FAT
1. Familiarize yourself with good and bad fats.
2. Applesauce may be substituted in some baked (i.e. cakes and cookies) goods for fat. 1c. fat = 1c. applesauce. However, this will affect the texture and taste of the final product. Completely substituting all fat with applesauce in a baked good is not recommended. Try substituting half the fat with applesauce instead.
3. When choosing a
cooking oil or fat to use in a recipe, you'll want to choose one with the least
amount of SFA's and have more MUFA's and PUFA's. Also, try to avoid trans-fatty acids as much
as possible.
4. If you decide to
replace a solid fat with a cooking oil in a baked good, you may need to add
more thickening agents to the recipe (i.e. flour).
5. Not all margarines
are created equal. Be sure you check the
nutrition label and ingredients list for the breakdown of SFA's, MUFA's,
PUFA's, and trans-fat.
6. It is recommended
to keep fat intake to less than 30% of your total calorie intake for each
day. Instead, eat more fruits and vegetables--you
need 5 servings of these each day and they make you feel full faster (and they
contain no fat).
7. You can have your fried chicken and eat it too. It all has to do with your choice in cooking oils. Healthy frying is possible.
8. For meat, eat more fish and chicken. Substitute ground turkey or chicken for ground beef. Remove the skin from chicken before cooking. Eat leaner cuts of beef and pork, and trim as much visible fat as possible before cooking.
9. Bake, broil, or grill meats. Avoid breaded meats and vegetables.
10. Use fat-free or reduced-fat milk instead of whole milk. Instead of sour cream, try nonfat plain yogurt or a blend of yogurt and low-fat cottage cheese. Use low-fat cheeses.
11. In recipes, use two egg whites instead of one whole egg.
12. Avoid cream and cheese sauces, or make recipes with low-fat milk and cheese.
13. Instead of chips, snack on pretzels or unbuttered popcorn.
14. When eating in a restaurant, ask that the sauces and dressings be served on the side.
15. Try cooking with herbs, spices, lemon juice, etc., instead of butter or margarine.
SUGAR
1. Did you know that the sweetness of sugars is based on table sugar (sucrose)? Fructose (sugar in fruit) is sweeter than sucrose and sucrose is sweeter than glucose (blood sugar). Familiarize yourself with basic sugars. Instead of using brown sugar, molasses, powdered sugar, etc., try using just sugar or honey. (Exceptions: Icings/frostings require powdered sugar and sugar is necessary if yeast is an ingredient.)
2. Most dessert (and even some pastry) recipes call for more sugar than is needed for the recipe to taste good. Try reducing the sugar in 1/2c. increments (or 1/4c. increments) each time you make your recipe until you find the desired taste for you and your family.
13. Instead of chips, snack on pretzels or unbuttered popcorn.
14. When eating in a restaurant, ask that the sauces and dressings be served on the side.
15. Try cooking with herbs, spices, lemon juice, etc., instead of butter or margarine.
SUGAR
1. Did you know that the sweetness of sugars is based on table sugar (sucrose)? Fructose (sugar in fruit) is sweeter than sucrose and sucrose is sweeter than glucose (blood sugar). Familiarize yourself with basic sugars. Instead of using brown sugar, molasses, powdered sugar, etc., try using just sugar or honey. (Exceptions: Icings/frostings require powdered sugar and sugar is necessary if yeast is an ingredient.)
2. Most dessert (and even some pastry) recipes call for more sugar than is needed for the recipe to taste good. Try reducing the sugar in 1/2c. increments (or 1/4c. increments) each time you make your recipe until you find the desired taste for you and your family.
3. If you are using fruit in the recipe, very ripe fruit is
high in fructose which is sweeter than sugar.
If you're making a dessert recipe that calls for fruit, try using very
ripe fruit and try reducing the sugar you add in the recipe even more (1c. or
more). See Banana Nut Cookies (with chocolate chips). Below the original Mrs. Field's recipe is a healthier version of the recipe with less sugar.
4. Avoid artificial sweeteners. Since they're not natural molecules, the body will treat them like fat. Also, artificial sweeteners have been linked to strokes in women.
5. Many recipes call for seasonings. These seasonings spice things up and even act as sweeteners. If the recipe calls for seasonings, try reducing the sugar that the recipe calls for by at least 1/2c. It's easy to do in recipes like pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
6. If possible, you may use Agave syrup. Just 2/3 cup of it can be substituted for every cup of sugar. When using it, combine it with wet ingredients before adding dry ingredients.
7. Replace up to 1/4 of the sugar in your recipe with powdered milk to add a boost of nutrition and sweetness. For instance, use 1/4 cup powdered milk and 3/4 cup sugar when your cookie recipe requires 1 cup of sugar.
8. Need some hard facts and rules?
6. If possible, you may use Agave syrup. Just 2/3 cup of it can be substituted for every cup of sugar. When using it, combine it with wet ingredients before adding dry ingredients.
7. Replace up to 1/4 of the sugar in your recipe with powdered milk to add a boost of nutrition and sweetness. For instance, use 1/4 cup powdered milk and 3/4 cup sugar when your cookie recipe requires 1 cup of sugar.
8. Need some hard facts and rules?
***Need some help believing you can reduce sugar and fat in these
recipes? Check out the Banana Nut Cookies (with chocolate chips) recipe on this site. Below the original Mrs. Field's recipe is a
healthier version of the recipe with less sugar and fat.***
SALT
There are many salts in this world; but, when talking about salt in the diet, we're talking about sodium chloride (NaCl). Many Americans get too much salt in their diet. Sodium is the main culprit of concern as it can affect blood pressure. Salt is also necessary in the diet, so finding a balance is necessary. The best advice is to cut out added salt (salt you add at the kitchen table).
One way to cut out added salt (and the best way) is to leave it off the table and replace it with your spice rack. Many of the herbs and seasonings in your spice rack can complement and add to the flavor of your food. Many of these herbs also have awesome health benefits. Let you and your family experiment with these seasonings on various dishes. This will be a learning experience; but, it will be well worth it. You and your family will learn what seasonings work best with which dishes; and, you'll learn to ditch the salt.
There are lots of hidden salt (and sugar) in many of the foods you buy at the supermarket. Try buying the low sodium versions when possible. You may also want to make your own sauces and snack foods at home to further reduce salt and sugar.
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