Cooking and eating is the topic of most of my days, but the thing that I like to share with you today is how to manage cooking in a healthier manner that doesn’t require you to give up on flavor and still help you stay healthy and fit. I know that the word low-fat is not so attractive to some of you; and then again to some of you it might be just what you are looking for. I love that you can actually cook and eat low-fat and all you are giving up is the extra fat that your body doesn’t need. Now, I think that your body does need fats, but there is a difference between good fats and unnecessary fats. Let’s discuss this.
For instance, I think that grilled fish and chicken is more tastier than it cooked in a pan with oil, you give up on the fat because when you grill it the fat drains, hence making it less fat and the taste is delicious.
I also love lactose-free non fat or low-fat milk vs. the whole regular milk, the flavor is pretty much the same and all I am giving up on is fat.
Also I like to make my own buttermilk at home, by using the low-fat milk and lemon, it works exactly the same way but way less fat.
This is what I mean by giving up on fat but not on flavor. Things are yummy cooked the right way, we don’t have to get scared of fat, but we can learn to select it.
For example, I love almonds and walnuts, they are high in fat but all extremely good for you, so I eat them.
I love avocados, also fat. I love to use olive oil, also fat and I do like some good old Parmigiano Reggiano and will never eat any fake low-fat version, the real one is good for you and there is no substitute in my book.
So to follow are some tips on how to cook low-fat. Enjoy!
1) Grill, broil, bake, braise, steam, poach, slow-cook, and microwave foods instead of frying them. Sautéing is ok with minimal amounts of oil (preferably extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil), or use nonstick spray.
2) Choose chicken or turkey sausages or burgers instead of pork or beef sausages or burgers.
3) Choose extra-lean meat and skinless chicken breasts, and remember to trim all visible fat from meats.
4) Substitute most meat dishes each week with fish or vegetarian meals.
5) Use one egg and two egg whites per person in your favorite egg dishes or cakes; or cut fat and cholesterol completely by using egg substitute. Or also substitute 2 egg whites for one whole egg or 3 egg whites for 2 eggs.
6) Substitute whole milk for non fat or low-fat milk.
7) Oven-fry, bake or boil potatoes instead of making or buying French fries.
8) Choose reduced fat sour cream or yogurt instead of full-fat versions for stews, dips, spreads, and dressings.
9) Replace some of the fat in baked goods with applesauce, plain nonfat yogurt or low-fat buttermilk. (to make your own buttermilk: 1 cup low-fat milk mixed with 1 tbsp. lemon juice fresh).
10) Use reduced fat or fat-free cream cheese instead of the regular version for cheesecakes.
11) Use evaporated skim milk in place of light or heavy cream in soups and sauces.
12) Use fat-free chicken broth or fat-free milk in mashed potatoes, soups, gravies and stews
13) As a healthy alternative to frying, coat meat or veggies in egg whites then use bread crumbs and bake in the oven.
14) Cook fish in parchment paper or foil to seal in the flavor and juices.
15) Instead of eating potato chips, substitute pretzels, pita chips, or raw fruits and vegetables.
16) Rinse canned foods such as tuna, beans, and vegetables before using to wash away excess sodium or oil.
17) Thickening the sauce with cornstarch instead of a traditional butter-flour mixture.
18) Season vegetables with herbs and spices rather than sauces, butter or margarine.
19) Cook with lemon juice or herbs — these add flavors to food such as vegetables without adding fat.
20) Use mustard as a sandwich spread in place of margarine or mayonnaise. Or use healthy fats such as nut butters on your toast.
Balanced Modern Mom 
Excellent tips! I do roughly the same thing as well save for maybe the last point – I dislike mustard so much that I’d rather skip the fat than use mustard. The servers at sandwich shops always warn me that my sandwich will be dry but I find its fine as long as I have some moist stuff in the filling – like roasted peppers or avocadoes.
Thank you! And yes you can put anything on your sandwich that you like, like tomatoes, avocados, peppers, low fat ricotta or cottage cheese, etc… Anything that you like just try to keep it light and healthy.
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Great tips for Healthy Eating – Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Your welcome and thanks for stopping by Mythineats
Great tips!
Thanks for liking the post and for stopping by mythineats
Thank you.
Great tips, thanks. I have been sold on chicken sausage over pork for some time now. The flavor of the chicken sausage is much better than the pork and so much better for you.
Exactly. It actually tastes better and like you said is also better for you, so it’s a win win situation.
Happy Cooking!
Awesome ideas! I will add one awesome snack: homemade popcorn. I can do a large batch in my Whirley Pop with only a teaspoon of oil. Delicious too!
Yes, that’s how I do it I cook it with olive oil and then add some cayenne pepper at the end. My favorite snack ever!
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Excellent tips. You’re right, there is no substitute for Parmigiano Reggiano! So much flavor bang for your buck, it’s worth it.
Agreed! There are some things that we can’t substitute if you try to find a substitution for Parmigiano Reggiano it’s probably not good for you so you’re better off eating the real deal.
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Some great advice! I agree there are some things which pack a lot of flavor so you can use less. I’ve had some success using no salt plain brown rice crackers (rolled into crumbs) as a coating for fish and then baking it or even pay-frying. That way I can add my own herbs and control the salt. This particular cracker stays very crisp through the cooking.
That is something that I haven’t tried but sounds like an excellent suggestion. There are so many simple and tasty secrets out there that really do offer excellent flavor to the food.
Of course I meant “pan-frying!”
Great tips… didn’t you get #6 mixed? or am I missing the point?
Oops. Yes use the low fat and non fat or fat free milk instead of whole milk.
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I just love your tips and suggestions. Some of your tips, I actually do today. This was such a wonderful post
Thank you so much! I really appreciate hearing from you. Have a wonderful weekend
You Rock Cristina!!!!!!!!!!! Great healthy tips. Have a great week-end. Luv you much.
These are great tips and ideas…ones we can all use with ease:) without compromising the flavor…Thanks!
Exactly. I think that there are some really simple steps to leading a healthier lifestyle and also tastier for this matter, we just need someone to point out the good and the not so good things we do everyday in our lives; this way we continue trying to only do the good.
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Good post, I agree with most of your tips!
There is one tip missing though: prepare smaller portions and don’t prepare more than you need! I’d rather eat a bit less of something really tasty (with perhaps a bit of butter) than a lot of something with less taste. And it works really well — I’ve had the same weight for 20 years now although getting older is making it a bit harder…
Agreed. I would suggest portion control I think that it’s an essential part of being healthy, however that is under another post about thin people’s eating habits. This is more about how to cook low-fat. I wouldn’t consider butter low fat but I do see and like your take on eat less but have what you enjoy vs. having more of what you don’t enjoy. That’s a fantastic motto and I see that you have had success that way.
I personally don’t like butter, unless maybe on toast, but then again I rarely ever use it, I would say that I could have butter that could sit in my fridge for about a year. I love to cook with only olive oil, I use it also for salad dressings, and everything that requires using oil or butter.
Keep up the good work with your body, and you are right as we get older things just do change, but we also know what works for our bodies.
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Another motto: if a food that is unhealthy is going into my body than it better REALLY be worth it!
Butter definitely isn’t low fat, but it does add a great taste even if you add just a little.
Yes, that is how I think. If I am going to eat this it better be something that I actually want and like, or else I don’t even think about it. Is it worth it?! That is what one has to think.
Some tasty tips!
I would like to recommend game meat for those looking for a lean alternative to beef! It cooks very quickly, can be substituted in any dish that you normally use chicken or beef, and game meat can include snake, bison, antelope, deer, rabbit. Any time that we have our game meat processed from carcass we have to include MORE “fat” in the sausage to keep it from burning.
Awesome tips! So glad I came across your blog!!
Thank you. I am glad that you like this blog and hope to see you back.
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Scrumptious!
Thanks for liking my post! If you hadn’t, I would never have stumbled onto your blog and found such helpful tips and recipes. It’s good to find healthy food that taste good too 🙂 Dieting and eating right is hard enough as it is, so why not make it yummy and fun too right?
Your welcome. I completely agree, life is too short to not enjoy it to the fullest and what a great way to start off than with food.
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I use the buttermilk swap often, since I usually have lemons on hand. I like using avocados as a spread in place of mayo on sandwiches.
That’s great. So many things that we can make at home and it’s fantastic.
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