Reducing the amount of saturated fat in your diet can reduce your risk of clogged arteries and developing of heart disease!
If a recipe calls for cheese and you want to use a regular type, buy a sharp variety and use a smaller quantity. The sharper taste gives more flavor with a smaller amount.
Buy the low-fat, light, and fat-free products that taste good to you. You might have to experiment with several -- margarine, butter (or blends), cream cheese, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream. Remember, these products are not calorie-free. Be sure to read the Nutrition Facts label to learn more about the product.
Buy the low-fat, reduced-calorie or fat-free salad dressing that has the taste you like. No matter what salad dressing you use, don't pour on too much. Remember a 1/4 of a cup can contain as many carbohydrates as a slice of bread.
Use low or no sugar jelly or jam instead of margarine or cream cheese on bagel, toast, or muffins.
Use plain, fat-free yogurt or fat-free sour cream instead of regular sour cream -- add herbs and seasonings to make it tasty. Use it on baked potatoes, vegetables, chicken and fish.
Always keep fresh lemon and lime on hand to squirt on vegetables and fish at the table instead of adding more fat (such as sauces, butter or margarine).
Add at least 2 servings of fish to your diet each week
When you buy meats, buy lean cuts; trim off excess fat; prepare in low fat and moist ways, such as bak- ing,steaming, roasting , boiling or broiling.
Marinate meats and vegetables in wine, vinegars, seasonings and spices to add flavors without adding fat.
Eat a meatless meal at least once a week
Consider using applesauce, prune puree or other dried fruit puree to replace fat in baked goods recipes. Check the back of boxes for some recipes or write to the manufacturer to request recipes.
Try substituting two egg whites for one whole egg in baked good recipes
Watch out for frostings and sauces...they are hidden sources of fat!
Adapted from the American Heart Association’s Delicious Decisions found at http://www.deliciousdecisions.org/ee/wbd_acids_tips.html
Easy ways to spare and skim the saturated fat:
Monounsaturated fats are known as the good guys. Monounsaturated fats offer the benefit of lowering cholesterol, while not decreasing the body's good cholesterol (HDL).
Stock canola and/or olive oil in your cupboard. Use these oils to sauté, cook, prepare salad dressing or bake.
Throw a few nuts on foods -- salads, desserts, stir-fries.
Use a slice or two of avocado on a salad, to garnish a casserole, or for guacamole as a Mexican topping.
Use a few olives on a relish plate, to toss in a salad, as a garnish
Buy canola or olive oil-based commercial salad dressings, canola-based margarine and mayon- naise or make your own with olive or canola oil.
Adapted from the American Diabetes Association found at http://www.diabetes.org/main/health/nutrition/foodpyramid/fat.jsp
How to tank up on monounsaturated fats:
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Tips
To start a low-saturated-fat, low-cholesterol eating program, check off six tips to try and post it in a place in your kitchen where you can't miss it. Take time to establish these six tips as new habits. When you've become com- fortable with your first six, try the other tips!
q Reduce your overall fat intake to no more than 30 percent of total calories and your saturated fat intake to 8-10 percent of calories.
q Buy lean cuts of meat and trim off any visible fat before cooking. Also, before cooking poultry, remove the skin.
q Add fish to your diet.
q Eat a meatless meal at least once a week.
q Enjoy pasta, rice, bread and cereal. They're low in fat and rich in nutrients. Choose whole grain products more often than refined or processed prod- ucts.
q Instead of frying foods, bake, steam, roast, boil or broil them.
q Try substituting two egg whites for one
whole egg in baked good recipes.
q Substitute fat-free milk, low-fat
cheeses and low-fat and nonfat yogurt for their high-fat counterparts.
q Instead of using butter and sauces, add new flavor to vegetables with herbs and seasonings.
q Try fruits and low-fat cookies and cakes instead of gooey, high -fat desserts.
q Watch out for frost- ings and sauces! They're hidden sources of fat.
Preparation Perfec- tion
Preparing and enjoying tasty dishes while remaining within the daily recommendations for fat and cholesterol is simple with these handy tips:
Use fats and oils sparingly - and use the ones lowest in saturated fatty acids and cho- lesterol.
Use cooking styles that add little or no fat to food and ask for them when eating out. Boil, broil, bake, grill, roast, poach, steam, sauté, stir-fry or microwave foods for low-fat cook- ing.
Trim off the fat you can see before cooking meat and poultry. Drain off all the fat after browning.
Chill soups and stews after cooking so you can remove the hardened fat from the top. Use nonstick vegetable oil cooking sprays. Fill most of your plate with plant foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables. The