Smart food trades

Sunset, Jan, 2005 by Marcia Smart

It all gets so confusing: Which fats are healthy? Are carbs the enemy? Is it okay to have a bagel? To put it simply, a heart-healthy diet is high in fiber and low in saturated fat and cholesterol. That means plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and lean protein. Here are some easy ways to work more of these foods onto your plate without trading away flavor.

INSTEAD OF ...            CHOOSE ...               HOW TO GET THERE

Butter. It's delicious--  Olive oil. It's mostly   * Save butter for
and 61 percent saturated  monounsaturated          special occasions.
fat, the main dietary     (healthy) fat, so        Use virgin olive oil
cause of high blood       substituting olive oil   for pan-frying and
cholesterol.              for butter helps cut     sauteing. Extra-
                          your consumption of      virgin olive oil,
                          saturated fat.           with its rich, fruity
                                                   taste, should usually
                                                   be reserved for
                                                   lower-temperature
                                                   cooking; use it in
                                                   salad dressings and
                                                   marinades or for
                                                   roasting vegetables
                                                   and meats.
Fluffy white bread.       Hearty grains. Fiber-    * Choose breads with
Whether it's the classic  rich whole-grain breads  a higher percentage
American sandwich loaf    are digested more        of whole wheat. When
or a French baguette,     slowly, keeping you      baking, replace half
white bread lacks much    satisfied longer.        the white flour with
of the fiber, vitamins,                            whole-wheat flour.
and minerals of 100                                Opt for wheat
percent whole wheat.                               tortillas. Add whole-
                                                   wheat noodles to the
                                                   pot on your next
                                                   spaghetti night.
Steak. The American       Soy. To cut down on      * Marinate firm tofu
Heart Association         cholesterol and          with soy or teriyaki
recommends eating lean    saturated fat, swap in   sauce, or a mix of
cuts of red meat and      polyunsaturated tofu or  olive oil and
poultry, removing skin    soy products for at      balsamic vinegar,
on chicken breasts, and   least one serving of     then grill or broil
eating no more than 6     meat during the week.    it until golden. Add
ounces of meat, poultry,  Try to work in 25 grams  cubes of silken tofu
or fish a day.            of soy protein a day.    to soups, or toss
                                                   with vegetables in a
                                                   wok. Snack on edamame
                                                   and soy nuts. Try soy
                                                   milk in smoothies and
                                                   tea.
Fish and chips. Oh, the   Grilled fish. Grilling   * Opt for fresh
deep-fryer gets things    keeps fish flavorful     grilled fish at
lusciously crisp, but     and juicy without the    restaurants (hold the
what comes out of it      grease. Oily fish like   butter), or cook it
contains high amounts of  salmon is rich in        at home on the grill,
saturated fat. Adding     omega-3 fatty acids,     under the broiler, or
tartar sauce just piles   which help lower         in a nonstick pan
on the colories.          triglyceride levels      lightly coated with
                          and may reduce the risk  olive oil spray. For
                          of heart attack.         extra flavor, add
                                                   herbs, capers,
                                                   garlic, chopped
                                                   olives, tomatoes, or
                                                   lemon zest.
A sundae. Ice cream       A yogurt parfait.        * Layer your favorite
topped with sugary        Flavored non- or low-    flavors of yogurt (or
sauces and whipped cream  fat yogurt has less      low-fat frozen
can send you to taste-    fat and more calcium     yogurt) with toasted
bud heaven, but if you    and protein than ice     almonds, walnuts, and
want help holding the     cream.                   berries for a bonus
spoon at bay, count the                            of disease-fighting
fat, calories, and                                 antioxidants and
cholesterol.                                       fiber.
A bagel and cream         Oatmeal. The classic     * Serve oatmeal
cheese. This breakfast-   breakfast comfort food   piping hot on a rainy
on-the-run has as many    is low in calories, has  day, topped with
as 550 calories and 13.5  no fat, is full of       berries, toasted
grams of saturated fat--  heart-healthy fiber,     hazelnuts, and
more than half the        and has been shown to    cinnamon. Oatmeal
recommended daily         lower cholesterol        with nonfat milk and
overage.                  levels.                  blue-berries helps
                                                   you keep up with your
                                                   calcium and fiber
                                                   goals. Hazelnuts are
                                                   full of heart-healthy
                                                   monounsaturated fat
                                                   and vitamin E.

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Smart food trades

Sunset, Jan, 2005 by Marcia Smart

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