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Healthy Eating
| Reducing Sugar | Reducing Sodium | Reducting Fat | Quick and Healthy | Modifying Recipes | Ground Meat
Healthy Eating in RestaurantsHealthy Eating in Restaurants
  • Take a new turn to healthy foods eating out over the holidays.
  • Stick with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines!
  • Avoid the "Bigger is Better" syndrome and choose smaller sizes or split a huge serving.

Reduce fats, saturated fats and cholesterol

  • Choose plain burgers and beef sandwiches; leave off the sauce, mayonnaise, cheese and bacon
  • Avoid fried foods--fish, french fries, onion rings, etc.
  • Select broiled or poached instead of fried
  • Drink water, diet pop, tea, coffee or lowfat milk
  • Order your tacos or taco salads on a plain (soft) tortilla
  • Skip croissants and biscuits
  • Eat raw veggies and green salads without dressing
  • Choose small portions
  • Skip dessert
  • Avoid coffee "whiteners"

Limit sugar

  • Use less ketchup, pickle relish, jelly, honey, BBQ sauce, etc.
  • Avoid gelatin salads
  • Avoid sweetened fruits at the salad bar--use fresh fruit instead
  • Avoid sweetened soft drinks and shakes--ask for milk, water, tea or coffee
  • Skip sweet desserts

Limit sodium

  • No pickles
  • Limit salad dressings--use a lemon wedge instead
  • Some diet pops have sodium, others don't--ask
  • Avoid restructured poultry and meat (chicken nuggets, some roast beef)
  • Limit sausage, ham, bacon and biscuits
  • Ask for fries without salt
  • Use salt sparingly
  • Limit cheese
  • Chose fresh vegetables and fruits at the salad bar
  • Select sandwiches with tomatoes and lettuce
  • Choose whole grain or multi-grain buns
  • Eat baked potatoes and the skins--go easy on the toppings
  • Choose foods which include dry beans-- burritos, chili, salad bar toppings

Quick and Healthy Foods Quick and Healthy Foods

  • Drink fruit juice instead of soda or coffee in the car. You can keep 8- to 12-ounce cans or bottles in your refrigerator, chilled and ready to go! Or you can buy them at gas stations and fast food chains. Bring with you fruits and vegetables that are in the can or can be eaten by hand. Try these convenience foods - apricots, grapes, apples, nectarines, bananas,orange segments, broccoli, pears, carrots, plums, celery stalks, strawberries, cherries.
  • Take advantage of easy options such as precut, cleaned, and packaged fresh fruit and vegetables. Frozen, diced, or canned fruits and vegetables are also easy to use .
  • Buy non-fat vanilla yogurt, fruit juice, and fresh, canned, or frozen fruit to blend a quick smoothie in the morning. Drink it at home - or pour it into an insulated cup to keep it cold and take it with you.
  • Buy pre-cut vegetables (packaged or from the salad bar) for brown bag lunches and try dipping in low-fat salad dressing.
  • Buy frozen bags of berries, peaches, or melon balls and use as needed.

Modifying Recipes for HealthModifying Recipes for Health

  • Just because a recipe calls for a specific ingredient doesn't mean you must use that ingredient. Your favorite recipes can be modified to make them more nutritious or lower in fat by reducing or substituting ingredients that are more acceptable. This fact sheet will show you a few ways to decrease the amount of fat, calories, sugar and salt in your recipes. It will also tell you how to increase the fiber in your recipes to make your food more nutritious. Remember that recipes are only guidelines - not rules - for preparing food. Don't be afraid to experiment!
  • Instead of modifying your existing recipes, you can also find other recipes that are similar to your recipes but have less fat or sugar and more nutritious ingredients. Another way to control the amount of fat you consume is to reduce the amount of food you eat. Remember: fat should be 30% or less of your overall calorie intake.

To decrease your total fat and calories reduce fat in baked products

  • Reduce the amount of fat in baked products by 1/4 to 1/3. For example, if a cookie, quick bread or muffin recipe calls for 1 cup oil, use 2/3 cup instead. (Do not use this method for yeast breads and pie crusts.)
  • Use vegetable oil instead of solid fats
  • Use plain lowfat or nonfat yogurt instead of sour cream In baking, use plain lowfat or nonfat yogurt in the same proportion as sour cream and save on saturated fat calories. You can also substitute buttermilk or blended lowfat cottage cheese. This method produces a savings of 44 grams of fat!
  • 1 cup sour cream = 495 calories = 48 grams total fat = 30 grams saturated fat
  • 1 cup lowfat yogurt = 145 calories = 4 grams total fat = 2.3 grams saturated fat
  • Use skim or 1% milk instead of whole milk or half and half
  • Another way to decrease the amount of fat and calories in your recipes is to use skim milk or 1% milk instead of whole milk or half and half. For extra richness, try evaporated skim milk. This method produces a savings of 25 grams of fat!
  • 1 cup half/half = 315 calories = 28 grams total fat = 17.3 grams saturated fat
  • 1 cup 1% milk = 100 calories = 3 grams total fat = 1.6 grams saturated fat

To decrease sodium

  • Use low sodium or unsalted ingredients
  • To decrease the amount of sodium in your foods, use low sodium or unsalted ingredients in your recipes. Sodium intake for adults should be 1,100 - 3,300 mg per day. This equals about 1/2 to 11/2 teaspoons salt. (Do not omit salt in yeast breads because it controls the rising action of yeast.)
  • 1 teaspoon salt = 2,130 milligrams sodium
  • 1 teaspoon soda = 820 milligrams sodium
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder = 330 milligrams sodium

To decrease sugar

  • Reduce sugar by 1/4 to 1/3 in baked goods and desserts. Cookies, quick breads and cakes can be successfully baked this way. Substitute flour for the omitted sugar. (Do not decrease sugar in yeast breads because sugar feeds the yeast.)
  • In addition to reducing the amount of sugar in your recipes, you can increase the use of some spices for flavor. Adding cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg or vanilla to your recipes will enhance the impression of sweetness.

Additional Information:

Ground Beef Facts - 3 ounce broiled patty:

  Total Calories Protein Grams
 Fat Grams Cholesterol mg
73 % lean 248 20 g 18 g 77 mg
80 %lean 229 21 g 15 g 74 mg
85 % lean 204 22 g 12 g 71 mg
90 % lean 169 22 g 9 g 70 mg
95 % lean 132 22 g 5 g 66 mg

 

  Total Calories Protein Grams
 Fat Grams Cholesterol mg
Beef eye of round 132 24 g 3 g 58 mg
Beef Top Sirloin
 153 22 g 5 g 76 mg
Pork Loin
 139 23 g 4 g 67 mg
Lean Ham 123 21 g 5 g 45 mg
Chicken breast
 13x 25 g 5x g 6x mg

 

 
 
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