Guiltless Greenery

I always feel like eating. Often at inappropriate times like before going to the gym, prior to eating dinner, or even after a big meal...always! Most of the time it's not even actual hunger, simply boredom. And when your belly is craving mindless munching, there's no stopping the incessant signal to snack. Luckily I have found a solution in the form of (practically) calorie-free greens.

Did you know 4 cups of loose leaf spinach is only 20 calories? Or that an entire cup of sliced cucumbers or celery is only 15? Yeah, wow. So my new trick when I feel like chowing down, but not wasting my waistline, is to chop up a humongous salad.

2 cups spinach
1/2 cup cucumber slices
1/2 cup celery chunks

Now add an extremely low-cal dressing. Most grocery stores have their own generic version of fat free dressing. Try to find one that is under 20 calories for 2 tablespoons, and less than 5 grams of sugar. I like Whole Foods 365 brand of Fat Free Balsamic Vinegar. It has 20 calories a serving and 4 grams of sugar. Add that to the above greens mixture and you have yourself a harmless but filling snack at an astonishing 45 calories!

Now to take it even lower, find a ZERO calorie dressing. Impossible you say? My friend Heather has turned me on to Walden Farms salad dressings...

http://www.waldenfarms.com/products/dressings.html

No calories, fat, carbs, gluten, or sugar! The ingredients are all natural...with the exception of a small amount of Splenda used to sweeten it.

Lastly if its just an oral fixation you're looking to satisfy, munch on cucumbers or celery sticks alone. They'll curb the craving until it's time for a real meal.

Also, if the pure green scheme is too monotone for you, throw in some diced tomatoes or red and yellow peppers. In small servings they are practically insignificant as well :)