Just face it – fatty foods just taste better, don’t they? Going out with your girlfriends to the hottest restaurant, the last thing you want to worry about is how much fatty food you are eating.
But, you could be ruining your health if you do this all the time.
Eating fats is unhealthy.
Fats not only make you look unsightly but also play havoc on your health, elevating the risk of fatal conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and certain types of cancer.
A high fat diet is essentially harmful as it is low on minerals and vitamins and high in calories, which can cause obesity and accumulation of visceral fat. That is why, it is important not only to eat healthy and keep fit, but also to cook smart by minimizing the fat portion in your diet.
Here are 10 smart ways to reduce your fat intake by making small changes in the way you cook.
1. Non-Stick Cookware Is Your Best Friend
Non stick cookware can be the best investment for your kitchen as it helps you save both your health and money, enabling you to cook with very little oil or fat.
Stock up your kitchen with smart non-stick pots and pans, along appliances like non stick rice cooker, steamer, air-fryer, and griller, as they will help you cut on fat.
2. Avoid Using Saturated Fats
Choosing the right cooking oil goes a long way in minimizing fat intake.
Avoid oils high in saturated fats like animal fat or butter. Instead, pick the smarted options like olive oil. Replace the butter on your breakfast toast with healthy low-sugar fruit jam.
3. Use Smart Cooking Technique
Use smart cooking techniques such as steaming, baking, grilling and roasting instead of deep frying.
Sautéing your veggies rather than stir-frying them is also a healthier option. Even while dining out, ensure that you order food that has been cooked the healthy way.
4. Soak and Drain Excess Oil
A smart tip to lower the fat in deep fried foods is to drain extra oil while taking it out of the pan. Blotting the food with a tissue paper is even more helpful to get rid of extra fat.
5. Eat Lean Meat and Fish
Add lean meats and fish to your diet for lowering fat consumption. Trim the visible fat from poultry and discard the egg yolk for getting the best health benefits of these foods without taking in too much fat.
5.Low Fat Dairy
If you love dairy, go for the skim or low fat variety in milk, yogurt and cottage cheese to cut down on your fat intake. Prefer low fat varieties in processed cheese, such as cheddar, mozzarella and ricotta.
6. Refrigerate
Another smart move to reduce fat in your food is to refrigerate your stews, soups and curries overnight. The fat in them will get solidified as a top layer, which can be removed easily.
7. Cut on Creamy Dressings
Creamy salad dressings like mayonnaise should be totally avoided to reduce fat to the minimum. Health smart ingredients such as vinegar, herbs, spices, lemon juice and natural yogurt can be used instead, to make food tastier as well as healthier.
Another simple dressing is a basic vinaigrette with lemon juice and olive oil. Combine and add garlic, salt and pepper.
8. Fat Free Dessert
Sweet food such as ice creams, cakes and pastries, are one of the main health culprits as they are usually laden with fat and sugar. Skip on such desserts and substitute them with healthy, fat free options such as fresh fruit salads and ice candies.
10. Prefer Vegetarian Foods
Vegetarian is the way to go, as such a diet is healthier and low in fat. Fresh vegetables are loaded fiber, minerals and vitamins, which makes them far better non vegetarian food which is full of unhealthy fat.
Check out our healthy Indian breakfast and brunch recipes to add some vegetarian foods to your diet.
Dieting doesn’t have to be hard. These smart cooking tips can go a long way in helping you cut down your fat intake. But remember, to stay fit as it’s equally important to an overall healthy plan.
A sedentary lifestyle coupled with stress can be good health’s enemy. So be diet smart and active to live happy and healthy!
Now, tell us, how do you cut out the fat without depriving yourself?
