Food Choices for Labor Day

With Labor Day upon us, here we go to those BBQ's and family/friend get togethers, picnics and beach parties. These times are always tough when it comes to food choices. Do you know how many days worth of calories you can eat in just one meal at a holiday gathering???!!!! It is scary! I am attaching 2 links from the Hungry Girl site which I describe below.

• The first link will outline the calories in many hamburgers out there. It does not state the fat content but we all know how high in fat a typical burger is .... BUT, just check out the calorie count!!!! If you are the host, you can always offer healthier choices of food like chicken, veggie burgers and/or use the lower fat hamburger meat that is available at your local market. Read about the burgers here: http://www.hungry-girl.com/news/newsdetails.php?isid=1529. Scroll down to the 3rd paragraph.

• The second link is a lower calorie, lower fat version of coleslaw. Coleslaw can be very high in fat when made with mayonnaise. Try out this recipe off the Hungry Girl site and/or modify to your liking with spices. See the recipe here: http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=1514

For your own sake, if you are going to another person's gathering, offer to bring something healthy to eat so you have choices for yourself. I see nothing wrong with having a treat or picking a couple things you want to splurge on but keep in mind that if you eat everything in sight, you are not only going to have a lot of making up to do the next few days but you may end up feeling like "you know what" the next day. Your new & healthier tummy is not used to all that heavy and fattier stuff.

Make good choices for yourself but enjoy as well.