Modify Recipes for a Heart-Healthy Diet
Overview
You don't have to abandon all your favorite recipes to eat healthier. Several small changes to your current recipes can often greatly lower the saturated fat and sodium in your diet.
These small changes can make a big difference in the amount of fat and calories in your diet. But they won't make much difference in how your meals taste or how much you enjoy them. Here are some ideas for making heart-healthy changes in your recipes.
Recipe modifications
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Instead of:
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Choose:
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1 cup shortening or lard
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¾ cup canola or olive oil
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1 cup whole milk
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1 cup fat-free milk
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1 cup heavy cream
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1 cup evaporated skim milk
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1 cup sour cream
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1 cup low-fat or fat-free yogurt or sour cream
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1 cup cheddar cheese
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1 cup low-fat cheddar cheese
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8 oz cream cheese
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8 oz light cream cheese or 4 oz skim ricotta and 4 oz tofu blended
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1 can cream of chicken soup
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1 can low-fat cream soup
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1 lb ground beef
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1 lb ground turkey or 1 lb extra-lean ground beef (97% lean)
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6 oz tuna in oil
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6 oz tuna in water
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1 cup chocolate chips
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½ cup chocolate chips
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To eat less fat and salt, try these tips while you cook.
Heart-healthy cooking tips
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Instead of:
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Try:
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Frying your food
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Baking, broiling, steaming, poaching, or grilling your food.
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Eating convenience foods (canned soups, TV dinners, frozen pizza)
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Eating fresh fish, meats, fruits, and vegetables. Or look for low-salt convenience foods. Then make a balanced meal by adding a fruit, a vegetable, and low-fat or fat-free milk.
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Using butter or other fats high in saturated fat
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Using products low in saturated fat. Try olive oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, or low-sodium chicken broth.
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Using salt, soy sauce, or barbecue sauce
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Using herbs, spices, or lemon
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Eating all of the meat product
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Eating a 2 oz to 3 oz serving of meat. (This is about the size of a deck of cards.) Trim fat from meat. Remove skin from chicken.
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Credits
Current as of: September 20, 2023
Current as of: September 20, 2023