Let’s be honest: The rich, comforting foods we crave are not always the most healthful. Fortunately, healthy eating has come a long way since the days of carrot sticks and rice cakes. You don’t have to skimp on flavor or satisfaction to create good-for-you grub. Whether you’re looking to drop a few pounds, boost your energy, or just shift to healthier habits, a few simple changes can get you cooking and eating better all year round
STOCK SMARTER You can avoid mountains of salt simply by choosing reduced-sodium or low-sodium versions of black beans, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, soy sauce, and other pantry items you use most. Light coconut milk is just as good in a curry as regular. And whole-grain pasta and bread crumbs and quick-cooking varieties of brown or wild rice are more filling, more nutritious, and just as easy to prepare as their plain white counterparts.
KEEP IT CREAMY You don’t have to ditch dairy products or settle for flavorless, sodium-laden fat-free cheese. Instead, indulge in a little of the real deal. An ounce or two of a full-fat or reduced-fat cheese will add tons of flavor. But when a recipe calls for a whole stick of butter or a quart of heavy cream, you might simply use a little less. Feeling adventurous? Try using buttermilk, fat-free plain Greek yogurt, or lowfat sour cream instead of butter or cream to thicken sauces and create a luxurious texture.
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT While it’s important to wash fruits and veggies like apples and potatoes, you can leave the skins on—the peels are packed with nutrients and fiber.
RINSE AND TRIM It’s one of those smack-yourforehead, “DUH!” things, but just rinsing and draining canned veggies and beans decreases the sodium content by 40% or more. (A lot of the salt is in the canning liquid.) While cooking poultry with the skin on helps lock in flavors, removing that skin before you dig in saves you some serious calories. And trimming the excess fat off that pork chop or rump roast is literally the easiest way to “cut the fat.”
DON’T FEAR FATS One piece of bacon is only 50 calories, yet the flavor and satisfaction it imparts makes you think it’s way more. The trick is to choose healthier
fats most of the time and see how far you can stretch them. Unsaturated fats like olive oil and canola oil work well for cooking and can replace butter in many recipes. (Butter in small doses is fine, too; it’s actually less refined than most margarines.) Using an oil mister when greasing skillets can help you avoid applying too much. Omitting a tablespoon of oil or butter from a recipe saves you more than 100 calories.
METHOD MATTERS Look for recipes that use healthier cooking methods like stir-frying or grilling. Stir-frying requires very little added fat. When you grill, excess fat drips away from your food as it browns. Oven roasting is not only low-maintenance, it also keeps many nutrients in your food—rather than letting them wash away in cooking liquid—and concentrates the natural sweetness of ingredients like root vegetables. Steaming is easy and anything but boring, especially if you use a little broth instead of water.
BAKE IT BETTER Upgrade cookies and cakes by swapping some of the butter for unsaturated fats like vegetable oil. Puréed apples, pears, or pumpkin can replace some of the fat and sugar in muffins, quick breads, and cakes. You can substitute whole-wheat pastry flour for white all-purpose flour—or use a half-and-half mixture of wholegrain and white all-purpose flours—in many baked goods. For a fiber boost, toss in a tablespoon or two of ground flax, nut flour, or wheat bran.
GO WITH THE GRAIN Brown rice and quinoa work as simple, healthy sides, but they can also play supporting roles in many other dishes. Try cooked whole grains like quinoa or bulgur instead of bread crumbs when preparing meatloaf or meatballs. Add cooked grains like barley to soups, stews, frittatas, salads, and tacos. And if you have leftover plain cooked grains, add milk and cinnamon and heat for a nutritious breakfast cereal
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