Stock your kitchen with healthy foods first, then change how you prepare them so they are healthy. Instead of using refined flour and vegetable oil, replace them with health-improving whole-grain flour and olive oil. The cells of your body need very little saturated fat and absolutely no trans fats from your diet to effectively perform the many tasks essential for a productive, disease-free lifestyle. Leave the butter, lard, fatty meats, jellies and white bread on the grocery store shelves.
Step 1
Brown lean ground meat or poultry in a pot sprayed with cooking spray instead of using vegetable oil. Drain the meat into a colander, then rinse under hot running water. This removes more saturated fat than simply draining your meat. Wipe the pot with a paper towel then continue with your cooking.
Step 2
Make herb-infused, extra-virgin olive oil to flavor your foods instead of using butter, margarine or mayonnaise. Mix together ½ cup of finely chopped, fresh garlic, 4 tsp. dried thyme, 2 tsp. dried herbs de Provence, 2 tsp. dried basil, 2 tsp. dried oregano, 2 tsp. dried parsley, 1 tsp. finely ground sea salt and ½ tsp. ground black pepper in a 3-cup container that has a lid.. Pour 2 cups extra virgin olive oil into the container and stir, or preferably, shake. Set aside the covered container in the pantry to infuse for at least one week. This oil may be kept at room temperature. Drizzle some on your sandwich instead of mayonnaise. Make a tomato-based pasta sauce using plenty of soaked herbs and the flavored olive oil instead of making a cream sauce with butter and heavy cream. Not only do you enhance the mouth appeal of your dish, but the unsaturated fats in the olive oil help keep your bad cholesterol down and boost your good cholesterol.
Step 3
Gradually switch from high-fat dairy products to low-fat or reduced-fat items. Replace your whole milk with 2 percent milk for a barely noticeable difference in taste and texture. After one or two weeks, purchase a half-gallon of 1 percent milk or skim milk, and 1 gallon of 2 percent milk. When you drink milk or when you use milk for cereal, fill your cup three-fourths with 2 percent milk and one-fourth with the healthier milk. The next day, fill your cup halfway up with 2 percent milk and fill the other half with skim or 1 percent milk. Continue this process until the lighter milk is palatable. Replace half of the whole milk in your recipes with skim milk.
Step 4
Include whole wheat flour in some of your recipes. Start by replacing one-quarter of the refined white flour in the recipe with whole wheat flour. Use just enough whole wheat flour so that your dish is still enjoyable.
Step 5
Trim all visible fats from your meats and poultry. Skim and discard the beads of fat that rise to the surface of your soups and stews that contain meat. When you refrigerate soups and stews, the fat solidifies on the surface. Remove this fat prior to reheating your food.
Step 6
Make food from scratch instead of using prepackaged, commercially processed foods, reducing your sodium intake. Prepare and bake your lasagna, using very little salt instead of buying an already-made frozen entrée.
Tips and Warnings
- Try new herbs and seasonings to enhance your foods. Test a new recipe to expand your healthy menu.
Things You'll Need
- Colander
- Olive oil
- Dried herbs
- Garlic
References
- "ACSM's Health and Fitness Journal"; "Your Clients Are What They Eat: Balancing Weight with Diet, Part 1"; Gary Miller; January/February 2005
- "ACSM's Health Fitness Journal"; "Eat Like You're in Crete: Teach Your Clients the Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet"; Janet Bond Brill; September/October 2007
- Mayo Clinic: Eight Steps to Prevent Heart Disease
- CDC: Most Americans Should Consume Less Sodium
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