Cut That Fat in Your Food
Trying to lose weight or eat healthy? Well, the first step is to cut down on fats…
Cultivating healthy eating habits is not an uphill task. It just takes a strong dose of will power and a sprinkling of common sense. When you look in the mirror and see yourself fit and healthy, it’s such an amazing feeling!
Some tips to reduce fat intake
- Invest in non-stick frying pans. It really makes a difference in terms of oil consumption.
- Cut down on the oil you use in cooking by half.
- When you do use cooking oil, use a teaspoon to measure it rather than pouring from the bottle.
- Avoid making deep-fried foods. Shallow fry or stir fry vegetables.
- Save high-fat desserts (ice cream, pastries) for special occasions; have small portions, share a serving with someone.
- Use low-fat cooking methods like baking, poaching, broiling and steaming. Grill or microwave food.
- Instead of sautéing in butter or oil, use vegetable stock or water. Steaming can also be used to draw out an ingredient’s flavor and tenderize it.
- When eating eggs, use only the egg whites. The yolk is high in fat and cholesterol.
- Buy lean meat and trim any extra fat. Remove the skin from chicken before cooking. (The skin is high in fat).
- Incorporate salad eating into your diet. Make a different salad every day. It is nourishing and fills you up as well. But skip the oily, rich dressings. Go for lemon juice and vinegar instead with a dash of salt, pepper and herbs
- Make curds with skimmed milk. You could skip curds and have buttermilk instead.
- Remove the layer of cream that forms on the milk after boiling it.
- Eat out only occasionally, not every second day. Food in restaurants is rich in oil.
- Stop snacking on cookies, murukkus and chips. Instead snack on dry fruits like almonds and walnuts; they are very healthy. However, they are high in fat too so have no more than a handful.
- Stop drinking sugar-laden soft drinks and fruit juices. The commercially available fruit juices are NOT healthy; they are full of sugar and lack fiber too. Instead, eat fruit or make your own juices without adding any sugar.
Four reasons to eat less fat?
- It can help in weight loss or weight maintenance because you will be eating fewer calories.
- It could help reduce your risk of heart disease by reducing saturated fat, which helps in lowering blood cholesterol levels.
- It may possibly reduce your risk of cancer.
- Eating fewer high-fat foods means more room for fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans – all healthy, nourishing foods!
