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Low-fat Cooking Tips
- Use safflower oil, canola, coconut oil or olive oil in a recipe that calls for vegetable oil.
- Benefits of olive oil are strong flavor, so a little goes a long way. The finest quality is extra virgin or virgin.
- Every time oil is listed as an ingredient, question it. Not all recipes that call for oil really need it.
- When making a sandwich, omit margarine or mayonnaise.
- Try using: Substitute plain non-fat yogurt or Greek yogurt for sour cream. Learn to appreciate the natural flavors and textures of foods.
- Avoid using butter, margarine and mayonnaise.
- For enhanced flavor, look for low-fat alternatives like lemon juice, flavored vinegars, hot sauce or reduced sodium soy sauce.
- Defat all soups and stocks by refrigerating them for 24 hours before using them. Even canned soup will yield fat to be skimmed after refrigeration.
- Use nonstick pans for “sautéing.”
- Don’t fry in lard, bacon or meat fat, shortening, butter or margarine. Instead, use wine, vermouth, lemon juice, flavored vinegar or water to provide flavor but few calories.
- Cook vegetables without added fat by steaming or microwaving.
- Try sautéing them in broth or flavored vinegar.
- Use flavored vinegar such as raspberry, peach, blueberry or strawberry to put zing, but few calories into sautéed foods.
- Read package labels, identify high-salt foods such as chips, pretzels, pickles, French fries, salted nuts, sauerkraut and smoked meats.
- Get rid of the table salt as a condiment. Salt substitutes are not a good alternative.
- Use herbs and spices to enhance the natural flavor of your food.
- Avoid salty condiments such as mustards, ketchup, steak sauce, sea salt, garlic salt and soy sauce. Instead use low sodium herbs and spices to enhance flavor.
- Lemon juice cuts down the desire for salt.
