One challenge to planning a health menu for weight loss is choosing and cooking foods with flavor. Of course, many of the foods we enjoy are quite flavorful, yet in an age where bolder is perceived as better we may not always sense the crisp zing of a carrot or broccoli spear on our taste buds. So conditioned are we, too, that it may be impossible for some to enjoy a slice of toast without slathering it with butter! Melted cheese on veggies, shortening in cake recipes, little drips and drabs do pile up eventually, and can help pack on the pounds.
The one thing we all need to realize when eating, cooking, and planning healthy meals is that it is possible to induce bold flavors without introducing high-fat contents. Think about why so many people like fast food. It does taste good, and the flavor is plentiful. Yet, if you have ever seen how hamburgers and French fries are prepared at your favorite chain restaurant, you will quickly see why. Note the huge, cylindrical salt shaker by the fry station, and another one by the grill. Note the giant white blocks of shortening dumped into the vats just before breaded chicken and fish is set down to cook. These ingredients contribute greatly to the flavor of your meal, but unfortunately they also raise the fat content.
If you are concerned about what goes in your food to add flavor, yet are not wholly willing to cut out the condiments, there's no need to worry. Next time you open the pantry, consider these simple substitutions to help cut the caloric and fat content of your meals.
Applesauce Instead of Butter
You're baking a cake and cringing at the instructions on the box: mix in one stick of butter. It's enough that you're going to add frosting and candy sprinkles, but you can feel your arteries hardening at the prospect of enjoying a slice. Well, did you know that if you substitute one cup of applesauce for every cup of butter in the recipe you can bring down the cake's fat content without altering the flavor of the cake? Give it a try and see if you can tell the difference. This simple substitution could cut as much as 900 calories from the whole cake!
As for the sugary frosting, why not create your own using a store brand marshmallow creme? While not a health food, marshmallow creme is fat free and a better alternative than most frostings you'll find in the cake aisle.
While you're at it, applesauce makes a good butter substitute in the morning when you're reaching for that slice of toast. Try a bit on your bread for a light, sweet flavor.
Egg Whites for Whole Eggs
While you're baking that cake, take a look at how many eggs are required. Now, we've seen the commercials over the decades touting the wonders of the egg as a nutritional staple; indeed, we can't see having a good old fashioned American breakfast without eggs. Yet, for all the positive press, it doesn't change the fact that the yolk, while containing the bulk of the egg's nutrient value, is also the fattiest part. Added to your cake, breakfast plate, or stirred into your fried rice, you've just upped the content.
In order to cut the fat, separate your eggs and use two egg whites for each whole egg in cooking. While not as plentiful in nutrients as the yellow globe it encases, the egg white alone is an excellent source of protein and helpful amino acids. Scramble some eggs whites with lean turkey, or try an egg white omelette with veggies!
Cottage Cheese for Ricotta Cheese
If you love rich Italian cuisine, then you know some dishes just aren't complete with the aromatic, textured ricotta. Lasagna, tortelloni, canelloni...all are mouth-watering dishes, but the addition of ricotta does more than enhance the flavor, it enhances the fat content.
Cottage cheese, on the other hand, presents a lower fat alternative. Thickened with a touch of flour cottage cheese works well as a substitute in most dishes where the fattier cheese is required. Try it once, and you'll can mangia without guilt!
Little things you do to improve the healthful quality of your food can go a long way in helping you to lose weight.
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