How do you cook for a family when you are on a diet?
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How do you cook for a family when you are on a diet?
Has anyone had any success with this dilemma? I want to start a diet and get back into some sort of shape (lol) but I know that cooking will be an issue.
Kiki, you can start cooking differently and it will be healthy for your entire family. Cook only lean meats, limit your carbs and cook/eat plenty of vegies & fruit & whole grains - preferably fresh fruits & vegies. Cooling healthy does NOT have to mean tasteless food. Use seasonings that are low in salt/sodium and you will have tasty, healthy meals.
My DH had a heart attack almost 6 years ago, and while *I* already ate *healthy*, he loved his cheeseburgers and fries, and beef in general, and he had to totally change the way he eats.
Chicken - buy boneless/skinless breasts, or trim the skin off of them before you cook them. The dark meat of chicken and turkey has more fat in it.
Turkey - cook turkey breasts, rather than the whole turkey.
Beef - buy lean ground beef, or lean cuts of steak, etc., and limit beef to once or twice a week. Again, trim the fat off before cooking.
Pork - pork tenderloins are low in fat, in fact DH's cardio doc recommended them as an alternative to chicken or turkey.
Fish - obviously fish is great for you. Unfortunately neither DH or I are fond of fish, so we are losing out there. But if you like fish, bake, broil or grill fish, DON'T fry.
You can use turkey bacon or turkey beef if you like. Processed sandwich meats are full of fat and sodium.
NIX the gravies! Gravy and sauces are high in fat/carbs/sodium. Save those calories for foods that have better nutritional value.
Carbs - try to limit or eliminate anything white - white rice, white potatoes, white pasta, replacing with brown rice, whole wheat pasta and yams (sweet potatoes). I know that's a tough one. As an alternative, bake french fries/tator tots instead of frying them. We don't like yams, so eliminating white potatoes is a no-go in our house. We just don't eat them more than once a week.
Beans/peas are good for protein.
Eat salads, fresh or frozen vegies. Canned vegies are loaded with sodium. Obviously fresh vegies are better, and you can use a salad dressing or low fat/homemade dip for them if you don't like them plain.
I don't know if you like to grill/barbeque, but grilled vegies are to die for! The more brightly colored vegies (red bell peppers, broccoli, etc.), the better food value they have. As an alternative, steam vegies as opposed to boiling them.
Corn is a starch, so if you have corn, don't have another carb with it.
Read read read labels! Check for fat and saturated fat, as well as sodium content.
For desserts, instead of ice cream, buy sherbet or frozen yogurt. Or sugar free jello with fruit in it.
But be aware, many low/non fat foods are LOADED with sugars, so you defeat your purpose if you don't read those labels.
Buy plenty of fresh fruit. Try to get in the habit of having fruit instead of cookies.
Even fruit is carbs, and though bananas have been touted as the ultimate health food, they are a huge carb. Berries have huge health benefits. I realize they are expensive, but we've been trying to eat more berries - strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries for the health benefits.
Soda - cokes, etc. have lots of sugar in them. Buy diet drinks or drink water. Juice is good, but most have a lot of sugar added. Drinking plenty of water is the best way. If you can't stand to drink that much water, try Crystal Light - it comes in many, many flavors now.
Use skim or 1% milk instead of whole milk. OR buy soy milk.
Use low fat cheeses and sour cream and cream cheese.
Hummus is a good alternative to dips, but again, read the label, as many have a lot of sodium in them.
The debate is still on about real butter vs. margarine. I think the best alternative is Brummel & Browns margarine (yogurt based).
Salad dressing - make your own instead of buying the bottled ones. Use extra virgin olive oil, both for dressings, and for cooking. I posted a recipe for some really tasty home-made salad dressing that is simple to make, and much more healthy for you.
We eat salad probably 5 nights out of 7, and we add some crumbled goat, Gorgonzola or Stilton or other cheese to the salad, dried or fresh berries, and pine nuts or unsalted sunflower seeds, or sesame seeds to the salad. You'd be surprised how good that is.
The trick is portion control, limit fats and carbs/sugar, and of course, exercise.
You don't have to starve to eat tasty food. Just be sensible. You can *train* your family to eat healthy by doing all of the above. Your cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar readings will be much better too.
Hope this helps!
Salad Dressing
Salad
Kiki,
Sorry I'm a little late in posting this, but check out this book, it's geared to healthy family eating and weight loss.
GI Diet
I am so sorry for responding so late. Please forgive me.
Cori,
I will look into the book. It sounds interesting. Have you tried it?
Karen,
You made it easier for me thank you. The salad looks absolutely divine. I will try it this week.
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