25 Quick Steps Towards A Healthier Diet

Original Posting: 12/18/2000

Improving your diet need not be difficult. Why? Because it's the little things that make the difference.

With this in mind, we’ve created 25 quick tips that will help you shape up your food choices while slimming down your waistline. Go ahead: Increase your vegetables and whole grains, but decrease the fat, salt and sugar. 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.

1. Increasing Vegetables

2. Learn to properly steam vegetables.
   
3. Decrease the meat and increase the vegetables called for in stews and casseroles.
   
4. Add grated carrots, zucchini or cabbage to chili and meatloaf.
   
5. Offer washed and trimmed carrot and celery sticks for snacking.
   
6. Add finely grated carrots, pumpkin, or zucchini to baked breads and cakes.

   Increasing Whole Grains

7. Substitute whole-wheat flour for bleached white flour when you bake.
   
8. Top casseroles with wheat germ or whole-wheat bread crumbs.
   
9. Serve bran-based cereals, or those made from shredded wheat.
   
10. Serve imaginative whole-grain side dishes (bulgur, kasha, etc.) instead of egg noodles.
    
11. Offer crackers and corn chips containing whole grains.

    Reducing Fat

12. Cook with less fat by using non-stick skillets.
    
13. Blot all fried meats on paper towels.
    
14. Add a spoon of water or broth as needed instead of more fat when sautéing onions and vegetables.
    
15. Substitute low-fat yogurt for mayonnaise.
    
16. Substitute ground turkey for ground beef.

    Reducing Salt

17. Substitute lemon juice or herbs for salt when cooking pasta or grains.
    
18. Avoid cooking with soy or Worcestershire sauce.
    
19. Substitute garlic or onion powder for garlic or onion salt.
    
20. Avoid using products that contain monosodium glutamate.
    
21. Use unsalted or low-salt vegetable broths and products.

    Reducing Sugar

22. Choose canned fruits packed in water instead of heavy syrup.
    
23. Use only fresh-frozen fruit without added sugar if fresh is unavailable.
24. Cut the sugar called for in most recipes by one-third to one-half.
    
25. Sweeten waffles and quick breads with cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla or almond extracts.
    
26. Add pureed banana to baked goods and reduce the sugar.

For more tips on healthy eating:

What Do You Suggest For A Healthy Diet?