Small Ways Calories Add Up in Your Diet

CLEVELAND - f you’re looking to shed some weight for summer, consider taking an inventory of all the little things in your diet, like how much sauce you’re using. 

“Condiments are a very common source of excess calories. Whether you make a nice big garden salad and then you add a store-bought bottle dressing, that's a creamy dressing, that's very heavy and dense in calories. Adding a lot of extra cheese or cheese-based, dairy-based condiments like cream cheese and sour cream can add up a lot of calories too,” said Julia Zumpano, RD, registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic.

Zumpano said calories can also quickly add up with soda, smoothies, pre-packaged snacks and custom coffee drinks.

Granola, cooking oils, trail mix and nut butters can also be deceiving. 

She said while these foods can be high in calories, that doesn’t mean you need to cut them out completely. 

Instead, she recommends practicing moderation and paying attention to serving sizes.

You could also adjust some of the ingredients to make them healthier, such as with salad dressing.

“I love to recommend homemade dressings. That's normally what I use. Sometimes, even in a bind, I'll just drizzle extra virgin olive oil with my favorite seasoning on top. So, I might use an Italian blend seasoning, or I use everything but the bagel seasoning often, and that's usually my go to. If you want to just throw some lemon juice on there or a balsamic, or a red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar. That’s a way of dressing a salad,” she suggested.

Zumpano said an easy way to see how many calories you’re consuming is to use a calorie tracker. 

There are free versions online and for download on your phone.