Preparing food in a healthy way is just as important as choosing the right food to eat.
Heart-healthy cooking can be full of flavor and include lots of delicious foods.
Try these healthful cooking techniques and recommendations from clinical dietitian Laura White of WellSpan Heart & Vascular to experience how what is good for your heart can be good for your taste buds, too.
Healthy Heart Tip: Cut back on fat
- Take the skin off poultry before cooking it and choose the leaner meat (breast) in chicken or turkey over the dark meat (leg and thigh), which contain more fat. • Bake, broil, roast, stew or stir-fry lean meats, fish and poultry instead of frying.
- Select lean cuts of beef and pork such as those labeled loin or round.
- Try low-fat or no-fat salad dressings for salads, dips and marinades.
- Use egg whites instead of egg yolks. Substitute two egg whites for one egg yolk.
- For recipes that require dairy products, try low-fat or fat-free versions of milk, yogurt and cheese. Thicken sauces with evaporated non-fat milk instead of whole milk.
- Use a non-stick cooking oil spray when cooking foods on a griddle or frying pan.
- For muffins or quick breads, use three ripe, well-mashed bananas instead of ½ cup of butter or oil. Or, substitute a cup of applesauce for a cup of butter, margarine, oil or shortening.
- Remove fat from homemade broths, soups and stews by preparing them ahead of time and, before reheating, lift the hardened fat off the surface.
- When you do cook with fat, choose healthy, unsaturated fats such as olive or canola oil and use them sparingly