Healthy Eating Recipes: How To Make Your Recipes Healthier

By Trevor JohnYou've probably got hundreds of recipes in your collection butmaybe not all of them are as healthy as you'd like them to be.Which is likely a shame as there's a good chance that some ofthose recipes are amongst your favorites. How do you go about changing your favorite recipes into onesthat are healthy for you? Even those old family favorites thathave been passed down through the generations. 1. Reduce the amount of fat, sugar and salt in your recipes. You'll be pleasantly surprised just how much you can reduce thelevel of fat, sugar and salt in your recipes without affectingthe taste. If you've cut back too much, it's always possible toadd a little bit more salt at the table. You can reduce theamount of fat by using a non stick pan and an oil spray ratherthan slurping oil into the pan. You can also use a slottedspoon to skim off any excess fat as the recipe cooks. Cuttingdown on sugar will depend on what you're cooking, but it'sgenerally safe to try initially cutting sugar down by a quarter- I doubt you'll notice the difference. Salt is necessary in recipes for bread as otherwise the yeastwon't be able to do it's job. In other recipes, such as crockpots and stews, you should easily be able to reduce the saltyou use by half with very little effect on the final taste. Youmay even find that with an imaginative use of sauces, you caneliminate salt from some of your recipes entirely. Remember that some of the ingredients you use may contain salt,sugar or fat. Read the labels and substitute as necessary. Butdon't just blindly add a low fat option without checking thatthe manufacturer hasn't simply substituted sugar for fat. 2. Make Healthy Substitutions As well as examining labels, look for ways to increase thenutrition in the food you eat. Whole wheat pasta, brown rice,whole grain cereals. All of these are easy substitutes and willlikely enhance the taste of the dish you are cooking - they haveless of the original product removed in the manufacturingprocess, which leaves more taste available for you. 3. If possible, delete an unhealthy ingredient Many recipes react well to variations (you may even findalternatives listed at the end of the recipe). Substitutefrosted ingredients for un-frosted ones to cut down on sugar,for instance. Be careful with adding nuts to a dish as they arehigh in fat (although the fat is usually considered "good" fat,so don't cut them out entirely). Let your family and guests addtheir own toppings such a mayonnaise and sauces. Considersubstituting lower salt, fat and sugar versions of thesesauces. And don't squeeze that maple syrup quite as hard thenext time you eat a stack of pancakes! Once you start converting your recipes, you'll become moreimaginative and will have a good idea on what is working andwhat isn't Keep a notebook handy so that you can remember thesuccesses and adjust the times when the changes you madeweren't as successful as you'd have liked.About the Author: Treat your children and family to a batch ofspecially designed healthy recipes that are easy to make andhave all been taste tested athttp://healthy-eating-for-kids.comSource: http://www.isnare.com