg cholesterol, 351 mg sodium

Spicy Seafood Stew

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. fresh or frozen sea scallops
  
  


• 8 oz. fresh or frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails intact
  
  


• 8 oz. fresh mussels in shells, beards removed
  
  


• 2 cups water
  
  


• 3 tbsp salt
  
  


• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or olive oil)
  
  


• 4 chopped cloves garlic
  
  


• 1 cup chopped onion
  
  


• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  
  


• 1 tsp ground cumin
  
  


• ¼ tsp ground red pepper
  
  


• 1 cup low-sodium fish broth (or vegetable broth)
  
  


• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
  
  


• ⅛ tsp ground saffron
  
  


• ¼ cup chopped cilantro to garnish
  
  

Preparation:

• Thaw scallops and shrimp, if frozen. Rinse scallops and shrimp; pat dry.
  
  


• Scrub mussels. In a large-size bowl, combine water and salt then add mussels and let soak approximate 15 minutes. Drain, rinse and repeat twice.
  
  


• Heat vegetable oil in a large-size saucepan then sauté garlic and onion until they are tender.
  
  


• Stir in cinnamon, cumin, red pepper and cook approximate 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  
  


• Add fish broth, tomatoes, saffron and bring to boiling.
  
  


• Add scallops, shrimp and mussels. Return to boiling, reduce heat, covered and simmer until mussel shells open (approximate 5 minutes).
  
  


• Garnish with cilantro and serve.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (297 g)): 204 Calories, 27 g Protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 113 mg cholesterol, 458 mg sodium

Salmon Chowder

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped onion
  
  


• 1 cup diced potato
  
  


• ¼ cup celery, chopped
  
  


• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or olive oil)
  
  


• 2 tbsp water
  
  


• 2 tbsp flour
  
  


• ¼ tsp pepper
  
  


• ¼ tsp dried dill
  
  


• 2 (13 oz.) cans of evaporated skim milk
  
  


• 1 lb. salmon fillet, skinned, boned and cut into 1” cubes
  
  


• ½ cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
  
  


• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  
  


• Salt and pepper, to taste (optional)
  
  

Preparation:

• Heat vegetable oil into a medium saucepan, sauté onion, potato and celery for about 5 minutes. Add water and continue to cook until potatoes are tender.
  
  


• Blend in flour, pepper, dill, milk and salmon. Heat until soup thickens then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until salmon flakes when tested with a fork.
  
  


• Stir in cheese and parsley. Season with salt and pepper before serve
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/6 of recipe (323 g)): 294 Calories, 29 g Protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 7 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 66 mg cholesterol, 331 mg sodium

Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 5 yellow bell peppers, remove stem, seeds, and membranes, cut into quarters
  
  


• 1 cup chopped onion
  
  


• 4 chopped cloves garlic
  
  


• 1 tsp vegetable oil (or olive oil)
  
  


• 5¼ cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
  
  


• 1 cup chopped potato
  
  


• ½ tsp ground cumin
  
  


• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
  
  


• non-fat sour cream (optional)
  
  

Preparation:

• Roast the peppers:
  
  
  • Line a baking sheet with foil. Place peppers down on foil, skin side up and press each segment to lie flat on sheet.
    
    
  
  
  • Bake in an oven at 425 degrees F until skin is blackened and blistered (approximate 20 minutes).
    
    
  
  
  • Transfer peppers from oven and place in a paper bag.
    
    
  
  
  • Close bag and let cool approximate 10 minutes.
    
    
  
  
  • Remove and discard skins. Set aside.
    
    
  
  


• Heat vegetable oil in a large-size saucepan and cook onion and garlic until onion is tender (approximate 3-4 minutes).
  
  


• Stir in roasted peppers, vegetable broth, and potato. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low, covered and simmer approximate 15 minutes.
  
  


• Cool mixture slightly then pour in a third of the pepper mixture into a food processor and process until smooth. Repeat with remaining mixture.
  
  


• Return mixture to saucepan and heat through.
  
  


• Serve in bowls with a dollop of non-fat sour cream (optional) garnished with chives.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (629 g)): 172 Calories, 10 g Protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 3 g Dietary Fiber, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 103 mg sodium

Vietnamese Pho Beef Noodle Soup

Serves 4

Prep time: 40 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

ingredients:

• 2 tsp canola oil
  
  


• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
  
  


• 1 2” piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  
  


• 1 tsp five-spice powder
  
  


• 6 cups low-sodium beef broth
  
  


• 1½ tbsp Asian fish sauce ("nuoc mam" or "nam pla")
  
  


• 1½ tsp sugar
  
  


• Freshly ground black pepper
  
  


• 6 oz. dried rice noodles or rice vermicelli (Soaking the rice noodles before cooking may seem like an extra step, but it helps release some of their starch so they don't clump and the broth stays clear.)
  
  


• 8 oz. flank steak, well trimmed and thinly sliced
  
  


• Fresh mint sprigs, fresh cilantro sprigs, fresh mung bean sprouts, chopped scallions, thinly sliced serrano chili, and 2-3 lime wedges, for garnish
  
  


• 1 small onion, peeled and sliced in paper-thin rounds
  
  


• The seasonings and noodles can be found in the Asia section of large supermarkets.
  
  

Preparing

• In a heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and ginger; sauté until onions are lightly browned (about 5 minutes). Add five-spice powder; stir until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Pour in beef broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover; simmer for about 15 minutes. Strain broth into a clean saucepan (discard onion and ginger). Stir fish sauce, sugar, and black pepper to taste into the broth; keep warm over low heat.
  
  


• While the broth is simmering, soak rice noodles in hot water (do not boil) in a wide bowl until softened (about 20 minutes). Rinse the noodles well in cold water, then drain. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
  
  


• Arrange the mint and other garnishes on a serving platter. Bring broth back to a boil.
  
  


• Transfer softened noodles to the pot of boiling water; cook for about 30 seconds, drain, and divide among 4 deep soup bowls. Arrange some of the raw steak slices over the noodles, and scatter some of the onion rounds over the steak. Ladle boiling broth into each bowl (the beef slices should cook or brown in the boiling broth.). Serve the soup immediately with the garnishes so everyone can customize their own bowl.
  
  

Nutrition score per serving (2 cups): 350 calories, 7 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 51 g carbs, 20 g protein, 2 g Dietary fiber, 51 mg calcium, 2 mg iron, 1,308 mg sodium

Minestrone Soup

(makes 4-6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups water
  
  


• ½ cup chopped carrot
  
  


• ½ cup chopped celery
  
  


• ½ cup chopped onion
  
  


• 2 cloves finely chopped garlic
  
  


• 1 tsp crushed basil
  
  


• 1 tsp crushed oregano
  
  


• ⅛ tsp pepper
  
  


• 1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans
  
  


• 1 (15 oz.) can chopped tomatoes
  
  


• ½ cup coarsely chopped cabbage
  
  


• ½ cup sliced zucchini
  
  


• ½ cup uncooked pasta
  
  

Preparation:

• Combine water, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, and pepper in a large-size sauce pan. Heat to a boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
  
  


• Drain can of red kidney beans and add red kidney beans, tomatoes, cabbage, zucchini and pasta. Return to boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 5-10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Serve immediately
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/6 of recipe (203 g)): 128 Calories, 6 g Protein, 26 g carbohydrates, 4 g Dietary Fiber, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 418 mg sodium

Manhattan Clam Chowder

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 (6½ oz.) cans of minced clams
  
  


• Low-fat cooking spray
  
  


• 2 chopped stalks celery
  
  


• 1 chopped carrot
  
  


• 1 chopped onion
  
  


• 1 (8 oz.) can of clamato juice (combination of clam and tomato juice)
  
  


• 2 cups chopped red potatoes
  
  


• 1 tsp crushed dried thyme
  
  


• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  
  


• Fresh ground pepper (to taste)
  
  


• 1 (14½ oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  
  

Preparation:

• Drain the clams but reserve juice from the cans into a measuring cup and if necessary, add enough water to equal 1½ cups liquid, then set aside.
  
  


• Spray a large-size saucepan with low-fat cooking spray. Raise heat to medium-high heat then sauté celery, carrot, and onion for about 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender.
  
  


• Stir in reserved clam juice, canned clamato juice, potatoes, thyme, cayenne and black pepper. Heat to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are just tender.
  
  


• Stir in the tomatoes and minced clams, heat again to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 2-3 minutes before serving.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (379 g)): 128 Calories, 4 g Protein, 29 g carbohydrates, 4 g Dietary Fiber, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 658 mg sodium

Lentil Soup

(makes 4-6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dry lentils, picked over and rinsed
  
  


• 4 cups water
  
  


• 2 finely chopped carrots
  
  


• 1 (15 oz.) can chopped tomatoes
  
  


• 3 finely chopped garlic cloves
  
  


• 1 finely chopped onion
  
  


• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, or ½ tbsp dried flakes
  
  


• ¼ tsp cumin
  
  


• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  
  


• ½ tsp salt
  
  

Preparation:

• Pour water in a large-size saucepan. Add the lentils, bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes.
  
  


• Stir in carrots, tomatoes, garlic, onion and seasonings.
  
  


• Cover and cook another until lentils are tender (about 15 minutes).
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (284 g)): 387 Calories, 29 g Protein, 70 g carbohydrates, 32 g Dietary Fiber, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 594 mg sodium

Gazpacho

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 3 large tomatoes, diced
  
  


• 2 cups chopped cucumber
  
  


• 1 cup chopped onion
  
  


• 1 cup seeded and chopped green bell pepper
  
  


• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  
  


• 2 tsp olive oil
  
  


• 1 chopped garlic clove
  
  


• 1 cup water
  
  


• Salt and pepper to taste (optional)
  
  

Preparation:

• Place tomatoes, cucumber, onion, green bell pepper, red wine vinegar, olive oil and garlic in a blender and blend until desired consistency.
  
  


• Place vegetable mixture in a serving bowl, add water and stir thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes.
  
  


• Add salt and pepper to taste. (salt and pepper not included in Nutrition Facts calculations.)
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/6 of recipe (179 g)): 54 Calories, 2 g Protein, 9 g carbohydrates, 2 g Dietary Fiber, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 10 mg sodium