Which dinner is better for you? Dietitian shares photos of almost identical meals – but one has almost 300 CALORIES more than the other
- Dietitian reveals how simple swaps can make a huge difference to calorie intake
- Savina Rego shared a picture of nearly identical chicken stir fries with rice
- She said making changes to ingredients can cut dish from 750 to 460 calories
A dietitian has explained why tweaking your diet with simple food swaps can make a huge difference to your calorie intake.
Savina Rego – known as The Savvy Dietitian – shared a picture of her similar chicken stir fries with rice and vegetables – but one contains 290 more calories.
The health expert, from Perth, said reducing the portion size of chicken and basmati rice, doubling the amount of vegetables and making your own sauce can cut a dish from 750 to 460 calories.
Can you spot the difference? A dietitian has explained why tweaking your diet with simple food swaps can make a huge difference to your calorie intake (pictured: Two different versions of a chicken stir fries)
The meal on the left with 750 calories contains one-and-a-half cups of basmati rice, 350 grams of stir fry chicken and half a cup of vegetables – all cooked with a pre-made bottle sauce.
While the meal on the right with 460 calories contains half a cup of basmati rice, 200 grams of chicken, one heaped cup of vegetables such as carrots, snow peas, red onion and capsicum.
The stir fry was cooked in a homemade sauce containing soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger and garlic.
‘Sure there are some ingredients swaps you can throw into the mix with some understanding around label reading and nutrition but really it comes down to your portions,’ Savina wrote on Instagram.
‘There is no such thing as a one size fits all approach to health and nutrition. The portion that is right for you will be dependent on a number of different factors (age, gender, physical activity, medical conditions etc).
‘The image highlights the importance of portion control for everyday meals, especially if you are more sedentary, or you are living with a chronic condition.’
Savina Rego (pictured) said making just a few changes to the ingredients such as reducing the portion size of chicken and basmati rice, doubling the amount of vegetables and making your own sauce can cut the dish from 750 to 460 calories
Savina said one of the common requests she gets from her followers is to share ‘healthy recipes’.
‘The reality is “healthy” means something different to everyone for many different reasons. Healthy is subjective,’ she said.
‘The truth is, you don’t need a “healthy” recipe. You can eat absolutely anything you like. What matters most is actually consuming it in the portion that works for you.’
Many praised her for sharing her comparisons, with one woman saying she now feels ‘fuller and less bloated’ after cutting down on her rice, pasta and potato portions while increasing her vegetable intake.