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 Many
favorite comfort foods are chock-full of fat and calories. But
a few simple tweaks can transform familiar favorites into delicious
and nutritious meals your family will ask for time and time again.
The nutrition experts at Mayo
Clinic share their top five tips for healthy recipe makeovers
that cut the calories, boost the nutrition, and keep the taste:
1. Cut the Fat and Sugar
When you cut sugar and fat out of your favorite recipes, you
reduce the calories. Most recipes can be altered without making
the food taste different. Reduce the amount of sugar by one-third
to one-half and play up the other flavors in the dish by increasing
the amount of spice, such as cinnamon and nutmeg, the recipe
calls for. Replace half the fat (like butter or shortening) in
baked goods with applesauce or mashed banana.
2. Swap Out
Make whole wheat French toast instead of using white bread. Add
fiber to family spaghetti night by using whole wheat pasta. Replace
whole milk with 1 percent or fat-free milk and you'll cut fat
and calories without anyone even noticing.
3. When In Doubt, Leave It
Out
Do you really need extra cheese on top of your pasta? Or frosting
and nuts on that brownie? While items like mayonnaise, butter
and syrup might seem like a delicious bonus, leaving them out
can reduce sugar, fat and calories. And, in most cases, you won't
even miss them.
4. Small Plates Mean a Smaller
Waistline
You should eat enough food to be satisfied, but not enough to
give you that uncomfortably full and bloated feeling. Strive
for a variety of foods and reasonable portion sizes. If you're
served a huge portion of food at a restaurant, immediately ask
them to box up half of it. It's like getting two meals for the
price of one.
5. Change Techniques
Instead of frying, try baking, broiling or grilling. Instead
of sauteing, try steaming. Use nonstick cooking spray instead
of butter or oil and baste food with wine or vegetable broth
instead of oil or fatty meat juices.
Making a few simple substitutions
and changing your method of preparation can result in mouthwatering
new versions of your family's favorite foods. The next time you
are looking for a delicious and nutritious meal without all the
fat and calories, try these simple recipes from the Fix-it and
Enjoy-it Healthy Cookbook.
Recipes reprinted from "Fix-it
and Enjoy-it Healthy Cookbook." Copyright by Good Books.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
For more healthy cooking tips
and recipes, visit MayoClinic.com.
Courtesy of ARAcontent.
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