Wellness Articles

Wellness Index

Most of us eat far more fat than we need — almost 6-8 tablespoons each day. But, for sound nutrition, we only need to eat about one tablespoon of vegetable oil a day. Considering the link between high-fat diets to heart disease, obesity, and cancer risk, it makes sense to limit our intake of fat. Most nutritionists agree that eating no more than 30% of our daily calories from fat sources is a good rule-of-thumb. The following tips can help you trim excess fat calories from your daily menu while continuing to enjoy the foods that you and your family love.

Buy Smart

You can start trimming fat calories by buying foods that are naturally low in fat — fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain bread and cereal products, lean cuts of meat, poultry without skin, and fish. Avoid rich bakery products since these often derive over half their calories from fat. You can also buy low-fat or non-fat versions of your favorite dairy products — milk, yogurt, and many cheeses now come in low- or non-fat and skim milk varieties. To reduce saturated fat, which is known to promote heart disease, use margarine instead of butter, plain yogurt in place of sour cream, and vegetable oil instead of shortenings or lard.

Bake, Broil, Poach, or Steam

You can further de-fat (and decalorize) your menus by using cooking techniques that require no added fats. Instead of frying or sautéing your food, bake, broil, or poach it. Non-stick vegetable oil sprays can be used to treat pans or grill to prevent food from sticking. Food can be poached (lightly simmered) in seasoned water or broth for added flavor and aroma. You can also steam or microwave almost any meat or vegetable. (Both methods retain nutrients, flavor, and color of most foods and take less time than most other methods.)

Season With Herbs

Herbs and spices add interesting flavors to foods and reduce the need for margarine, sauces, and gravies. Herbs and spices can be purchased fresh or freeze dried, minced or powdered. (You can plan on using about half as much dried herbs as you would fresh ones.) Experiment with wide varieties like sage, dill, oregano, curry, chili powder. Flavorful seasonings can also help you cut down on added salt. You can also use fresh lemon, lime, or vinegar to season salads rather than using high fat salad dressings.

Experiment

Try experimenting with your own family favorites, like substituting skim milk mozzarella and farmer's cheese for the whole milk mozzarella and ricotta in your lasagna recipe, or topping your baked potato with chopped tomato, chives, and plain yogurt instead of butter, sour cream and salt. Remember — the fat you reduce may be your own!

©1989 Parlay International. Single copies may be printed for personal use, but the printing of multiple copies is prohibited.