Step 1

TO COOK LOW-CALORIE MEALS: Choose a whole grain ingredient such as quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal, bulgur, or barley and follow the cooking directions on the package. Make sure to eat moderate portions!

Step 2

Legumes such as chickpeas and black beans make a great alternative to grains.

Step 3

Choose a lean protein such as skinless chicken or seafood (e.g. tilapia) and cook accordingly!

Step 4

Add at least one or a variety of vegetables to your meal. If you are on a low-carb diet, choose among low-carb veggies such as broccolis, cauliflower, tomatoes, onions, cucumber, etc. Some can be either cooked or eaten raw!

Step 5

Make sure to season everything quite well, especially your proteins. Spices and some acidic foods such as fresh lemon juice are some of your best friends to boost flavor! They are also are low in calories.

Step 6

Use low to moderate amounts of healthy fats to cook your food such as olive oil.

Step 7

Baking or roasting, steaming, poaching, air frying, and grilling are some of the best cooking methods for lean cooking that will cut down on calories because you’ll need little to no fat to cook.

Step 8

For this tilapia and broccoli, for example, season the fish well on both sides and arrange the fillets and the broccoli in a single layer onto a baking sheet greased with olive oil or olive oil no-stick cooking spray. Lightly grease the fish and broccoli with spray or olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 425° F for 15-20 minutes, flipping the fish halfway through.