10 Ways to Cook Healthier! | The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans LLC

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Do you like to cook?  Or maybe not?

I love to cook and I am blessed to write for Mom Central’s food blog.  Sometimes I post healthy, good for you recipes that I have tried and reviewed and sometimes I write reviews on recipes that are terrible for you, but oh so yummy!

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, usually with one or two or three children hanging off of me or around me or tripping me up or “helping” me.  I am on a quest to lose the “post-pregnancy” baby weight and overall, eat healthier.  There are so many things that you can do while you are cooking to make your food better for you, and most times, you will not notice a difference in the taste of the food.

1. Trim the fat from meats prior to cooking them. This seems obvious BUT even I have been known to leave the VISIBLE fat on, intentionally and unintentionally.  Whatever you see, just go ahead and trim it off and throw it in the trash.

2. Drain fats from meat once you are done cooking them and if necessary, blot them with paper towels.

3. Use turkey bacon instead of real bacon. Yes, I know, real bacon tastes better and is oh so yummy, BUT turkey bacon is a great substitute, tastes good and is much better for you.

4. Use fat-free chicken broth or fat-free milk in mashed potatoes, soups, gravies and stews.  I do this whenever possible and guess what?  Everything still tastes good!

5. Buy low sodium/no sodium products for cooking. Too much sodium is not good for you and so many packaged goods are LOADED with sodium.  I notice that when I have too much salt in my daily diet, then I feel bloated, my fingers and toes are like little sausages, and I am so THIRSTY.  If that is what I feel on the outside, imagine what it’s doing to my insides.

6. Replace your full fat sour cream  with a reduced fat or fat free version.

7. Try fat-free evaporated milk in creamy soups and casseroles instead of heavy cream. One of my favorite pasta dishes calls for heavy whipping cream and while it does taste delicious, I knew that it was so bad for me and that if I didn’t modify the recipe, I would only be able to eat it once a year.  I used fat free evaporated milk in place of the heavy whipping cream and voila!, a lower fat recipe.

8. Replace regular spaghetti with multi-grain or wheat pasta. My favorite is Barilla Plus multi-grain pasta- it’s the only pasta we eat now and my kids slurp it down.

9. Substitute regular, grated cheese with a reduced fat version.  I have tried going to fat-free cheeses but I personally don’t like the taste.  However, reduced fat tastes just fine to me and helps to lower the fat and the calories.  Granted, the cheese doesn’t melt as prettily but hey, it’s better FOR me.

10. Replace your full fat cream cheese with reduced fat versions and reduce the amount.

And there you have it folks!  10 simple ways to reduce the fat in your daily diet.  Maybe you are already doing some of these things or maybe you are thinking about it doing some of these things.  Go for it- your body will thank you.

I posted this list originally over here. If you have any additional ways to lighten the way we cook, please feel free to share!

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