Tips for Healthy Cooking - WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.

• Go easy on fat, sugar and salt in preparing foods.  You don’t have to leave out all the fat, sugar or salt – just limit the amount you use.
  
  
• Flavor foods with herbs, spices, and other lowfat seasonings instead of using rich sauces and gravy. 
  
  
• Make homemade desserts sometimes to save money and serve additional healthy foods to the family. 
  
  
• Remove skin from poultry before cooking to lower the fat content. 
  
  
• Always follow food safety rules in the kitchen to make sure that the food you prepare for your family is safe.

Tips on Healthy Eating

• Eat a breakfast that includes 100% fruit juice and a piece of fruit along with cereal, yogurt, waffles or pancakes.

• When you go grocery shopping, hit the produce section first. Then keep bowls of fruit on the kitchen table and counter.

• If you must use butter and margarine, use them sparingly. Even better, switch to reduced-fat margarine or try jelly on your bread, bagels, and other baked goods.

• Use "lite" or low-fat dairy products (e.g., milk, cheese, yogurt, or sour cream).

• When you make or buy a salad, a little bit of salad dressing goes a long way. Measure 1 tablespoon of dressing and toss well with your salad. The dressing coats the salad instead of drenching it.

• There’s no reason to give up eating meat, but you can help reduce fat by choosing the leanest cuts such as beef round, sirloin, pork loin chops, turkey, chicken and roasts.

• Fried foods taste great, but are not great for you.  Use oils sparingly (try olive and canola oils). Bake chicken without the skin. Substitute a potato for french fries.

• Make your own snacks by packing healthy, quick, and easy-to-grab foods such as little bags or containers of ready-to-eat vegetables (e.g., celery sticks, cucumber wedges, and cherry tomatoes). Or make healthier choices on snacks that are store bought, like pretzels.

• When eating deserts, cut down on portion size, substitute low-fat or fat-free baked goods, cookies and ice cream or choose fruit.

• When dining out or ordering in, ask for half of a serving or a "doggy bag." That way you won’t be as full, and you can have some tomorrow.

• When ordering fast food, order a lean roast beef sandwich, order grilled chicken sandwiches and add your own fixings, keep portions to regular and small (no double anything) and order items without the cheese.

Provided by the United States Department of Agriculture