Southern girl problems- Fried food

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KellyAnn1874
KellyAnn1874 Posts: 32 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I can't be the only girl on here that lives in the deep south were everything is fried! It's so hard to avoid and say no to all the delicious crispy foods out here, which is part of why I have gained a little weight. Do any of you who live in the south have any good tips for resisting? Or maybe some replacement recipes/good substitutes when I'm faced with a craving for something deep fired and golden brown?
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Replies

  • amh83
    amh83 Posts: 15
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    I am from Louisiana, so I know what you mean! I love my cajun, creole, and southern comfort foods. I still eat them, just not as much. I would be interested in replacements/ substitutions also!
  • KellyAnn1874
    KellyAnn1874 Posts: 32 Member
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    I don't know how you do it! I'm from Alabama, so we don't have nearly as many tasty things as yall do! Every time I go to New Orleans I just tell myself that those calories don't count. I don't even want to know how much weight I would gain if Mother's po boys and Acme Oyster House were within a 30 mile radius haha
  • angelbeville
    angelbeville Posts: 61
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    Nope, you're not the only girl here dealing with this issue! I'm a Ohio transplant now, but True Grit at heart (Girl Raised in the South). For Christmas, I'll be going home to Georgia where the Bacon Grease container sits on the back of the stove and seasons EVERYTHING - from cornbread to collard greens. It's the way I was raised, and the reason I have been fat since birth!

    But I've made such a healthy lifestyle change in the last few months that I don't want to ever go back! That said - I know the food is delish - I know I will have some - and I know I will enjoy it! then I will get back on the wagon and make the best choices I can for the rest of my life.

    For those of you who live in that Deep Fried Culture every day, my only advice is to plan for it occassionally. Someone once told me to eat well 80 percent of the time. Maybe that will work for you!
  • noelslp
    noelslp Posts: 52 Member
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    I've heard of grounding down Fiber One Original Bran cereal and using that to coat chicken or something and "faux-fry" it by baking it in the oven. I've never actually tried it but some friends have and they say it's pretty good.
  • isisbryan
    isisbryan Posts: 105 Member
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    OMG!!!! Who in the world invented fried/comfort food should be shot! I'm from Texas and we have the same problems. The "healthy options" are just as fattening. So, I just get the fried stuff and enjoy it. I work it off later.

    I order lettuce wrapped burgers and get the small fries. I heard suggestions to get the kid size meals if the restaurants will let an adult purchase them. Some restaurants won't. I love the Cotton Patch Restaurant because they let you get a half size meal.

    Instead of frying the meal, I bake it. I cut potatoes up and put them in the oven. For meats, I use seasoned bread crumbs and plain yogurt to coat. I put it in the oven at 450 degrees. It saves some calories. It is not as good as fried but it better for you.
  • Alachofra15
    Alachofra15 Posts: 117 Member
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    Ok I'm not Southern (well I am, but Southern England... lol) but you could try home-cooking as much as you can. You could look for a Southern cuisine cookery course and ask the teacher for healthy substitutes they recommend.

    I bought a low fat/ low calorie American cookbook recently, and alot of the stuff in it is really filling, spicy, but wholesome stews and one-pot meals that are supposed to be Southern-inspired. It's actually a vegan cookbook called Appetite for Reduction - I'm not vegan but was recommended it and love it.

    Or remember most things that are fried can also usually be grilled or roasted at home will much less fat.
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
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    I'm from the midwest but spent the last 3 years of the FL/GA border and the food is SOOO different! if you like fried food you might want to check out Hungry Girl's "faux frying" method. If you're just having trouble coping, take in some of the abundant fresh fruits and veggies that are around almost all year! I miss the year-round farmers markets mmmm fresh peaches....
  • hello77kitty
    hello77kitty Posts: 260 Member
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    Bump,would love to hear responses!
  • bahamachick
    bahamachick Posts: 17
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    I live in The Bahamas and we enjoy alotttttttttttt of fry foods with very little to no veggies, I just find way to avoid some stuff and look for replacement for others. I love fry chicken to death, but I started eatting rotisserie chicken instead. It still taste good but way healthier. I also make baked wedges instead of fries, with Mrs. dash instead of salt. Try wheat pasta over white, then every now and then indulge in your craving in small amounts.

    Being prepared helps alot too, eatting before you go certain places ensure that you will not be hungry so u will not be so tempted to cheat. I still struggle with this myself, especially during this holiday season.

    Hope this helps.
  • amh83
    amh83 Posts: 15
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    I've heard of grounding down Fiber One Original Bran cereal and using that to coat chicken or something and "faux-fry" it by baking it in the oven. I've never actually tried it but some friends have and they say it's pretty good.

    I have done this with fish. I used plain corn flakes and baked it in the oven. It was pretty good
  • KellyAnn1874
    KellyAnn1874 Posts: 32 Member
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    I live in my sorority house so I can't really cook (which makes sticking to an eating plan kind of difficult), so I have to rely on what our cook makes or go out. And our cook is an old southern lady that loves to make comfort food, and it's really delicious but the girls and I would love some healthier options. We plan on talking to her at the beginning of next semester and making a "resolutions menu". I plan on saving a bunch of recipes that she could test next semester! I've already got about 6!
  • summer827
    summer827 Posts: 516 Member
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    I'm from near you! I just have to find other foods I am happy with and plan for my favorites occasionally. Personally, I don't keep any unhealthy foods or fry anything at home and I save my splurges for the things I REALLY love. For me, it's not quite so much fried foods, but other butter and/or cheese laden foods. I like to wait for when I can get something really good and homemade to go over my calorie goal. A fast food restaurant's food or a grocery store convenience food item isn't worth it to me, I've decided.
  • getitamb
    getitamb Posts: 2,019 Member
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    Anything fryable was at the Texas. Stuff that shouldn't be fried. So I feel you.
  • sandy2006
    sandy2006 Posts: 483 Member
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    Grew up in NC! Never ate anything green growing up. No veggies unless you consider corn a vegetable. We ate fried everything and mashed potatoes(powder from a box) and mac n cheese and grits! Daily! Very hard for me not to fall into the comfort foods!
  • savlyon
    savlyon Posts: 474 Member
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    I would recommend cutting the portion sizes of the deliciousness. Bulk up on salads.
    Also, check out the Hungry Girl cookbook or website. A Resolution menu suggestion is a great idea! Hopefully the southern gal will take you up on it!

    Every cultural group has it's struggles. I live in Nebraska, and our "comfort" food is BEEF and mashed potatoes/corn. It took a long time to get out of that habit.
    Good luck to you!
  • mjbrenner
    mjbrenner Posts: 222 Member
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    I love my fried food, and I pretty much hate giving it up, so I won't. Here are my tricks for frying and still eating pretty healthy:

    Use garbanzo flour instead of wheat flour. It has a faintly nutty taste that goes really, really well with meat and fish, but it doesn't have the grittiness of whole wheat flour. It is similar in calories to wheat flour, but it has less digestible carbs and more protein. Even if you don't season your breading, you won't miss white flour.

    Fry at a HOT temperature. The hotter the oil you cook in, the less the oil will be absorbed by your food. If your food won't cook all the way through without burning, that's okay, because you can . . .

    Fry your food briefly, then bake it to finish cooking. This gives the crust on your food that nice fried flavor, but you don't spend a long time just soaking up more oil while the insides cook. For both fried and baked meats, the inside essentially cooks by steaming. This meas that once you fry the outside of the food at a hot temperature, the flavor is not changed if you finish it in the oven.

    If you give these a try, let me know how they work out for you. This is what I do in my kitchen, and it's been great for me.
  • KatiD83
    KatiD83 Posts: 152 Member
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    I live in Kentucky and love fried foods. I still eat them, but in moderation. My trick is to pair my fried foods with veggies or salads. I have been making fried chicken at home, without skin, and a light breading (no batter). I cut 3-4 chicken tenders up on a salad full of veggies and found I eat less chicken than if I made it with mac and cheese.
  • CraigG75
    CraigG75 Posts: 177 Member
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    I am from North Carolina and I love all that southern food. It's tough but I just eat in moderation and not too often. Smaller portions help also.
  • KellyAnn1874
    KellyAnn1874 Posts: 32 Member
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    I'll just have to use our salad bar a whole bunch haha
  • carolkobe
    carolkobe Posts: 18 Member
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    I have whatever I want to eat every ten pounds I lose, I mean that very day!! I dream about what that will be while I'm working out and I have a week to balance the calories over:) In addition I find being good for breakfast and lunch (while at work it's crazy busy so this is easier for me) allows me more flexibilty for dinner. Coming up to Thanksgiving I made sure I got a workout in every day no matter how tired I was and didn't use those calories, I also saved a few extra food calories each day and for the first time did not gain weight and ate (small portions) of everything that I really wanted:)

    You could try the Hellman's oven "fried" chicken in between:
    1/2 cup 1/3 less fat mayo
    1/4 cup parmesan cheese
    Pinch of pepper and cayenne if you like a kick
    Coat skinless chicken with this mixture (if can be messy but worth it!)
    Roll the chicken in seasoned bread crumbs abd bake at 425° for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

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    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods

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