Cook Smart for a Healthy Heart

1. Always remove skin from chicken and trim off any visible fat from meat before cooking.
2. Grill, steam, poach, microwave, stir-fry, boil or bake in preference to frying or deep-frying.
3. Avoid adding or cooking in unnecessary fat-for example, spray a thin film of oil into the pan when cooking, don’t pour it in.
4. Dry-roast meats on a roasting rack to allow the fat to drain away.
5. Skim fat from meat juices before making gravy.
6. Use unsaturated cooking oils such as canola, olive, safflower or soybean.
7. Replace some of the meat and chicken in curries and casseroles with a handful of chickpeas, lentils or other legumes.
8. Let homemade soups and casseroles cool before serving so that any fat can solidify on top. Remove this fat layer before reheating.
9. Substitute low-fat natural yogurt for sour cream in casseroles or dips.
10. In place of a melted cheese topping on baked pasta dishes, use a little shaved Parmesan or mix together whole-wheat breadcrumbs with reduced-fat Cheddar.
11. Use low-fat evaporated milk or soft tofu as a replacement for cream.
12. Cut in half the amount of cream added to a cup of coffee or replace cream with reduced-fat or skim milk.

Check out the latest preventative health tips!

Explore Reader’s Digest Canada.