- Get into the habit of measuring the oil you use while you cook, rather than just pouring it out of the bottle. It will be much easier to moderate the amount you use.
- When sautéing, use cooking oil sprays vs. pouring from a bottle; even spraying right onto veggies can save you from using too much oil.
- To make fat-free broths by chilling your meat or chicken broth. The fat will rise to the top, and you can skim it off before using or storing.
- Many vegetables and fruits, including potatoes and apples, retain many of their nutrients in their skin. So when possible, leave some or all of the skin on your fruits and vegetables when cooking.
- Romaine lettuce is loaded with vitamins compared to iceberg. It has three times as much Vitamin C and six times as much Vitamin A.
- Vitamin C is destroyed quickly in cooking – so cook your Vitamin C veggies in the smallest amount of water possible and for a short amount of time. (Examples: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, green & red peppers, spinach, cabbage, tomatoes…. just to name a few)
- Stock up on spices. One of the keys to cooking lower fat and not getting bored is to spice your food well. When you have finished a recipe, always taste it and adjust the spices to meet your taste. Limit salt.
- Purchase the best (i.e. heaviest) set of non-stick cookware you can afford. This could (and should) include a Cast-iron skillet!
- When cooking a dish with both vegetables and meat (i.e. in stir fry’s and stews), reduce the amount of meat by 1/3 and increase the amount of vegetables by 1/3. You will hardly notice!
- Avoid Canola, Soybean, Vegetable, Corn, Rapeseed, and Sunflower oils when possible! And if at all possible, look for Non-GMO or Organic on oils you are using.
