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"Smart Swaps" for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

By , About.com Guide

Created: September 21, 2009

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woman with sushi

Swapping a double-portion of shrimp tempura for tuna sashimi recently helped me save calories - - 116 of them to be precise!!

Image: Clipart.com
Save calories and lose weight while still enjoying your favorite types of foods by making simple "swaps" that cut major calories from your meals. From breakfast to lunch to dinner, here are some easy ways to save calories:

Breakfast

  • Swap a cinnamon raisin bagel for two mini cinnamon bagels to save 181 calories.
  • Swap a fast-food breakfast quesadilla with eggs, black beans, cheddar and bacon for an egg, cheese, bacon, and English muffin to save 290 calories.
  • Swap four French toast sticks for two whole-grain waffles to save 202 calories and add fiber to your breakfast.
  • Swap a chocolate glazed doughnut for a French crueller to save 190 calories.

Lunch

  • Swap half a cheese quesadilla at a Mexican restaurant for a bowl of chicken tortilla soup for 60 percent fewer calories.
  • Swap a cheese calzone at a pizzeria for a slice of stuffed crust pizza to save 410 calories.
  • Swap a fast-food crispy chicken wrap for a kid-sized hamburger to save 90 calories.
  • Swap a falafel pita at the falafel stand for a pita with hummus to save 203 calories.
  • Swap pan-fried pork dumplings at a Chinese restaurant for a cup of wonton soup to save 257 calories.
  • Swap steak fajitas with flour tortillas at a Mexican restaurant for shrimp fajitas with corn tortillas to save 400 calories.
  • Dinner

    • Swap a shrimp tempura appetizer at a Japanese restaurant for tuna sashimi to save 58 calories.
    • Swap a grilled veggie burrito at a Mexican restaurant for a chicken burrito bowl to save 160 calories (and add four grams of fiber!).
    • Swap sezchuan beef at a Chinese restaurant for moo shu pork to save 300 calories.
    • Swap making meatloaf with 85% lean ground beef for with white-meat ground turkey to save 100 calories.
    • Swap a small order of nachos at the bar for one cup of chili with one tablespoon of low-fat cheddar cheese and 10 tortilla chips to save 300 calories. (You'll also add protein and fiber!)

    You can find easy food swaps of your own by using the tools at About.com's Calorie Count. From beverages, to snacks, to fast food -- it's all there!

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