If you’ve ever been told you need to cut fat from your diet and wondered how to do it, this post is for you!
Fat, especially saturated fat, plays a role in heart health. Increased blood cholesterol is tied to heart disease, so finding ways to reduce saturated fat is important.
What are the sources of saturated fat? Animal products (including butter, cheese, and ice cream) and baked goods made with palm and coconut oils are two significant sources. In the American diet, the biggest culprits are pizza and cheese!
In addition to increasing the fruits and vegetables you eat (which will help you feel full), it’s important to cut fat calories wherever you can. From trimming visible fat from meat before cooking to asking for sauces and salad dressings on the side when at a restaurant, some simple substitutions can help reduce fat.
My 5 favorite ways to cut fat are:
Substitute two egg whites for each whole egg.
Season with low-sodium broth or bouillon instead of butter.
Mix light mayo with plain yogurt (1:1 ratio).
Use nonstick vegetable sprays, water, or broth for cooking or sautéing.
Use reduced-fat condensed cream soups.
Our friends at the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service have more menu make-over tips.
And University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension colleagues have the skinny on saturated fat.