It’s the middle of February. Are you still keeping to your New Year’s diet resolution? There are many different diets, each with its own goals and food restrictions. It’s easy for some to say “move more and eat less”. That’s true and does help, but diet and exercise can only do so much if a person’s body is working against them. Weight loss drugs are not magic but they can help. You still have to make choices about what to eat and how much to exercise. Whether you use a weight loss drug or not, your daily choices do matter.
Here are some if the popular diets today. The Paleo diet is also known as the “Caveman diet.” This diet mimics the eating habits of hunter-gatherers. It emphasizes eating whole foods like meats, fish, eggs, fruits, nuts, and healthy fats. The Low-carb diet is often used for weight loss, but it may also help people with type 2 diabetes. Intermittent fasting is a diet that alternates between periods of eating and fasting. It may help with weight management, metabolic health, and chronic disease risk. The DASH diet stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It encourages eating nutritious foods while limiting sugars and saturated fat. The Vegan diet is a type of vegetarian diet that eliminates meat and animal products. It can help reduce cholesterol and saturated fat intake. A Low-fat diet reduces the total amount of fat in your diet, which can help with weight loss. A High-protein diet (Keto) consists mainly of protein, which can help you feel full. However, it can also lead to a deficiency in fat and carbohydrates.
The best diet for you depends on your health goals, lifestyle, and preferences. Whichever diet you follow it’s important to allow yourself some leeway. If you limit yourself too much you may find yourself overindulging late one night! It is hard to lose weight and then to keep it off. Some diets are so restricting that when you stop you gain the weight you lost back and sometimes even more. As a serial dieter, I have decided to make better choices each time I am given a chance. Keeping the pantry stocked with ingredients I can quickly make, that is also better for me than take out, is one choice I try to make. The recipes for this week are chicken based. One is for keto chicken nuggets, a low carb and gluten free option. Yes, McDonald’s or Chick fila is easy, but it is also higher in calories, and it is very tempting to add on an order of fries or dessert when going through that drive thru. The other is for chicken salad. People on the Keto diet like chicken salad because it’s filling and budget friendly. There are a huge variety of different ways to make chicken salad. From the super-simple to the complicated and all the in between, this is one of the most versatile types of salad that you can make.
Keto chicken nuggets (low carb and gluten free)
Ingredients
1 (12.5oz) can chicken breast (drained)
1 large egg
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella
3 tbsp grated parmesan
optional seasoning (I use garlic powder & black pepper)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Open and drain the canned chicken. Remove as much excess moisture as possible by placing it in a fine mesh strainer and squishing out the water with your fingers. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the drained chicken with the egg, mozzarella, parmesan, and any seasoning you like, however I DO NOT recommend adding salt. Just a little garlic powder and black pepper should do! Smoked paprika is a good choice, too. Use your hands to mold the chicken mixture together into small bite-size nuggets. I made mine using about a heaping tbsp each and ended up with 12 nuggets. Bake for 18-22 minutes, flipping them over half way through.
Air Fryer Directions
Spritz the air fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Follow steps 2-4 from above and add the nuggets to the air fryer basket instead of the baking sheet. Air fry at 400°F for 10-14 minutes until golden brown. Check them at 10 minutes, and if they are not browned and crisp enough, put them back in for 2-4 minutes or more (you may need to do these in batches depending on the size of your air fryer basket).
Yield: 12- 14 nuggets Nutrition info based on the Kroger brands I used: Serving: 4 nuggets, Calories: 325 kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 38g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 403mg, Sodium: 540mg, Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 0g.
Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad (low carb, low fat, and high protein)
Ingredients
2.5 cups cooked shredded chicken (or 2- 12.5 oz cans chicken breast drained)
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped finely
1/2 cup celery diced finely
1 cup apples chopped (omit for low carb)
1/4 cup pecans chopped
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Cook chicken. Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil chicken for 10-14 minutes. You can also cook chicken in the instant pot, crockpot or buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it. While chicken is cooking, chop parsley, celery, apples and pecans. Once chicken is cooked, shred the chicken by pulling apart with 2 forks. Add chopped ingredients, spices, Greek yogurt and shredded chicken in a bowl. Toss together using a spatula until all ingredients are thoroughly coated with yogurt. Serve on a sandwich or over a salad.