PTI Tucson Blog

Measure your oils!

I know you all will eyeball your measurements in order to “save time”. Just be aware you time saving is probably costing you in calories and sodium! Study after study shows that we are all really bad at eyeballing measurements. To make matters worse we err on the wrong side: too much not too little. Keep in mind the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon of oil is 80 calories and 9g of fat! The difference between a half teaspoon and a teaspoon of salt is about 1200mg or about half your daily recommendation!

What about your breakfast cereal! Surely we can accurately free pour our cereal…nope! If you are like most people you will over pour by 40% . In one study, 100 people were asked to make a cereal pour and only 1 in 10 were even close. For flake cereals, the average pour was 40% over the one cup serving size. A full cup of skim milk means you have added another 40 calories over the label standard. No think about your orange juice, coffee creamer, jelly, etc….breakfast is full of opportunities to make bad portion calls and all this with a still slightly groggy brain.

Your key to success is to measure everything. Spend the time and save the calories!

1. Olive Oil
2. Canola Oil
3. Corn Oil
4. Vegetable Oil

Trick question! They are all the same. There are other differences between these oils but a tablespoon of oil is a tablespoon of oil.

*Interesting trivia: the word Canola is an abbreviation from Canadian Oil Low Acid.

Did you know that you can swap applesauce for vegetable oil one of one when you are baking and eliminate a lot of unhealthy fats from your baking. I use natural, unsweetened applesauce to avoid the additional sugars as well. Combine this with using granulated Splenda or Splenda Brown Sugar Blend you can really reduce the caloric content of your baking while still tasting delicious! Give these a try in you favorite recipe and let me know what you think!