Tips for Cutting Fat From Your Diet
To control the amount of fat you eat:
- Fill up on fruits, vegetables, and whole
grains.
- Think of meat as a side dish instead of as the center of
your meal.
- Try main dishes that feature whole wheat pasta, brown
rice, beans, and/or vegetables. Or create low-meat dishes by mixing pasta,
rice, beans, and vegetables with small amounts of lean meat, poultry, or fish.
An example is bean soup flavored with a small amount of lean
ham.
- Use cooking methods that require little or no fat. You can
bake, broil, steam, roast, poach, stir-fry, and microwave. You can sauté in
very small amounts of oil or use broth, cooking sherry, wine, or even
water.
- Trim off fat from meat before cooking. Drain off fat after
you brown meat. You can reduce the fat in hamburger by rinsing it under water
after browning.
- Chill soups and stews after cooking so that you can
skim off the hardened fat.
Many foods are now fat-free in response to the recommendation
to reduce fat in our diets. You may find some of these foods useful, but it is
possible to follow a low-fat diet without using them. Fat-free does not mean
calorie-free. Fat-free cookies, candies, chips, and frozen treats can still be
high in sugar and calories. Some fat-free foods actually have more calories
than their regular-fat counterparts. Eat fat-free foods in moderation, as you
would other foods.
Credits
| By | Healthwise Staff |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Rhonda O'Brien, MS, RD, CDE - Certified Diabetes Educator |
| Last Revised | October 21, 2011 |