Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2014: Every Recipe…A Year’s Worth of Cooking Light Magazine

These two tricks really deliver calorie and sodium savings—whether you order in or bake at home.

16-INCH PIZZA
319 calories per slice
Eat two slices of an extra-large pepperoni pie, and that’s 638 calories and 1,432mg sodium. Whoa!

14-INCH PIZZA
234 calories per slice
Eat two slices, and that’s 468 calories and 1,086mg sodium. That’s a 26% decrease in calories and a 24% decrease in sodium. But you can still do better …

12-INCH PIZZA
171 calories per slice
Eat two slices, and that’s 342 calories and 796mg sodium—a reasonable entrée. That’s a 26% decrease in calories and sodium from a large and a44% decrease from an extra-large.

Two slices of a 14-inch pepperoni pizza made with 16 ounces of dough: 442 calories and 910mg sodium.

Two slices of a 14-inch pizza made with 12 ounces of dough: only 370 calories and 788mg sodium. You have room for a side salad—and leftover dough to make breadsticks for a snack tomorrow.

It’s dip season: New Year’s Eve, Super Bowl Sunday, Oscar night. These makeovers save tons of fat and calories on ¹/₄-cup servings.

Place 1 cup roasted red bell peppers, 2 tablespoons toasted almonds, 1 ounce whole-grain bread, 1 garlic clove, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan, 1 tablespoon water, and ¹/₄ teaspoon smoked paprika in a food processor; process until smooth.

Full-flavored Parm adds cheesy goodness. Light cream cheese and mayo save 340 calories.

Preheat oven to 400°. Place 2 garlic cloves and 1 chopped green onion in a food processor; process until chopped. Add ¹/₃ cup grated fresh Parmesan, ¹/₃ cup light mayonnaise, ¹/₄ cup ¹/₃-less-fat cream cheese, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and ¹/₄ teaspoon crushed red pepper; process until almost smooth. Stir in 12 ounces thawed frozen artichoke hearts. Spoon mixture into a 3-cup gratin dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes.

Combine 4 ounces softened ¹/₃-less-fat cream cheese, 4 ounces light sour cream, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 4 ounces chopped smoked salmon, and 2 tablespoons chopped red onion in a medium bowl. Garnish with additional dill.

Place 6 ounces nonfat Greek yogurt, ³/₄ cup crumbled feta cheese, 2 ounces softened ¹/₃-less-fat cream cheese, ¹/₄ cup low-fat sour cream, and 1 crushed garlic clove in a food processor; process until smooth. Spoon yogurt mixture into a medium bowl; stir in 1¹/₂ cups finely chopped fresh spinach, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, and ¹/₈ teaspoon black pepper. Cover and chill.

There’s no credible way to lighten guac since the main ingredient—avocado—is high in fat. But it’s the heart-healthy kind.

Place 2 large ripe peeled avocados in a medium bowl, and mash roughly with a fork. Add 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, ¹/₄ teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 minced garlic clove; mash to desired consistency. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro.

A scoop-shaped chip can easily hold a tablespoon of dip—after four, you’ve noshed through a ¹/₄-cup serving. Dip lightly, in other words. But the easiest way to cut calories is to use crunchy vegetables as dippers.

DIPPER EQUIVALENTS (1 OZ.)
13 tortilla chips: 140 calories
10 baked pita chips: 132 calories
6 whole-grain crackers: 122 calories
3 crostini with olive oil: 110 calories
15 cucumber coins, carrot sticks, etc.: 10 calories

Naturally lean meats, like turkey and pork, benefit from a brine. We wondered if sodium goes up with time, and if so, how much.

We soaked three 12-pound turkeys in a brining solution that contained ¹/₂ cup of kosher salt (that’s about 46,000mg sodium!) for 12, 18, and 24 hours. For comparison, we also analyzed an unbrined bird.

No brine: white meat, 55mg; dark meat, 90mg
12-hour brine: white meat, 151mg; dark meat, 235mg
18-hour brine: white meat, 186mg; dark meat, 254mg
24-hour brine: white meat, 223mg; dark meat, 260mg

The largest sodium increase happens in the first 12 hours. It then tapers off, but the tenderizing continues. Only about 1% of the total sodium from the brine is absorbed.
Bottom line: If you like a longer brine (we prefer 24 hours), the added sodium isn’t that significant. Brine for texture reasons, and put away sodium fears.
Kosher turkeys may have 200mg per 4 ounces due to the processing method. Frozen turkeys may have been washed in salt water to speed the freezing, adding 200 to 350mg per 4 ounces. And some birds are enhanced with up to 15% broth, which adds 330 to 440mg per 4 ounces. Check your labels.

As you see with brining, sodium helps break down proteins. The acidic ingredients in a marinade do the same for connective tissues, all the while imparting flavor to the surface of the meat.

We marinated a pork tenderloin in a simple marinade of lower- sodium soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions, garlic, black pepper, and ginger for 1.5 hours, and then grilled the tenderloin.

Only 6% of the salt was absorbed by the pork, but it quadrupled the sodium count in the meat. Bottom line: Let sodium do its work; then cut back salt in any sauces or other ingredients.

We put 5 common cooking techniques to the test to see just how much sodium they add to your diet.

Many chefs implore home cooks to heavily salt pasta cooking water (“make it as salty as the ocean,” says one popular TV chef). Yes, salt does enhance the pasta’s flavor. But so do the sauce and otheringredients, which may be salted, too. As our tests show, sodium-wary cooks need to moderate the hand that salts the water.

We boiled a pound each of dry spaghetti (sodium-free) in 4 quarts of water containing varying amounts of salt.

1 teaspoon salt (2,360mg sodium): 75mg sodium
1 tablespoon salt (7,080mg sodium): 253mg sodium
2 tablespoons salt (14,160mg sodium): 446mg sodium
¹/₄ cup salt (28,319mg sodium): 896mg sodium

Bottom line: It’s not that pasta soaks up salt like a sponge: Only 3% was absorbed into each serving of pasta. But 3% of the sodium in ¹/₄ cup is 896mg—nearly 40% of your 2,300mg daily limit. So reduce (don’t eliminate) the salt in the water; save it for the sauce.

We asked a dozen staffers—editors and Test Kitchen folks—to give us a pinch of salt. Weights ranged from 0.06 to 1.32g, averaging 0.48g. Half a gram contains about 180mg sodium. A pinch that size per day for a year equals 65,700mg sodium!
Bottom line: Know your pinch—or measure.

Salt is used by food manufacturers to enhance flavor—we’ve seen more than 500mg in just ¹/₂ cup of beans. That’s why we call for canned beans to be rinsed and drained before preparing.

We rinsed, drained, and then tested two varieties of beans and compared them with their unwashed counterparts.

Black Beans
Sodium in ¹/₂ cup: 424mg
Sodium in ¹/₂ cup, rinsed and drained: 232mg

Red Kidney Beans
Sodium in ¹/₂ cup: 260mg
Sodium in ¹/₂ cup, rinsed and drained: 148mg

Bottom line: The beans lose more than 40% of their sodium when rinsed and drained.

Surprising discoveries about everyday foods. And a few takeout-food findings, too.

When fresh shrimp are frozen (often just minutes after being caught), they are washed in a saline solution to help bring their temperature down faster. Quicker chilling prevents ice crystals from forming inside the shrimp, resulting in better texture when defrosted; it also helps keep them from clumping together as they freeze. “Easy-peel” shrimp are soaked in an additional sodium solution. Pro: They slip out of their shells effortlessly. Con: More salt. How much more?

We steamed and peeled five varieties of shrimp, and then shipped them to the lab for sodium analysis.

Wild-caught fresh Gulf shrimp (never frozen): 97mg
Farm-raised fresh shrimp (previously frozen): 159mg
Winn-Dixie individually quick-frozen easy-to-peel wild-caught shrimp: 245mg
Whole Foods individually quick-frozen easy-to-peel shrimp: 483mg
Publix fresh frozen easy-to-peel farm-raised shrimp: 730mg

Food labels generally tell you what’s in the package, not what will be in the food after cooking. Here’s a dramatic example of what that can mean for the home cook.

Soba noodle labels list as much as 900mg sodium per serving—which has limited our use of it. But when we boiled five brands of soba, they lost an average of 80% of their sodium, down to about 80mg per serving. The FDA only requires labels to list the nutritional properties of foods as packaged. Food makers may voluntarily present “as prepared” information, but that’s an extra step, and calculation, for them. Most foods used in cooking are rarely consumed as packaged—like soba noodles.
Bottom line: Always consider the ingredients added and methods used in preparing foods.

It’s conventional wisdom that big-grained salt contains about 25% less sodium by volume than table salt. The idea: Coarse crystals don’t pack tightly and take up more space in a measuring spoon (with lots of air between them), meaning you consume less sodium. Labels on one brand show a 110mg difference between ¹/₄ teaspoon of their table and kosher salts; that’s a 19% savings if you use kosher. But our analysis of six salts showed less variation per ¹/₄ teaspoon than you might think.

Bottom line: If you’re watching sodium, you can’t throw “gourmet” salts around with impunity.

How salty are popular takeout foods?

Fast-food chains post data on their websites: Hardee’s Monster Thickburger contains almost 3,000mg sodium. But most small, local restaurants don’t post nutrition information. We got takeout from three in our town to see how entrées stacked up. They stacked up really, really high.

Trattoria pizza topped with cured meats, sausage, and olives: 3,474mg sodium

Barbecue pulled-pork sandwich with baked beans and slaw: 2,480mg sodium

Bowl of ramen with miso broth: 3,245mg sodium

Our fave sauce: a cautionary tale

We’ve long recommended McCutcheon’s bottled marinara sauce because of its great flavor and the low sodium level on its label—only 185mg per half-cup listed. When we tested three batches, though, they came in at more than three times that number. We talked to Vanessa McCutcheon-Smith, and she attributed the difference to a change in the supplier of the canned tomatoes they use as a base (no salt is added during the cooking). It’s not routine to test a batch when the tomatoes change, she explained—only to calculate nutrition based on numbers provided by suppliers.
“Knowing what I know about how things change on the supply chain, I don’t put a lot of merit in the information on food panels,” she added.
Nutrition label numbers are allowed 20% of wiggle room, but the FDA does few random audits. As a general rule: Trust your taste buds; if something tastes salty, it probably is, whatever the label says.

Michael’s of Brooklyn and Dell’ Amore are tasty and pretty low in sodium—on their labels and in our lab tests.

Sales are way up, and shelves are sagging with choices (Greek-style almond-milk yogurt?). But some are packed with fat. Here, a tour.

Small producers favor fewer preservatives, grass-fed milk. Prices are higher. Fat runs from none to lots: “Natural” doesn’t automatically mean low-fat. Some niche producers are playing up the rich, cream-on-top angle. Read your labels.

A hot category. Soy, almond, and coconut milks have less protein and require extra sugars to promote fermentation—as much as 16g. As with some dairy yogurts, plant-derived thickeners (starches, gums, etc.) are added to improve texture.

Big tang and thick texture kicked off the yogurt boom: Strained milk, with less water, has more protein and milk solids. Tangy doesn’t mean extra-light, though. We saw 11g sat fat in one (6-ounce) version.

Bigger containers only seem expensive. Unless there’s a four-for-$5 deal on the small cups, you can get up to 32 ounces for the same price as three (6-ounce) containers. Bonus: They’re usually plain with no added sugars—or calories.

Kefir is a more liquid and naturally effervescent dairy product that uses yeast in addition to bacteria for fermentation. It’s good for smoothies, and the extra probiotics—as many as 12 strains (versus the 2 required in yogurt)—aid in digestion.

Strained yogurts—like Greek and skyr—require three to four times more milk to produce than regular, meaning 15g to 20g more protein per 6 ounces (equivalent to 3 ounces of meat!).

The FDA requires at least two strains of bacteria in all yogurt, L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus. Yogurt makers can add more. Look for the National Yogurt Association seal: It ensures 100 million cultures per gram (i.e., lots).

When fat is removed, calcium gets concentrated. Lower-fat yogurt contains more—30% of your recommended daily intake. Some calcium is lost in the straining process for Greek, but it’s still a great source at 20%.

Six ounces of plain yogurt have about 12g of naturally occurring sugars from the milk. Fruit and honey add more. Kid-centric yogurts come in cute 4-ounce containers, but some have more sugar (as much as 17g) than “adult” 6-ouncers.

If you’re eating yogurt as breakfast, you’ll need more oomph to keep you fueled until lunch—about 200 calories, but no more than 4g sat fat. Keep snacks less hefty—about half that.

OUR FAVES

Fage Total Plain 2%
“My daily breakfast companion. Add a handful of blueberries, and I’m set.”
—Sidney Fry, Nutrition Editor

Atlanta Fresh
“My hometown! I love the vanilla caramel. And pretty packaging doesn’t hurt.”
—Rachel Lasserre, Art Director

Smari Organic Icelandic
“Nonfat, less tangy than some Greeks, creamy and light texture. Try the blueberry.”
—Scott Mowbray, Editor

Even with 2% milk and no whipped cream, a 16-ounce Frappuccino contains 300 calories, mostly from the whopping 67g of sugar. Switch to an iced 2% vanilla latte, and save 40g. Skip the flavoring and order fat-free milk for a refreshing sip with only 11g sugar.

Coffeehouse muffins can weigh in at 400 calories or more. Eat your bran with a spoon, using ²/₃ cup 1% low-fat milk. Bonus points: 2g more fiber than the muffin and 200mg bone-building calcium.

Rebuild the three-egg omelet. Discard one of the yolks, and trade the cheddar and ham for fresh spinach, tomatoes, and an ounce of goat cheese (keep the peppers). You’ll also save about 300mg sodium.

Many grab-and-go parfaits are full of syrupy, sugar-coated fruit—more dessert than breakfast. Build your own with 6 ounces fat-free yogurt, syrup-free fresh peaches, and 2 tablespoons low-fat granola.

Slather two—yes, two—slices of toasted raisin bread with 1 tablespoon ¹/₃-less-fat cream cheese sweetened with 1 teaspoon powdered sugar. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Small changes can help you lose 1 pound per month. Here are 12 ways to shave 100 calories or more at breakfast. That’s 12 minutes on the treadmill.

Trade the butter for nonfat Greek yogurt, and swap 1 tablespoon maple syrup for 1 tablespoon chopped pecans. Shave off another 100 calories by making it a short stack (two 6-inch cakes instead of three), and top with ¹/₂ cup fresh berries.

A 12-ounce Bloody Mary contains two shots of vodka—the main source of calories—and four-digit sodium numbers. Whoa, Mary! Portion-size plus: The mimosa also comes in a sleek 8-ounce glass.

Enjoy your lox and cream cheese open-faced on a slice of wholegrain pumpernickel instead of the 300-calorie bagel. Cut back on capers by ¹/₂ tablespoon, and you’ll also save 125mg sodium.

Calories from cream, brown sugar, and nuts can quickly weigh down a virtuous bowl of oats. Add crunch with apples, creaminess with nonfat Greek yogurt, and yum with a touch of honey and cinnamon.

You can still be seduced by salty, fatty breakfast pork from time to time. Center-cut bacon has only 25 calories per slice. It still has nearly 200mg sodium, though, so indulge in moderation.

This may be your biggest cookout of the year. Here are ways to keep the meal bursting with patriotic flavor—with way fewer calories.

1
Brew a Fresh Fruit Sangria
Skip the sugar-packed margarita mixes, and stir up this sparkling 140-calorie treat. It’s sweetened with real fruit and saves 30g sugar. Combine 1 cup pitted and halved cherries, 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup quartered strawberries, ¹/₂ cup chopped peaches, and ¹/₃ cup brandy in a large pitcher; chill 2 hours. Stir in 1 cup pineapple juice and 1 (750-milliliter) bottle chilled prosecco. Garnish with fresh mint. Serves 8. Savings: 160 calories

2
Lay on Lots of Crunchy Crudités
Give the chips and onion dip a day off. Nosh instead on a platter of fresh vegetables, and serve with our simple, creamy herb dip: Combine 4 ounces ¹/₃-less-fat cream cheese, ¹/₄ cup nonfat buttermilk, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, ¹/₄ teaspoon salt, and 2 minced garlic cloves; beat with a mixer until smooth. Savings: 150 calories

3
Slim the Slaw
A little heart-healthy canola mayo goes a long way to keep our slaw creamy, while mustard seeds and a pinch of ground red pepper boost flavor (recipe on page 162). You’ll also cut out 14g fat and 300mg sodium. Savings: 166 calories

5
Potato Salad, Yes. Mayo, No.
Shave calories and sodium with our version, which tosses crisp-tender taters in a tangy herb-infused olive oil sauce (recipe on page 162). Savings: 115 calories

7
Make Baked Beans Better
Dress up organic navy beans with fresh thyme and center-cut bacon. Our recipe (page 163) also saves 600mg sodium over canned pork ’n’ beans. Savings: 192 calories

8
Trim the Trifle
Billowing clouds of whipped cream send a traditional patriotic trifle into 500-plus calorie territory. Keep the berry goodness and light texture with angel food cake, but swap the cream for 12 ounces reduced-calorie whipped topping spiked with 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier. You’ll save 15g sat fat with this lighter layer. Savings: 250 calories

9
Build a Leaner Burger
Start with a 90% lean ground beef base to save 100 calories and 4g sat fat (per raw 4-ounce patty) over the 80/20 grind. A thin slice of cheese adds melty goodness for just 45 calories. Guacamole adds creamy zip with only 25 calories per tablespoon and 120mg less sodium than ketchup. Finish with farm-fresh tomatoes, red onion, and crisp greens for super-low-calorie flavor and crunch. Savings: 230 calories

10
Pressed for time? Trade the trifle for ice-cream sandwiches—a cool, handheld, 160-calorie treat.

Snacking powers you between meals, but it’s easy to overdo it. These swaps save 100 calories or more—and often cut sugar and sodium, too.

Packed with nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate, trail mix has about 350 calories per ¹/₂ cup—great for sustaining hikers, a bit much for desk jockeys. Cut the trail mix in half, and swap in ¹/₃ cup whole-grain cereal. Skip the nuts, and you’ll shave 100 more calories.

Just two handfuls of the almonds will set you back about 240 calories. Try smearing 2 teaspoons chocolate-hazelnut spread on a graham cracker. Top with 1 teaspoon chopped nuts. You’ll save 16g sugar, too.

Liquid calories are part of the snack budget, too. A 12-ounce can of soda contains 36g sugar—nearly 3 tablespoons. Instead, mix 4 ounces lemonade with 8 ounces sparkling water. Garnish with a lemon slice.

Trade the cheese-filled cracker-sandwich pack for this easy sweet-salty-savory combo: Spread 1 tablespoon part-skim ricotta on each of 2 thin, crisp multigrain flatbreads. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon honey.

Buttery bagged popcorn can weigh in at 250 calories in a 3-cup serving. Pick air-popped instead, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan: 100 calories saved. Bonus sodium savings: 100mg.

Choose an ice-cream sandwich over a scoop of premium full-fat chocolate ice cream, and you’ll save 100 calories plus 8g sat fat (almost half of a day’s limit). Want to shave 100 more? Dip into the deep freeze for a creamy, chocolaty fudge pop.

This crunchy chip-and-dip duo passes the 200-calorie mark after a few chips and 3 tablespoons guacamole. Instead, top whole-grain toast with 2 avocado slices and cracked pepper. Smear, if desired.

Fill up on fresh. Dried apricots are a healthy snack, but they’re calorie-concentrated at 150 per ¹/₂ cup. Three fresh apricots weigh in at just 50 calories because of their high water content. Sugar savings: 25g.

They’re heart-healthy, yes, but the peanuts contain 200 calories per ¹/₄ cup. Trade legume for legume with ¹/₂ cup shelled edamame, sprinkled with 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds.

Big bakery brownies can easily top 300 calories, and that’s a conservative figure. Two chocolate cream-filled cookies have just 106, leaving room to dunk them in 8 ounces of 1% low-fat milk.

Even the most careful eaters and cooks let their inner portion police take a holiday. And that’s when the calories pile on. Here, some help.

Snacks go straight from box or bag to mouth. A handful here, a handful there … who’s counting?

It’s easy to confuse thirst for hunger. Please the palate with tea instead of automatically reaching for food.

Make sure you have access to healthy, low-calorie fruits and vegetables. An apple has about 95 calories; a bag of Peanut M&M’s has nearly 300.

Popcorn is a filling, healthy snack. Opt for the mini bags, which pop into about 5 cups, instead of the big bags, which contain up to 12 cups popped. Even better: air-popped.

Preportion tempting munchies into snack-sized bags. Read labels on big bags for recommended servings, and take only one serving with you.

Buy meat. Cook meat. Eat meat. But the meat packages at PaleoMart are not portioned for individual servings.

Here’s the beef: Cuts at supermarkets look like cuts at steak houses—too big. Even leaner tenderloins average about 8 ounces. Grill your steak of choice, let it rest a bit, and then thinly slice. Take a few pieces for dinner (weigh them until you can eyeball the portion), and save the leftovers for lunch.

Slice a 10-ounce supermarket chicken breast in half lengthwise into two 5-ounce cutlets (they’ll cook faster, too). Or try a thigh, a smaller, juicier choice with only 1 additional gram of sat fat per ounce.

Try the smaller-plate trick. Those smaller cuts won’t look so diminutive on 8-inch lunch plates.

Buy bone-in. Bones take up space and weight (and sometimes add flavor), so there is less meat to eat.

Candy is never far from reach. Pans of brownies slowly disappear sliver by sliver. Ice cream travels from freezer to sofa via pint-sized container.

Precut goodies in the pan or pie plate. An 8-inch pan divided into 16 pieces yields a brownie with 44% fewer calories than a pan divided by 9.

Hide the candy. Out of sight, out of mind. Better yet: Put your stash where you have to walk to get a handful.

Mini ice-cream cups are perfect ¹/₂-cup portions. If you prefer to dip from the gallon container, use a scoop (it dishes out a ¹/₂-cup serving).

If you like candy bars, buy the mini size. A big bag divides up into many calorie-reasonable snacks.

Both work and social life involve meeting for drinks, hanging at bars, having wine before dinner …

The USDA recommends no more than one drink a day for women, two for men. That’s 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or 1.5 ounces of liquor. Most bars use 1.5-ounce shots, but if yours doesn’t, just ask. If you’re having more than one, alternate with seltzer and lime, or spiced-up tomato juice.

Another use for that shot glass: It holds one portion of mixed nuts (170 calories).

For beer, sip an 8-ounce glass of craft-brew draft. It’s much more satisfying than two ultralight pints, with about the same amount of alcohol.

Wine with dinner? Restaurants like to pour liberally and equitably around the table. Either order by the glass—asking for 5 ounces—or tell the sommelier to go easy.

Pour cereal into a coffee mug instead of a bowl, and you’ll be less likely to overeat. It’s the right vessel for a serving of cereal (which varies; check label) and ¹/₂ cup low-fat milk.

A typical hoagie or sub roll is three to four servings of bread. Hollow out the center, and you’ll cut that almost in half.

When brown-bagging, make sure you’re using a zip-top sandwich bag. At 5 inches square, sandwich bags are sized right for loaf bread. Quart-sized storage bags measure 7 inches—too big.

A box of pasta serves 8 to 10 people, not 4. One cup of cooked noodles is one serving. Load your plate with salad first, and then add the pasta.

Freehanding the oil can add 240 calories to a dish—a lot if it’s supposed to serve only two. Use a measuring spoon until your eyeballing is accurate. Ditto with butter.

And ditto with salt. When we asked 12 people to freehand a pinch of salt, they added 180mg of sodium on average, 500 at worst. Work on your pinching, and don’t pour directly from the salt container—keep a pinch bowl on the counter.

Buy one of those nifty little digital scales. It’s truly an eye-opener to see what an ounce of Parm, an ounce of bacon, and and an ounce of chocolate look like.

Portion carbs onto plates—rice, pasta, whole grains, mashed potatoes. Know what a serving is, and use a measuring cup.

Glance at the end of any Cooking Light recipe, and you’ll see how committed we are to helping you make the best of today’s light cooking. With chefs, registered dietitians, home economists, and a computer system that analyzes every ingredient we use, Cooking Light gives you authoritative dietary detail like no other magazine. We go to such lengths so you can see how our recipes fit into your healthful eating plan. If you’re trying to lose weight, the calorie and fat figures will probably help most. But if you’re keeping a close eye on the sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fat in your diet, we provide those numbers, too. And because many women don’t get enough iron or calcium, we can help there, as well. Finally, there’s a fiber analysis for those of us who don’t get enough roughage.
Here’s a helpful guide to put our nutritional analysis numbers into perspective. Remember, one size doesn’t fit all, so take your lifestyle, age, and circumstances into consideration when determining your nutrition needs. For example, pregnant or breast-feeding women need more protein, calories, and calcium. And women older than 50 need 1,200mg of calcium daily, 200mg more than the amount recommended for younger women.