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 1 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 then 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 Low-Fat Food
You can start trimming fat calories by buying foods that are naturally low in fat, such as, fresh fruit 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 versions of your favorite dairy products. Milk, yogurt, and many cheeses now come in low-fat or skimmed varieties. In addition, try using margarine instead of butter, plain yogurt in place of sour cream, and vegetable oil instead of shortening.
Bake, Broil, Poach, or Steam
You can further de-fat 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 the grill to prevent food from sticking. Food can be poached in seasoned water or broth for added flavor and aroma. You can also steam or microwave almost any meat or vegetable.
Season With Herbs
Herbs and spices add interesting flavors to foods and help make fats like margarine, sauces and gravies unnecessary. Herbs and spices can be purchased fresh or freeze dried, minced or powdered. Experiment with wide varieties like safe, 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 for whole milk mozzarella and ricotta in your recipes, 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!
