Double Delicious (4 page)

Low-fat cheese:
When topping a pizza or tucked in a quesadilla, low-fat cheese is a perfectly good substitute with less than half the fat of a typical cheese. When it’s the “star,” such as part of an hors d’oeuvre, I’ll choose a really delicious full-fat cheese and serve it in small quantities.

Low-fat buttermilk:
Low-fat (1%) buttermilk contains less than half the fat of whole milk, yet has all the richness of flavor. I use it to make mashed potatoes or salad dressings creamy or to add moisture to pancakes, cakes, and muffins.

Eggs:
Check the date on the carton. It is considered safe to use eggs four to five weeks after their “sell by” date, but I don’t recommend it. The taste and quality of the egg diminish over time. The color of eggs, brown or white, makes no difference nutritionally.

Meat, Poultry & Fish

Go for lean cuts of meat and white-meat poultry, then trim the excess fat and remove the skin from chicken before cooking. Look for meat cuts labeled as “lean” or “extra-lean.”

Even with lean cuts, portion control is important. It is recommended that most adults consume no more than 6 ounces of lean meat, poultry or fish a day—that’s a piece only about the size of 2 decks of cards.

The American Heart Association recommends eating some variety of fish twice a week. It is a rich source of protein and many vitamins and minerals, and has omega-3 fatty acids (The Skinny on Fats), which appear to protect the heart. Most store-bought fish is farm raised; a better option is wild fish, if it is available and affordable. It is healthier, has more flavor, and is better for the environment.

Everyone, especially children and pregnant women, should avoid fish with
high levels of mercury, such as shark, swordfish, tilefish, and king mackerel. These fish should be consumed sparingly by anyone. A good site for information on mercury in fish is epa.gov/waterscience/fish/states.htm.

What I Buy…

Beef:
Look for the word “round” or “loin” in the name of the cut, such as tenderloin or top round; flank steak is also good. These are the leanest cuts. If you’re choosing ground beef select 90% lean.

Pork:
Loin cuts, such as tenderloin, loin chop, and loin roast, are the leanest cuts, as well as ham.

Chicken and Turkey:
Choose skinless breast, or remove the skin before cooking. Ground poultry—turkey or chicken breast—is a great low-fat alternative to ground beef for burgers and meat sauces.

Nitrate-free or extra-lean Turkey Bacon:
This is my choice when I absolutely must have the flavor of bacon.

Fish:
Good options are canned light tuna, smaller fish (which have lower mercury), and shellfish. Look for anchovies, catfish, clams, flounder, pollack, salmon, sardines, shrimp, scallops, tilapia, trout, or whitefish.

Oils

Whenever possible, I use an oil-based cooking spray to provide all the fat I need to cook with and no more. Canola oil or olive oil are good choices when I don’t use a spray.

Proper storage is important to preserve the nutritional benefits and flavor of oils. Exposure to oxygen, heat, and light can cause them to go rancid. Purchase or transfer oils to glass or metal containers—the darker the better. Store in a dark, cool cabinet (not over the stove as I used to do!) and buy in small amounts.

What I Buy…

Canola oil:
Canola oil is one of the healthier cooking oils, with more heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids (The Skinny on Fats) than other vegetable oils. Because it’s flavorless it can be used in any number of ways.

Extra-virgin olive oil:
Extra-virgin olive oil is from the first pressing of olives, so it is the least handled and retains the most nutrient properties. Nutritionists say that olive oil contains active biological compounds that may help reduce the incidence of some chronic diseases, such as cancer and heart disease.

Breads & Cereals

There are a lot of confusing health claims made on bread and breakfast cereal packaging. Regardless, the ingredients list is where you’ll discover the true contents—not on the front of the package. Look for a “whole” grain as a first ingredient, such as whole wheat. Whole-grain products contain the whole kernel, which is rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other active compounds that may help reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Grains that are “refined” have these parts of the kernel removed and lose the most important nutrients. Breads that claim to be “made with” whole wheat, wheat, multigrain, seven grain, and/or stoned wheat, are probably made from mostly refined, not whole grains.

Most breakfast cereals, even some made with whole grains, contain a lot of added sugars. If sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maple sugar, etc., appears high up in the ingredients list, find another option! I prefer to sweeten my own cereal with fresh or dried fruit rather than have the manufacturer do it. Also, I don’t buy any cereal that uses artificial food coloring.

Granola cereals always look and sound healthy, but they can be high in fat and calories and may contain some hydrogenated fats. I look for low-fat granola or make my own (Crunchy Almond Granola).

Finally, check portion size when comparing breakfast cereals. The nutritional analysis on the side of the box is for a modest 2–1 cup serving. Most of us take much more. I use a measuring cup every time I pour a bowl for myself.

What I Buy…

Whole-grain breads:
Look for “whole grain” or “whole wheat” as the first ingredient and check out the grams of fiber. Breads that are good sources of fiber have around 3 grams per slice (recommended daily fiber intake for adults is 25 to 35 grams.)

Breakfast cereals:
Choose cereals with at least 3 grams of fiber per serving and low sugar—the sugar content of a single serving can range from 0 to 21 grams (4 grams is a teaspoonful)!

Pasta, Rice, Beans & Grains

Beans and grains are among the healthiest and most versatile foods you can find. They’re good sources of protein, fiber, vitamins, phytochemicals, and minerals; they’re an excellent, inexpensive substitute for meat; and best of all, they’re satisfying without adding a lot of calories.

Look for whole-grain products first. If the product has “enriched” on the label, it means the grain is refined with some vitamins and minerals added back during processing. Whole grains naturally have no (or very little) salt, provide heart healthy unsaturated fat (although very little), and are good sources of fiber.

My family loves pasta so I’m happy we’ve made the switch to whole-wheat varieties, which have all the nutritional benefits of any whole-grain product. How long you cook pasta matters a lot and in fact, the experts say that it actually affects its nutritional value. They say pasta is best cooked
al dente
(which translates as “to the bite”) so that it’s slightly firm.

Like oils, brown rice and other whole-grains can go rancid, losing their nutritional value as well as their flavor. So buy them in small quantities, find a dark, cool cupboard for short-term storage (up to a couple of months), and keep whole-grain flours in the freezer for longer periods.

What I Buy…

Whole-wheat pasta:
Switching to whole-wheat or multigrain pasta is one of the simplest and quickest ways to increase your family’s fiber intake (whole-wheat has up to three times the fiber of regular pasta). I made the switch by serving half regular and half whole-wheat pasta together, and slowly moving to all whole-wheat.

Brown rice:
Nuttier and chewier than regular white rice, brown rice is also higher in fiber and vitamin E. Again, you
can introduce it slowly, gradually mixing it in with regular rice.

Oatmeal:
Oatmeal is one of my favorite grains, and can be so much more than a delicious breakfast. It’s great for cookies and as a topping in cakes, pies, and crumbles.

Quinoa (pronounced
keen-wah
):
Like kasha, wild rice, barley, and wheat berries, quinoa is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals and high in fiber. Quinoa is actually a mild-flavored seed that cooks like rice, but much faster. Use it in soups, as a substitute for rice, or as a hot cereal (Cinnamon-Maple Quinoa).

Whole-wheat flour:
Whole-wheat flour will boost the fiber in your diet and add all the health benefits of whole grains. In doughs or batters, whole-wheat flour can replace refined white flour or all-purpose flour. Because whole-wheat flour can make baked goods too dense, I’ll often mix whole-wheat and all-purpose flour.

Flaxseed:
I use flaxseed a lot, sprinkling it on cereal or yogurt or adding it to bread crumb toppings or in baked goods, because it’s a really good source of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. In its whole form, flaxseed is less susceptible to spoilage, but should be ground before use so you can absorb it more easily. Store whole flaxseed in a dark container in a cool place; ground flaxseed should be stored in the refrigerator or, better still, kept in the freezer.

Canned beans:
Most canned beans have added salt, so I rinse them a few times or use dried. Preparing dried beans is easy, but it does take time: Soak the beans around eight hours or overnight, then drain the water a couple of times (which helps to make them less gassy). Then cook them for 1–4 hours, depending on the bean, until they are tender.