How to Squash those Holiday Cravings

Butternut Squash Healthy meals are easy

Filling up on veggies is a top rule for anyone wanting to eat healthier, yet that doesn't have to sound boring. Check your favorite produce store for winter squashes, including the amusing shaped butternut squash. Like its cousin the sweet potato, it's often overlooked as a starch, yet the orange interior reflects it is rich in beta carotene, which converts to vitamin A in your body.

One cup of Butternut Squash (cubed and cooked) yields 127% of the US RDA for Vitamin A, with 80 calories, 4g sugar, 21g of carbs. Far more favorable than mashed potatoes with (or without) gravy! Factor in the 7g of fiber and you're on your way to RDA daily mark of 25-30g fiber per day.

Beta carotene, as one of the team members of antioxidants, on its own offers many nutritional benefits. Butternut Squash also has ample potassium (more than the benchmark banana) plus 30% of your daily RDA of Calcium. Other minerals at hand include Iron and Niacin, along with Vitamin E.

Winter Wondering

Other winter squashes you can try - (measuring nutrients to the one cubed cooked cup)

• Acorn Squash has more fiber and potassium, though less vitamin A than Butternut. 9 grams fiber per cubed cooked cup, potassium (896 mg).
  
• Pumpkin Squash has both alpha and beta carotene. Alpha carotene also converts vitamin A in the body; Pumpkin Squash has twice as much of alpha than Butternut.
  
• Spaghetti Squash is yellow and can even be used as an alternative to spaghetti. Lower in calories and carbohydrates than the other squashes mentioned here, but also lower in fiber. As a pasta substitute though, you'll consumer only 42 healhty veggie calories not pasta carb 200 calories.
  

Feeling Preppy

Summing it up with preparation, all of these can simply be sliced and roasted, with familiar spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, or clove or allspice. For easier prep you can often buy these pre-cut in stores, though caution on canned variants due to added sugars. You can even puree squashes to make satisfying soups and sauces too. Some folks even suggest smoothies, accompaniments such as apple, nut butter and soy or almond milk.

Hungry for More

Learn more healthy dieting and meal structures from Dr Oksana Aron at WeightLossNYC.com

Sources: Consumer Reports, Pexels

Patient Review: Dr Aron was responsive to my concerns

Downsize Your Diet

Downsize Your Clothes

Every moment we have a choice: to have the results we want in life, or instead to have the excuses why we don’t. What are your personal motivators? Improve your health? Feel more fit? Regain your figure? Work with medical weight loss Dr Aron to bring the future you want, closer to you today.

Lose Weight at Your Own Pace

Vegetarian patient review:

“I have lost more than 30 lbs by going to the WeightlossNYC.

When I first went to the Center, during my first appointment my weight and measurements were taken, I was given a blood test and a complete assessment consultation.

During the months that I have been going, I’ve had my ups and downs with my weight loss journey due to my trying to balance a stressful life. However, I have never felt judged or been reprimanded by Dr. Aron. I’ve complained enough to her how stressful my life is, due my job.

She’s always found time to listen and give me helpful tips. I have been losing gradually, at my own pace. She has not made me feel like I need to lose the weight very fast. She and her staff are very nice. There have been times when I stop going for a few weeks because of a lack of time, they’ve always welcomed me back.

Another thing I like about Dr. Aron is the fact that she’s open about your personal choice regarding your weight loss. When I first started with her, she had recommend that I reduce my calorie intake to what I thought was too low for me. I didn’t think I could handle the level, as I am a vegetarian, she worked with me to find come up with a more suitable level of daily calorie intake that I could deal with. She is supportive of her patients and open to suggestions from them.

She’s a great person. I whole-heartedly recommend the Center.”

— Dominique, Brooklyn, New York : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 stars

Start Today

Call Dr Aron Medical Weight Loss Center at 718-491-5525 or visit WeightLossNYC.com to start losing weight.