Do You Scream for Ice Cream? Yodel for nonfat frozen yogurt instead. (Saves 22 grams of fat and 240 milligrams of cholesterol per cup!)
Big Offender. One of the biggest sources of fat in the typical diet is salad dressing. (Two tablespoons has 19 grams of fat and 15 milligrams of cholesterol!) Try low-fat or nonfat salad dressings or lemon juice instead.
Breakfast on the Run. Try a little dry oatmeal and almonds with nonfat yogurt. Yum!
Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.
—Harriet Van Horne
Breakfast Parfait. Put nugget- or bud-type cereal in the bottom of a bowl, spoon on your favorite nonfat yogurt, and top with berries.
Pita Party. Eat a meatless lunch of pita bread stuffed with vegetarian chili, hummus, lettuce, and tomato or low-fat cottage cheese mixed with chopped apple and raisins.
Souped-Up Soup. For a thick no-fat soup, add cooked and pureed potatoes or rice!
Milkshake Madness. Instead of an ice cream shake, make a fruit smoothie. Blend frozen bananas, strawberries, and a splash of fruit juice for a luscious shake with zero fat.
Fiber Fights Fat. Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables help lower cholesterol. Try brown rice instead of white rice and pumpernickel instead of white bread.
Just Desserts. Help your heart with low-fat desserts like angel food cake with sweetened sliced berries, pudding made with skim milk, nonfat cookies, warm fruit compote, poached pears with raspberry sauce, or baked apples with cinnamon.
Snack Attack. When you simply must have a snack, go the low-fat route. Try frozen fruit bars, nonfat frozen yogurt, Italian ices, sherbet, sorbet, fresh or dried fruit, hard candy, or jelly beans.
Tater Topping. Crumbled bacon has almost 35 grams of fat per ounce. Try imitation bacon bits with only 4 grams of fat per ounce.
Lite Lunch. A regular-size hamburger has 11 grams of fat. A 3-ounce piece of grilled chicken has 3 grams of fat. Any questions?
Coffee Catch. Instead of cream or whole milk in your coffee, use evaporated skim milk. Same creamy taste—without the fat.
Breakfast of Champions? Fast-food egg sandwich at 8 grams of fat and 235 milligrams of cholesterol or a bagel with fat-free cream cheese at 3 grams of fat and 0 milligrams of cholesterol? You decide.
The Skinny on Fat. Fat is the most concentrated source of calories. It contains 9 calories per gram. Protein and carbohydrates contain only 4 calories per gram.
Salad Smarts. Salad bars can be full of hidden fat. Stay away from cheeses, marinated salads, pasta salads, and fruit salads with whipped cream. Choose fresh greens, raw vegetables, fresh fruits, garbanzo beans, and nonfat or low-fat dressing.
Cajun Cooking. If you like hot and spicy food, go ahead and be generous with the hot sauce. Your taste buds will be so busy, they won’t know you’ve cut the fat.
What the Best-Dressed Potatoes Are Wearing. Low-fat salad dressing, mustard (Dijon, honey, or horseradish style), light soy sauce, nonfat or low-fat cottage cheese, steak sauce, starchy beans, salsa, or broccoli with reduced-fat cheese melted with skim milk.
Take a Stab at It. Dip the tip of your fork into salad dressing, then stab some salad. You’ll have the salad dressing flavor with every bite, but your salad won’t be drenched in it.
Tastes Eggsactly Like an Egg. Egg substitutes are made from egg whites, a little bit of vegetable oil, and some flavorings. They look and taste like whole eggs but are much easier on your heart. Try ’em!
Dressing for Success.
| 1 Tablespoon of | Calories | Fat (g) |
| Fat-free dressing | 5–25 | 0 |
| Lemon juice | 0 | 0 |
| Picante sauce | 4 | 0 |
| Balsamic vinegar | 6 | 0 |
| Fruit vinegars | 6 | 0 |
| Nonfat mayonnaise | 12 | 0 |
| Reduced-calorie, all types | 15–40 | 2–4 |
| Reduced-fat mayonnaise | 50 | 5 |
Butter Blues. Look at the big difference between butter, margarines, and butter flavorings.
Five Alive. Eat at least 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Not only does they give you the vitamins, minerals, and fiber you need, they fill you up. No room for fat!
Make All-Fruit Spreads Your Bread and Butter. Instead of butter or margarine on toast, use all-fruit spreads, fruit butters, and even sliced bananas and strawberries.
Expecting Meat-Hungry Guests for Dinner? Serve them shish kebab. It’s easy and elegant. You’ll dazzle them with your culinary creativity while keeping meat portions to a minimum.
Meat Substitutes. Put eggplant, mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes in stir-fries, soups, sandwiches, or Italian dishes. They have the satisfying feel of meat without fat or protein.
It Isn’t Just for Breakfast Anymore. Try a low-fat hot cereal at lunch or dinner for a change. Sweeten it with raisins or peaches canned in fruit juice.
Power Lunch. Trade that lunch-time sandwich for a baked potato or a baked sweet potato. Just keep the toppings low in fat.
Go With the Grain. Cook raw grains by themselves. Barley, bulgur, couscous, farina, grits (polenta), millet, and oat bran are vitamin packed and delicious.
Tutti Fruity. Top your cereal with fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit.
Banana Waffles? You bet. Pour any pureed fruit over pancakes and waffles for a taste treat.
Divided You Conquer. When you fill your plate, pile half with fruits and vegetables, use one-fourth for a starch such as potato or pasta, and fill the last one-fourth with 3 ounces of lean meat, poultry, or seafood.
Moveable Feast. Carry a single-serving can of fruit packed in fruit juices for a delicious no-fat snack.
Veggie Dinner. Double or triple up on your vegetables and serve them with low-fat toppings.
Berry Good! For dessert, try a bowl of fresh berries topped with nonfat or low-fat yogurt.
Food for the Angels. For a luscious low-fat “shortcake,” mix strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries with nonfat vanilla or strawberry yogurt and serve over angel food cake.
Got Milk? If you have access to a refrigerator at work, take a quart of skim milk to keep there. Enjoy a glass of nutrient-packed skim milk rather than a fast-food milkshake.
Powder Power. Keep nonfat dry milk in your cupboard. When reconstituted double strength and served cold, it’s delicious.
Meatless in Seattle. Skip the meat in a meal or two this week. Make sure your meatless meals are well balanced by including whole grains, beans or peas, lots of vegetables and fruits, and nonfat or low-fat dairy products.
Veggies on Ice. Frozen vegetables that have been partially thawed make interesting snacks. Try corn, peas, or any others. Kids love the crunch!
Once Served, Twice Shy. Serve your plate at the kitchen counter and leave the serving bowls (or pots) there. That way you’ll be less tempted to go back for seconds.
Bagel Benefits. Use nonfat or low-fat cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese on bagels.
Better Biscuits. Try low-fat biscuit and baking mixes. You may not be able to tell the difference!
Get Wise on Fries. A 2 ½-ounce serving of french fries has nearly three times the calories and nearly twelve times the fat of a 2 ½-ounce baked potato.
Check Out These Stats on Chips.
| Potato Chip | Calories | Fat (g) |
| Regular chips | 150 | 10 |
| Reduced-fat chips | 140 | 6.7 |
| Baked chips | 110 | 1.5 |
| Fat-free chips | 110 | less than 1 |
Popcorn Potential. Regular microwave popcorn has 3 to 7 grams of fat in a 2-cup serving. Light microwave popcorn has 1 to 2 grams of fat in 2 cups.
Tasty Pops. Season your air-popped popcorn with herbs or sprinkle on Parmesan cheese.
What’s the Big Squawk About Fast-Food Chicken? A fried chicken breast and drumstick has a whopping 23.8 grams of fat. The same amount of rotisserie chicken (baked or broiled without skin) has 7.1 grams.
Diversionary Tactics. If you tend to snack on high-fat foods, have some low-fat snacks on hand for when you get the munchies.
Peanut Power. Hooked on peanut butter? Try mixing it with a filler, such as cooked carrots. You’ll still get the taste but use so much less.
Go Greek. Try reduced-fat feta cheese. It crumbles nicely over soups and salads. And the flavor is luscious!
Also Good for High Tea. Just because it’s a sandwich, you don’t have to use meat. Try a watercress or cucumber sandwich instead.
A Fungus Among Us. Grilled portobello mushrooms remind many people of steak and are terrific served on a bun!
Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut. Chestnuts are delicious and, unlike other nuts, fat free!
Nuts About Nuts? Then get the taste but lose the fat. Try toasting cooked chickpeas topped with your favorite seasoning.
Ice Cream Quest. In the never-ending search for fat-free desserts, try a banana-sicle. Insert a sucker stick into a small peeled banana and freeze overnight. It tastes like banana ice cream but has no fat!
Super Snack. Make a dip for fruit with 8 ounces of plain low-fat yogurt, 3 tablespoons strawberry fruit spread, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
Got a Craving? Instead of a 1 ½-ounce chocolate bar, try a 1 ½-ounce chocolate-covered peppermint patty. You’ll save 9 grams of fat and about 100 calories.
Chocolate to the Rescue! Out of the blue, you get a chocolate craving. Don’t panic. Instead of reaching for a full-size candy bar, pick up only three bite-size pieces of chocolate candy. That’ll quell your urge to splurge.
Chocoholic? Two tablespoons of chocolate syrup contain about 73 calories and less than ½ gram of fat. Most hot fudge sauces, however, contain 10 grams of fat per ¼ cup. Of course, you can buy fat-free chocolate syrup or use just a tiny bit of the real thing!
Low Fat, High Fiber. Add kidney beans or chickpeas to a lettuce or spinach salad.
Yum! Try whole-wheat macaroni and chickpea stew in tomato sauce.
Pasta Pleaser. Cut down on calories, fat, and cholesterol in baked pasta by using vegetables instead of meat. Try zucchini lasagna, spinach-stuffed rigatoni, or broccoli and low-fat cheese-stuffed shells.
Pretzel Power. Hard and soft pretzels are great low-fat snacks.
Start Your Blenders. Pour in a little fruit juice, add bananas, strawberries, and a little pineapple. Voilà! A no-fat fruit smoothie. If you like it a little creamier and more like a shake, start with skim milk.
Do Your Crunches. Always keep plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables on hand. Raw veggies with nonfat or low-fat dip and fruit with low-fat cottage cheese make healthy snacks.
The Smooth Solution. Always make pudding with skim or 1% milk.
In the Red. Eating fish with as much cocktail sauce as you want instead of 2 tablespoons of tartar sauce saves up to 8 grams of fat.
Winter Warm-Up. If you drink a cup of hot apple cider instead of a cup of cocoa, you’ll save more than 3 grams of fat.
Flavor Brigade. Rice cakes have no fat and are great snacks. You can try a different flavor every day for a week and still not run out of flavors!
It’s Not Easy Being Green. Trim the fat in guacamole by stretching the avocado with pureed broccoli or nonfat sour cream.
Nonfried Frijoles. For healthier Mexican food, cook and spice chili beans. Then whip them in a blender or food processor. You get the fluffiness without the fat.
Flavor Saver. For a light, sweet flavor, cook vegetables in fruit juice. For example, turnips and carrots are great cooked in orange juice.
Sticks to the Roof of Your Mouth. If you’re a peanut butter freak, cut the fat by mixing in cooked, pureed garbanzo beans. They’ll carry the flavor and texture but add zero fat.
Southwestern Spread. Blend chickpeas with lime juice, oregano, cilantro, and chipotle chilies.
Ham It Up. To add the flavor of ham to bean and pea soups, but not the fat, season with sage or meatless bacon-flavored bits.
Free What? Fat-free, but not calorie-free, candy includes licorice, most hard candies, gummy candies, and jelly beans.
Nonfat Ice Cream Sandwich. We knew that would get your attention! Sandwich a thick slice of nonfat frozen yogurt between 2 chocolate-flavored rice cakes. It’s a cold, crunchy, and creamy treat that’s easy on the heart.
Sweet Snack. Drizzle honey or molasses over plain, air-popped popcorn. It’s like caramel corn you can eat with a spoon.
Belly Up to the Bar. Eat a fruit juice bar instead of an ice cream bar and save up to 25 grams of fat.
Entertaining? Instead of bowls of nuts, set out a trail mix of pretzels, dried fruits, cereals, and just a few chopped nuts.
Down With High-Fat Crackers. Rather than put your appetizers on high-fat crackers, use mushroom caps or make croustades. How? By cutting the crusts off white bread, rolling the bread with a rolling pin until it’s as thin as a pie crust, cutting the slices into rounds that will fit in the bottom of a muffin tin, and baking the rounds for 10 minutes at 250°F.
Barely There Spray. Put oil in a spray bottle and give your salad a squirt to help the seasonings stick to the greens. You’ll get minimum oil but maximum flavor.
Chomp! Use a butter-flavored spray on corn on the cob. It tastes the same but saves about 10 grams of fat over buttered corn.
High Brow, Low Fat. Try steamed, fresh artichokes and dip the leaves into a sauce made of nonfat yogurt with either Dijon mustard and a dash of cayenne pepper or lemon juice and a dash of hot pepper sauce.
Be Grate-ful. Grate a small amount of Parmesan cheese over hot vegetables. Big flavor, little fat.
Breakfast Japanese Style. Try rice, miso soup, spicy nori (seaweed), or steamed or stir-fried vegetables with either fish or tofu—and tea. It’s fabulous on cold mornings.
Pig Out? If you eat a lot of high-fat foods at one meal, all is not lost. Go fat-free at another meal or two to compensate.