Avoiding fat for healthier eating

Avoiding fat for healthier eating

While some fat in the diet is necessary, and it would be a mistake to try to eliminate all fat from the diet, most people simply eat too much fat.  Cutting back on fat is an important part of creating a healthier diet and lifestyle.

There are a number of good reasons for cutting back on levels of dietary fat.  Those reasons include:

Ø  Lowering levels of dietary fat helps in weight loss and weight management.  Fat contains twice as many calories per gram as protein and carbohydrates, so eating less fat usually means consuming fewer calories.

Ø  Lowering fat has been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease.  Dietary fat, particularly saturated fat, has been implicated as a factor in heart disease and elevated cholesterol levels.

Ø  A low fat diet may help to reduce the risk of some forms of cancer.  Although this matter has not been totally settled, there have been a number of studies which indicate that a diet low in fat can keep certain cancers at bay.

Ø  And of course eating fewer high fat foods means that you will be able to enjoy many more low fat alternatives, such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains.  Since these types of foods tend to be nutrient rich and low calorie, they can be enjoyed guilt free.

Of course cutting back on dietary fat is easier said than done, so we have compiled the list of tips for low fat healthy eating to help you get started.

ü  In place of spreads like peanut butter and full fat cream cheese, use lower fat alternatives such as low fat cream cheese, jellies, jams, fruit spreads, apple butter, mustard, low fat margarine, or low fat mayonnaise.

ü  Use high fat foods as an occasional treat, not as a dietary staple.

ü  Use reduced fat or nonfat salad dressings whenever possible.  When eating out, request the salad dressing on the side so you can compare the amount used.

ü  .Instead of butter or sour cream, top baked potatoes with plain nonfat or low fat yogurt.  Other delicious baked potato toppings include steamed broccoli, cottage cheese, salsa, low fat cheese and low fat or nonfat sour cream.

ü  Get creative with seasonings to add flavor without adding fat or calories.  Garnishes like lemon juice, herbs, salsa or green onions are great toppings for vegetables and salads.

ü  Use high fat toppings sparingly.  For instance, instead of using a tablespoon of blue cheese salad dressing, try using only a teaspoon.

ü  Avoid full fat dairy products whenever possible. Using skim milk or 2% milk instead of whole milk can make a huge difference in your daily fat intake.  Likewise, low fat alternatives to ice cream, such as frozen yogurt, provide all the flavor and none of the fat.

ü  Low fat cheeses also provide a great alternative to full fat varieties.  Most varieties of hard cheeses are available in low fat versions.

ü  Use low fat varieties of popular snacks.  Ginger snaps, angel food cake, vanilla wafers, fig bars, jelly beans, hard candy and gum drops are all excellent choices for a sweet treat.

ü  Instead of potato chips, which are very high in fat, choose pretzels, unbuttered popcorn and other healthier alternatives.

In addition to choosing the right foods, the preparation of the foods you buy is very important to keeping fat levels as low as possible.  Proper low fat food preparation starts with buying the leanest cuts of beef, pork, fish and chicken, and removing the skin and fat from chicken breasts, legs and thighs.

Broiling, backing and grilling are generally the lowest fat methods for preparing the meats and seafood you buy.  Try to avoid frying foods, and if you must fry, try to use a pan that allows the excess fat and oil to drain off easily.

Healthy, low fat cooking does not have to be boring or unappetizing.  There are great many excellent recipes for low fat, healthy meals that are easy to make.  The most important thing is to be an educated consumer and shop carefully for the healthiest produce, meat and seafood.

Healthy eating for a healthy body

Healthy eating means many things to many people, and everyone has different goals for the perfect diet.  The key to following a healthy diet is to find a diet you can stick with for the rest of your life.  A diet should not be simply a temporary change in the way you life, eat and exercise.  Rather, it should be a permanent change that you can live with day in and day out, year in and year out.

For some people, a healthy diet can be as simple as increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in the daily diet.  For others, a radical change, involving strict control of fat and cholesterol, may be required. 

Of course what is needed will depend on the goal of each individual.  The serious runner in search of greater conditioning will of course have different goals than the couch potato who is concerned about the possibility of heart disease.

Even though every person will different goals when it comes to healthy eating, the basic tenets of healthy eating are the same.  The most important thing is to eat a good variety of foods, while eating less of the bad stuff and more of the good.

That may sound like an oversimplification, but it really is that easy.  Putting that simple concept into proactive, however, is the hard part.  Everyone wants to eat healthier, but there are so many temptations in today’s world that healthy eating can be very difficult.  The key is to make healthy choices as appealing as unhealthy ones.

One way to make healthy foods appealing is buying a wide variety of exotic fruits at the local supermarket.  There are probably varieties of fruits and vegetables at your local grocery store that you never even heard of before.  Why not make your next trip to the grocery store an adventure by sampling these exotic offerings?

Experimenting with new recipes is another great way to bring excitement and adventure to healthy eating.   A quick perusal of your favorite low fat or healthy eating cookbook will likely present you with many fun and exciting recipes to try.  Often a new cookbook, or a couple of new recipes are all it takes to spur a healthier lifestyle.

It is also important to know that eating healthier does not necessarily mean making a radical change.  There are very simple things you can do, such as cutting the skin off your chicken breast, or trimming the fat from your favorite steak, that can result in significant fat reductions and health improvements.  Dieters should not overlook the importance of these small changes when seeking a healthier diet.

Other examples of small changes resulting in healthier eating include:

Ø  Replacing whole milk with skim or 2%, both in recipes and for drinking

Ø  Snacking on sorbet or low fat frozen yogurt instead of premium ice cream

Ø  Spraying pans with nonfat cooking spray instead of using butter or margarine

Ø  Replacing high fat cuts of meat with leaner ones

Ø  Eating more low fat fish and less red meat

Ø  Using egg substitutes, the kind made from egg whites, in recipes, meals and baking

There are probably hundreds of other such tips, and they can add up to significant health improvements, whether your goal is to get fit, lose weight or improve your level of health.  No matter who you are or what your current level of fitness, eating a healthier diet and losing weight may be easier than you think.

In the end, eating a healthy diet, improving your level of fitness, and managing your consumption of fat and cholesterol boils down to common sense.  Depriving yourself of your favorite foods can be counterproductive to a long term dietary change.  Deprivation leads inevitably to cravings, and that can start a vicious cycle of dieting and splurging.

It is best to think of healthy eating as a marathon rather than a sprint.  The goal of any healthy eating program should be to make easy, lifelong changes in the way you shop, cook and dine.  Only by making changes that you can follow for a lifetime will you truly be able to enjoy a healthy diet.

Healthy eating and dining out

Healthy eating and dining out

One of the biggest challenges facing those trying to follow a healthy diet is the local restaurant.  Eating out presents special challenges, such as not knowing how the food was prepared, how much fat it contains, and whether or not the healthiest ingredients were used.

Many restaurant chains, and even some fast food restaurants, have recognized the demand for healthier menu choices, and they are working hard to satisfy that demand.  All too often, however, the healthy choices on a restaurant menu are limited and unappealing.  It is important, therefore to pay close attention to the menu and make the healthiest choices possible.

One of the most important thing diners can do to eat healthy at restaurants is to be proactive.  Diners should not be afraid to ask how a dish is prepared, or what ingredients are used in its preparation.  If the server does not know, ask him or her to check with the chef.  A good chef will be happy to answer such questions, and to make modifications in the recipe if needed.  In addition, most restaurants will happily accommodate special needs, such as low fat or low sodium dishes.  After all, the restaurant is there to serve its patrons.

Some of our favorite tips for healthy eating in restaurants include:

Ø  One good rule of thumb to use when dining out is to order entrees that are grilled, baked or broiled.  Deep fried dishes are best avoided.  If you are unsure how a dish is prepared, don’t be afraid to ask.

Ø  Portion size is just as important at the restaurant as they are at home.  That means ordering the petit fillet instead of the full size steak, requesting half size portions of French fries, and maybe even forgoing that tempting dessert.  Choosing leaner cuts of meat or fish is also a good way to eat healthier.

Ø  When choosing side dishes, ask if steamed vegetables are available.  Steamed veggies are an excellent, low fat, low calorie choice for many diners.  Vegetables that are fried, au gratin, or prepared in cream or butter sauces are best avoided.

Ø  When ordering salad, ask if fat free choices are available.  Most restaurants have several fat free or low fat varieties of salad dressing available.  If no low fat option exists, request the dressing on the side so that you can control the amount that is used.

Ø  When ordering soup, choose broth based soups, and avoid bisques or rich soups like cream of crab or cream of broccoli.  A simple vegetable soup is a delicious and low fat alternative.

Ø  Replace high fat, high calorie French fries with healthier alternatives such as fresh fruit or an unbuttered baked potato.  Most restaurants will be happy to accommodate such special requests.

Ø  In Italian restaurants, stick with the tomato based sauces and avoid cream or heavy Alfredo sauces.  A simple pesto sauce without meat is a good choice for most pasta dishes.

Ø  When dining at oriental restaurants, go with the steamed rice and stir fried vegetable entrees.  Avoid the heavy sauces and request that your meal be prepared with less oil.  In addition, try to choose dishes that feature less meat and more fresh vegetables.

Ø  Choose a light dessert of fresh fruit or sorbet.  When ordering traditional desserts, order one and share it with your dining partner.

Finally, when dining at a fast food restaurant, it is important to avoid the temptation of super sizing the meal.  Fast food restaurants often make their larger portions more attractive by pricing them competitively, but a big part of healthier eating is to control portion sizes.  In addition, most fast food chains now offer healthier alternatives, such as salads and baked potatoes, as well as prominently displayed nutritional information.

While dining out certainly presents challenges to those trying to enjoy a healthy lifestyle, there is no reason to forgo the pleasure of an occasional meal out.  By following the guidelines listed above, and by adding some creative tips of your own, you can make dining out a healthy experience as well as a pleasant one.

Healthy eating for vegetarians and vegans

Study after study has revealed the importance of a balanced diet to good health.  Eating a balanced diet, one that is rich in all the various minerals and vitamins needed for a healthy body, can present quite a challenge for vegetarians and vegans.

That is because maintaining a good balanced diet in the absence of one entire food group, such as meat and poultry, can be difficult.  Meat and other animal products contain significant amounts of important nutrients, such as protein, calcium and B vitamins.

Vegan diets present an even larger problem, since vegans go a step farther and eliminate dairy products and eggs as well as meat.  Vegans in particular often have trouble getting the vitamin B12 they need and often must rely on vitamin supplements for this important nutrient.

Of course that does not mean that vegetarians and vegans cannot enjoy good health.  Many vegetarians and vegans can and do enjoy levels of health much better than their carnivorous peers. It simply means that vegetarians need to pay somewhat closer attention to their dietary needs, and to be on the lookout for signs of dietary deficiencies.  The key to a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet, as with all types of diets, is practicing moderation, eating a variety of foods, and keeping nutritional needs in balance. 

One of the most frequently cited concerns by family members and friends of vegetarians and vegans is how they will get the protein they need from a diet devoid of animal flesh.  However, getting sufficient protein is usually not a concern for vegetarians, since most American diets tend to contain more protein than they need.

Vegetarians who eat dairy products can get all the protein they need from dairy products, from soy based products and from beans, nuts, lentils and seeds.  There are many non animal sources of protein, so most vegetarians should not have a problem getting sufficient protein.

Even vegans, who eschew all animal based products, even milk and dairy products, typically do not have a problem with protein deficiency.  That is because nuts, seeds, lentils, pinto beans, split peas, soybeans, garbanzo beans, black beans, white beans, kidney beans, navy beans and many more all have lots of protein. 

Vegan meals are often rich in tofu and other soy based products, and these products contain sufficient protein to meet the needs of most vegans.  In addition, the many bean based vegan recipes are excellent sources of protein.  For instance, a cup of cooked beans contains the same amount of protein as a two ounce serving of meat.

As with protein, nutritional deficiencies are generally of no more concern to vegetarians than they are to the general population.   Vegetarians who follow a balanced, nutritious diet should have no problem meeting their daily nutritional needs.

Vegans on the other hand, are more susceptible than vegetarians to nutritional deficiencies, particularly vitamin B12, calcium and vitamin D.  That is because the most common sources of these important nutrients are all animal based, either meat or dairy products. 

Of these three nutrients, the hardest to replace on a vegan diet is vitamin B12.  The primary sources of vitamin B12 in the diet are all animal based.  For this reason, vegans are generally advised to take vitamin B12 supplement, or to eat foods that have been fortified with vitamin B12.  There are a number of such foods on the market, including nutritional yeast and soy milk.

Calcium is also a concern for vegans, since the primary sources of dietary calcium are milk and other dairy products.  Again, calcium fortified foods such as some soy milk and certain cereals are important to maintaining a healthy vegan diet.  The same is true of vitamin D, another primarily animal based nutrient.

The bottom line is that it is possible to maintain excellent health while avoiding meat and dairy products.  The key is to follow a well balanced diet, get plenty of exercise, and make smart food choices.