Healthy Behaviors 4 Life is a resource center for kids,
teens
and parents by Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.
Preparing foods properly can help cut down on calories and improve the quality of the foods we eat. Follow these tips for healthier cooking:
- Bake, grill, broil, sauté, stir fry, slow cook, steam, or poach instead of frying foods.
- Use herbs/spices to flavor foods.
- Trim visible fat from meats.
- Go easy on condiments.
- Serve a vegetable with meals. For convenience, buy frozen vegetables that can be steamed in a matter of minutes.
- Prepare large batches of a food, such as stews, soups, and marinara sauce and freeze for later use.
To reduce the amount of calories, fat and sugar:
If your recipe calls for... |
Try substituting... |
Bacon |
Canadian bacon, turkey bacon, smoked turkey or lean prosciutto |
Butter, margarine, shortening or oil in baked goods |
Applesauce or prune puree for half of the butter, shortening or oil |
Eggs |
Two egg whites or ¼ cup egg substitute for each whole egg |
Evaporated milk |
Evaporated skim milk |
Full-fat cream cheese |
Fat free or low fat cream cheese, Neufchatel or low fat cottage cheese pureed until smooth |
Full-fat sour cream |
Fat-free plain yogurt, or fat-free or low fat sour cream |
Ground beef |
Extra-lean or lean ground beef |
Mayonnaise |
Reduced-fat mayonnaise |
Salad dressing |
Fat free or reduced calorie dressing |
Whole milk |
Reduced-fat or fat-free milk |
