TIPS FOR EATING LESS FAT

Here are some quick tips to help pick and prepare foods lower in saturated fat and cholesterol.

1. Trim off all visible fat from meat before and after cooking
2. Choose lean cuts of meat/poultry or fish.
3. Cook by broiling, baking, roasting, steaming, poaching, microwaving, stir-frying, or charcoal grilling.
4. Fake fry. Try "frying" with calorie-free cooking sprays instead of oil. Spray sliced potatoes and roast them in the oven for French fries that taste fried without the fat.
5. For crispy fish-roll in cornmeal and bake. 
6. For crispy chicken-remove the skin; dip in skim milk mixed with herbs and spices; roll in bread crumbs, cornflakes, or potato flakes; and bake
7. Use a nonstick pan so added fat wont be necessary or use non-stick vegetable spray.
8. Cook meat or poultry on a rack so fat will drain off.
9. Remove skin from poultry before cooking.
10. Prepare soups and stews ahead of time, refrigerate, and remove the hardened fat. You can use a fat-free broth as a base for gravy and sauces.
11. Make gravies with fat-free broth, skim milk and cornstarch or prepare gravy with buttermilk instead of butter.
12. Substitute cholesterol-free egg substitutes or just the egg whites for regular egg. (One egg = one egg white plus one teaspoon vegetable oil)
13. Switch from whole milk to non-fat milk and use this with your cereal, coffee or in recipes.
14. Substitute non-fat or low-fat yogurt, blender-whipped non-fat or low fat cottage cheese, or buttermilk, for sour cream or mayonnaise.
15. Use evaporated skim milk in your coffee instead of cream.
16. Use a limited amount of soft tub margarine instead of butter and lard.
17. If you must eat cheese, select cheeses made from non-fat milk. Reduced fat cheeses should be less than 20% fat.
18. Use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas.
19. Spread jellies and jams on breads instead of butter or margarine.
20. Instead of two-crust pies, serve single-crust (open-face) pies.
21. Sprinkle seasonings such as garlic or onion powder and oregano on cooked foods in place of butter or margarine.
22. Use herb or herb flavored croutons to flavor soups and salads.
23. Make your own breading with plain breadcrumbs. Coat food with crumbs after dipping in skim milk with an egg white.
24. Limit use of gravies, cream sauces, and casserole-type dished unless using low cholesterol recipes.
25. Use oil-free salad dressings, lemon juice, and wine vinegar, instead of mayonnaise-based salad dressings.
26. Cook vegetables in broth or sprinkle with herbs to add flavor
27. Make your own vinaigrette. Mix together extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar (choose from a wide variety such as Balsamic, champagne, raspberry, red wine and tarragon) in a one to one ratio.
28. Spray air-popped popcorn lightly with a vegetable spray and then sprinkle with chili powder, onion powder, or cinnamon.
29. If you must eat desserts, switch from rich desserts with hidden fats to low cholesterol desserts such as angel food cake, plain gelatin, fruits, sorbet, or sherbet.
30. Cut down on the amount of fat you add to food.
31. Add oat bran to your daily food intake.
32. Eat spicy foods- you will miss fattening sauces. Add picante sauce or salsa, tobasco, ginger, Italian spice blends.
33. Sauté vegetables in a little fat free broth, lemon, lime or orange juice instead of fat. Add garlic and onion powder to enhance flavor.
34. Make mustard, Worcestershire or chili sauces your first choices.
35. Eat fish with a low-fat tartar sauce or cocktail sauce.
36. Keep deli sandwiches lean by piling on fat-free fillers such as lettuce, tomato, sprout, cucumbers, pickles, and shredded carrots.
37. The following foods are terrific salad toppers: alfalfa sprouts; avocado; green, black, garbonzo (chick peas), and kidney beans, broccoli, shredded cabbage; carrots; cauliflower; chives; cucumbers; dried fruit; mushrooms; almonds; pecans; pignoli, walnuts; onion; oranges; mandarin sections; sweet or hot peppers; sunflower, pumpkin, poppy, and sesame seeds; tomatoes; celery, radish.
38. A food labeled "no cholesterol" or "cholesterol free" may be high in fat. For example, potato chips may be labeled "no cholesterol" which is true, but it is high in saturated fat and calories.