- Use 1 percent
low-fat milk or nonfat milk.
Whole milk contains 3.25 percent fat by weight, 2 percent milk
contains 2 percent fat, 1 percent milk contains 1 percent fat,
and nonfat milk contains almost no fat. Both 1 percent milk and
nonfat milk provide the same nutrients as whole milk or 2
percent milk with much less saturated fat and cholesterol and
fewer calories.
- Use reduced-fat cheeses, but
avoid nonfat cheeses
,
which are rubbery and bitter. Use the finest quality Parmesan
cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano, grated just before use. It costs
more, but the flavor is far superior.
- Use mustard, particularly the
grainy variety
, to
add thickness to dressings and sauces without added fat. Use
garlic, ginger, onions, lemon juice, vinegar, chilies, mustard
and fresh herbs as natural flavor enhancers.
- Use salsa as a condiment
to enhance breakfast dishes, grilled foods and sandwiches. Use
fruit salsas as a delicious and fat-free topping for grilled
fish, poultry or meat.
- Puree roast garlic to use on
bread
or as a
fat-free enhancer for comfort foods such as mashed potatoes,
meat loaf or pasta.
- You can cook chicken with
the skin on, which will not add any fat to the dish. The
secret is to discard the fatty skin before eating the chicken.
Also make sure to trim the fat from beef, lamb and pork,
before cooking which reduces the fat of the finished dish.
- When selecting oils, choose
monounsaturated oils such as olive, canola or peanut --
the good guys in oil. No matter what type of oil, limit the
amount used.
- Chop and freeze fresh herbs
when available to have on hand year-round.
- Use small amounts of
prosciutto or Canadian bacon
,
which are lower in fat than regular bacon, to add a smoky flavor
with less fat.
- To intensify
flavor, toast nuts and seeds
such as pine nuts and sesame seeds. A few toasted nuts will add
more flavor than a whole bunch of plain ones.
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