Improving your family's diet need not be difficult. One reason
why -- it's the little things that make the difference.
With this in mind, we are pleased to offer these 47 tips. They
are designed to help you increase the vegetables and whole grains
your family eats, while decreasing the fat, salt and sugar
consumed. If you're really serious about changing your family's
diet, clip this page and post it on your refrigerator as a daily
reminder for everyone.
INCREASING WHOLE GRAINS
- Substitute whole-wheat flour for bleached white flour when
you bake.
- Switch to whole-wheat pasta and pizza.
- Top casseroles with wheat germ or whole wheat bread
crumbs.
- Serve bran-based cereals, or those made from shredded
wheat.
- Serve imaginative whole-grain side dishes (bulgur, kasha,
etc.) instead of egg noodles.
- Substitute brown rice for white rice.
- Serve whole wheat sandwich bread, English muffins instead of
rolls.
- Offer crackers and corn chips containing whole grains.
- Incorporate whole grains into your pancake batter.
REDUCING SALT
- Substitute lemon juice or herbs for salt when cooking pasta
or grains.
- Rinse and drain canned tuna or other fish packed in salted
water.
- Avoid cooking with soy or Worcestershire sauce.
- Avoid using prepared biscuit or cake mixes.
- Substitute spices, lemon juice or herbed vinegar for
salt.
- Substitute a pepper/spice blend for salt on the table.
- Substitute garlic or onion powder for garlic or onion
salt.
- Avoid using products that contain monosodium glutamate.
- Use unsalted or low-salt vegetable broths and products.
- Eliminate or decrease the salt in non-yeast baking
recipes.
INCREASING VEGETABLES
- Learn to properly steam vegetables.
- Thicken soups, stews and sauces with pureed
vegetables.
- Use frozen, not canned vegetables when fresh are
unavailable.
- Add the following to your garden sales: green peppers,
broccoli, cauliflower and red cabbage
- Treat vegetables gently: Bruised produce means vitamin
loss.
- Incorporate generous amounts of chopped vegetables in
your poultry stuffing.
- Decrease the meat and increase the vegetables called
for in stews and casseroles.
- Add grated carrots, zucchini or cabbage to chili and
meatloaf.
- Offer washed and trimmed carrot and celery stick for
snacking.
- Add finely grated carrots, pumpkin, or zucchini to
baked breads and cakes.
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REDUCING FAT
- Cook with less fat by using non-stick skillets.
- Blot all fried meats on paper towels.
- Use tuna packed in water instead of oil.
- Add a spoon of water or broth as needed instead of more
fat when sautŽing onions and vegetables.
- Substitute low-fat yogurt for mayonnaise.
- Substitute ground turkey for ground beef.
- Trim all visible fat from beef, pork and poultry.
- Roast meat on a rack and discard fat drippings.
- Brown ground meat without using extra fat by starting
out on medium heat before raising the temperature too
high.
- Spoon off excess fat from browning meats as cooking
progresses.
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REDUCING SUGAR
- Choose canned fruits packed in water instead of heavy
syrup.
- Use only fresh-frozen fruit without added sugar if
fresh is unavailable.
- Make your own granola cereal instead of purchasing
store brands.
- Cut the sugar called for in most recipes by one-third
to one-half.
- Sweeten waffles and quick breads with cinnamon,
cardamom and vanilla or almond extracts.
- Add pureed banana to baked goods and reduce the
sugar.
- Avoid commercial pudding mix - instead, make your
own.
- Mix plain yogurt with fruit juice concentrates or
freshly pureed fruits, instead of using pre-flavored
yogurt.
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