Tips for cutting fat from your diet

To control the amount of fat you eat:

• Fill up on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
• Think of meat as a side dish instead of as the center of your meal.
• Try main dishes that feature whole wheat pasta, brown rice, beans, and/or vegetables. Or create low-meat dishes by mixing pasta, rice, beans, and vegetables with small amounts of lean meat, poultry, or fish. An example is bean soup flavored with a small amount of lean ham.
• Use cooking methods that require little or no fat. You can bake, broil, steam, roast, poach, stir-fry, and microwave. You can sauté in very small amounts of oil or use broth, cooking sherry, wine, or even water.
• Trim off fat from meat before cooking. Drain off fat after you brown meat. You can reduce the fat in hamburger by rinsing it under water after browning.
• Chill soups and stews after cooking so that you can skim off the hardened fat.

Many foods are now fat-free in response to the recommendation to reduce fat in our diets. You may find some of these foods useful, but it is possible to follow a low-fat diet without using them. Fat-free does not mean calorie-free. Fat-free cookies, candies, chips, and frozen treats can still be high in sugar and calories. Some fat-free foods actually have more calories than their regular-fat counterparts. Eat fat-free foods in moderation, as you would other foods.