1 Sneak in more dairy Low-fat dairy foods provide extra protein in your diet, to keep you fuller for longer. Cram yogurt into smoothies
or swap mayo for Greek yogurt in your tuna sandwich. Low-fat cottage
cheese can be jazzed up with herbs, chilli flakes or pesto.
2 Be inventive with comfort food I love macaroni cheese, but I halve the amount of pasta and add cauliflower florets instead. I make a white sauce with skimmed milk and low-fat spread, and swap the cheese for a half-fat version. Adding some grated nutmeg, white pepper, mustard and garlic really boosts the flavour without needing loads of cheese.
3 Watch the dips Instead of spending loads on ready-made hummus that can have a lot of fat, make your own in seconds with tinned chickpeas, butter beans or cannellini beans. Whiz with garlic, lemon zest and juice, and a little reduced-fat tahini or peanut butter, adding the cooking liquor from the bean can instead of oil.
4 Add a splash of reduced-salt soy sauce to any savoury dish
It will give you that satisfying ‘meatiness’ without actually adding meat – or extra saturated fat (I love Kikkoman).
5 Open a tin of pulses When making your favourite meat sauce such as bolognese, swap half the meat for tinned lentils. They bulk out the dish, add extra fibre and vitamins – and are cheaper, too. They also make a great addition to salads and casseroles.
6 Keep drinks interesting but low-cal There are plenty of things you can do to make water more enticing – add a few slices of ginger or lemon, mint leaves, sliced cucumber or, my latest favourite, a drop of natural lemon or orange extract, or rose water (I use Nielsen-Massey) to really pep things up without adding calories.
7 Soup up your salad drawer Soups can be filling, low-fat and quick to make. Do a weekly salad drawer audit, and chop up lingering carrots, celery, peppers, tomatoes and salad leaves such as rocket. Cook with a little oil spray, then add chilli, garlic, a tin of chopped tomatoes and reduced-salt vegetable stock and simmer until the veg are cooked. Whiz until smooth and keep in the fridge for a few days for a low-cal snack, or freeze in portions to take to work.
8 Make extra for later When griddling or roasting veg such as peppers, courgettes and aubergines, do a few extra and keep them in the fridge for up to four days. They’re great for adding bulk to sandwiches, extra flavour to salads, or to nibble as a healthy snack with a little hummus or a low-fat yogurt dip
9 Swap the biscuit barrel for homemade snacks Toast seeds or nuts in a frying pan with a few spices, add a splash of reduced-salt soy sauce and cook until it evaporates. Cool, then mix with a handful of air-popped popcorn to bulk them out. Bag into handful-size portions and hide them away for peckish moments. Keeping them out of sight in single portions, rather than a large sharing tub, means you won’t just snack on autopilot.
10 Invest in non-stick cookware A decent frying pan with a good non-stick coating means you won’t need to keep adding extra oil during cooking. Also, use non-stick baking paper to line your trays when cooking anything in the oven to reduce the amount of fat you need – an added bonus is that it makes washing up a whole lot easier.
Source: www.healthyfood.co.uk
2 Be inventive with comfort food I love macaroni cheese, but I halve the amount of pasta and add cauliflower florets instead. I make a white sauce with skimmed milk and low-fat spread, and swap the cheese for a half-fat version. Adding some grated nutmeg, white pepper, mustard and garlic really boosts the flavour without needing loads of cheese.
3 Watch the dips Instead of spending loads on ready-made hummus that can have a lot of fat, make your own in seconds with tinned chickpeas, butter beans or cannellini beans. Whiz with garlic, lemon zest and juice, and a little reduced-fat tahini or peanut butter, adding the cooking liquor from the bean can instead of oil.
4 Add a splash of reduced-salt soy sauce to any savoury dish
It will give you that satisfying ‘meatiness’ without actually adding meat – or extra saturated fat (I love Kikkoman).
5 Open a tin of pulses When making your favourite meat sauce such as bolognese, swap half the meat for tinned lentils. They bulk out the dish, add extra fibre and vitamins – and are cheaper, too. They also make a great addition to salads and casseroles.
6 Keep drinks interesting but low-cal There are plenty of things you can do to make water more enticing – add a few slices of ginger or lemon, mint leaves, sliced cucumber or, my latest favourite, a drop of natural lemon or orange extract, or rose water (I use Nielsen-Massey) to really pep things up without adding calories.
7 Soup up your salad drawer Soups can be filling, low-fat and quick to make. Do a weekly salad drawer audit, and chop up lingering carrots, celery, peppers, tomatoes and salad leaves such as rocket. Cook with a little oil spray, then add chilli, garlic, a tin of chopped tomatoes and reduced-salt vegetable stock and simmer until the veg are cooked. Whiz until smooth and keep in the fridge for a few days for a low-cal snack, or freeze in portions to take to work.
8 Make extra for later When griddling or roasting veg such as peppers, courgettes and aubergines, do a few extra and keep them in the fridge for up to four days. They’re great for adding bulk to sandwiches, extra flavour to salads, or to nibble as a healthy snack with a little hummus or a low-fat yogurt dip
9 Swap the biscuit barrel for homemade snacks Toast seeds or nuts in a frying pan with a few spices, add a splash of reduced-salt soy sauce and cook until it evaporates. Cool, then mix with a handful of air-popped popcorn to bulk them out. Bag into handful-size portions and hide them away for peckish moments. Keeping them out of sight in single portions, rather than a large sharing tub, means you won’t just snack on autopilot.
10 Invest in non-stick cookware A decent frying pan with a good non-stick coating means you won’t need to keep adding extra oil during cooking. Also, use non-stick baking paper to line your trays when cooking anything in the oven to reduce the amount of fat you need – an added bonus is that it makes washing up a whole lot easier.
Source: www.healthyfood.co.uk
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