Eating healthy is definitely not an easy task in today’s super busy world. People are so consumed in their careers or schooling that it makes it nearly impossible to stop and cook a healthy meal. If you are one of these busy people, and you are looking for a way to make a healthy change in your diet, you are in the right place.
Something that people may not realize is that they are adding unnecessary amounts of fat to their dishes simply by the way they are preparing and cooking their meals. To decrease the amount of fat in your meals, you should try some of these different tips on preparing and cooking your foods. Trust me, you won’t even have to break an extra bead of sweat with them, either!
1. Invest in nonstick cookware.
While this could turn out to be a bit of an expense at first, you will find that it will be well worth it in the end. Just by going out and replacing your old pots and pans, you can eliminate a lot of unneeded fat in your meals. By doing this you eliminate the need to use oils or cooking sprays as much (or at all). With a tablespoon of vegetable oil, you are adding 14 grams of total fat to your diet. Nonstick cookware could virtually eliminate this.
2. Substitute ground beef with ground turkey.
A 4-oz. serving of turkey burger has almost 3 grams less of total fat than regular beef burgers, and you can’t really even tell the difference between the two, especially when mixed into a chili or spaghetti dinner.
3. Ditch the bread and tortillas at least once a week.
One popular and incredibly simple way to cut a little bit of fat out of your diet is to substitute bread and tortillas with a lettuce wrap in your meals at least once a week. One slice of white bread (around 30 grams per slice) has a gram of fat in it.
If you use two pieces of bread and eat 2 burgers, for example, that’s 4 grams of fat just from the bread! Just one flour tortilla (197 grams per serving) has about 2 grams of fat in it. If you substitute these with a serving of romaine lettuce (85 grams per serving) you will be taking in less than 1/2 a gram of total fat.
4. Salt less, season more.
Too often, people turn to salt and butter to season their meats and veggies. Not only does this add a lot of unneeded fat content to your meals, you are missing out on a lot of different flavors! Next time you go to spice up your dinner, try using some herbs and spices to make the flavor explode! Most herbs and spices are nutrient-rich and fat-free.
5. Alter your portion sizes.
People usually count on their meat entree to be the main thing to fill them up, so they usually opt for larger portion sizes for meats and smaller sizes for side dishes. Meat is obviously going to have more fat in it than, for example, green beans. One thing you could do is make more veggies and smaller meat portions. This will help trim the fat on your belly while helping you save money on the expensive meats.
6. Bake instead of fry.
Whether it be french fries or fried chicken, someone always has their favorite comfort food that requires you to cook it using hot oil. Like I had mentioned earlier, adding just 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil can add loads of unnecessary fat to your foods. The simple solution to this is to bake it in the oven instead! No oils, no problems!
7. Have themed dinners at least once a week.
What I mean by this is try making Fridays “Fish Friday,” or Mondays “No Meat Monday.” This can make planning dinners not only fun and interesting but healthy! Fish is a leaner choice of meat compared to beef and poultry. By replacing meats with beans or even meat substitutes, you are eliminating the extra fats without skimping out on the proteins.
8. Rethink your dressings.
If you are taking the initiative to have salads with your dinners, or even as your dinners, good for you! The one thing you do need to watch out for is those pesky salad dressings. One serving of Hidden Valley Ranch (2 tablespoons) has a whopping 16 grams of fat per serving. Most Italian Dressings have 3.1 grams of fat per tablespoon. Even vinaigrette’s can have around 4 grams of fat per tablespoon!
The best thing you can do to fulfill your dressing desires is to opt for the fat-free versions of your favorites, or even try your hand at making your own!
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