Cooking at home can save you a lot of calories, fat, sodium, and money just to name a few of the benefits. If you have a hard time choosing healthier options to cook for you and your family, here are some helpful tips for adding more nutrition to your favorite recipes:
1) Change to whole grains. Some examples are brown rice, whole wheat pasta, barley, whole wheat flour, and quinoa. Benefits - extra fiber, B vitamins, and antioxidants.
**(Hint: Make sure that the first ingredient is a whole grain and has at least 3 grams of fiber per serving)
2) If you use cheese switch to a 2% low fat cheese. Keep the same great flavor but save some fat and calories from your daily intake, 1 ounce Sharp Cheddar Cheese = 110 calories, 9 grams of fat and 1 ounce 2% low fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese = 80 calories, 6 grams of fat.
**(Hint: Watch your serving sizes. 1 ounce of cheese = 28 grams = 1/4 Cup shredded cheese. If you don't have a measuring device, 1 serving of cheese is about the same size as your thumb or 4 dice and if it's shredded it can fit in the palm of your hand)
3) Use Lean meat. If you are using ground meats, get turkey or chicken with at least 90% lean meat as some ground poultry will include skin and dark meat which can be even higher in fat than beef. Lean cuts of beef include round, chuck, sirloin and tenderloin. Lean pork and lamb includes tenderloin, loin chops and leg. The leanest poultry is white meat from the breast with no skin.
4) Add vegetables! When cooking soup or chili use more beans and greens. Use an old favorite family recipe and add some seasonal vegetables to the mix!
I am interested in making my meals less healthy. Do you have an arch nemesis you can refer me to?
ReplyDeleteAnna B Chubby perhaps?