What Should You Include in Your Low Fat Dinners?

By Kelly R. Damato

If you are looking for ways to lose weight and develop greater stamina, adopting a low fat diet could definitely help you out. This means choosing meals that are healthier alternatives to the traditional calorie-ridden foods. But where should you start? We've put together some ideas that will help you prepare low fat dinners and take control of your life. Let's look at the different food groups.

Grains group

There are several possibilities for you in the grains group. Any good low fat cookbooks will tell you that normal white bread should be replaced with whole-grain bread, rolls or bagels. If you are a huge fan of white bread, I suggest that you try out whole wheat bread for a month. Just try it out. You'll see how easily our body gets accustomed to change.

Whole-grain cereals like bran and oatmeal should be a part of your snacks. Switching from plain noodles and pasta to whole-grain pasta is also an easy change to make. Your spaghetti won't taste that different with whole-grain pasta, but the effect on your health will be felt. Buy also brown rice. If you are reluctant, you can always alternate: white rice one month and brown rice the other. Although your diet won't be perfectly, it will be much better than before. If you want a healthier snack, trade your granola for a low-fat one or cooked oatmeal.

Fruits and vegetables

And when you're thinking about your menu for the week, don't forget about vegetables. Veggies should form a crucial part of your low fat dinners. Don't add too much cream or sauces though. Otherwise, you'll end up with big fat veggies in your plate.

Think about integrating fruits and vegetables, such as apples, peaches, pears, watermelons, peas, chick peas, soy beans, and broccoli into your low fat dinners. Keep in mind that you don't have to add a whole apple tree to your recipe to make a difference. Some low fat cookbooks offer interesting dessert recipes using pureed fruits instead of oil. Frozen fruits with no added sugar also make up a great low fat snack.

Meat and poultry

Your best options will always be lean cuts of meat over regular ones. Chicken and turkey are great. Cooking them without their skin will result in an even lower fat percentage in your meals. If you cannot live without hot dogs, choose chicken or turkey sausages instead of beef. Fish is a healthy source of good fat and omega 3 (especially salmon). In general, North Americans do not eat enough fish. For those who don't like fish, it may be because you have never had the chance to taste a delicious recipe. Preparation is the secret.

Dairy Products

Regarding dairy items, you can sometimes cook only with the egg whites instead of the whole egg. Many recipes based on egg whites are available in low fat cookbooks. And the final result tastes just as great. Moreover, make sure that you include skimmed or reduced-fat milk rather than whole milk in your low fat snack. Lighter versions of butter and margarine should be substituted in place of regular butter. Here again, you can alternate between the lighter and the regular versions of milk or butter that you are used to eat. This will still make your diet much better than it was.

Desserts

We know that dessert is not a new food group. But we thought that it was important to touch on it since so many of us love finishing their meal with one. For instance, you can have low fat versions of muffins and scones. You can also bake Angel food cakes or gingerbread cakes instead of pound cakes/chocolate cakes. Using skimmed milk will equally improve your puddings and custards. Your ice cream treat can easily be replaced by sorbet and frozen yogurt.

A low fat diet does not mean you have to refrain from eating dessert. However, you may have to rely on good low fat cookbooks to get the tips and techniques necessary to prepare delicious and healthy desserts. In the meantime, we hope that above-mentioned tips will help you to get started on the road to a slimmer and better you.

Find out more about how low fat cookbooks [http://www.lowfatcookbooks.net/] can help you develop healthier eating habits. Put everything on your side to ensure that you achieve your objectives and avoid preparing tasteless low fat dinners [http://www.lowfatcookbooks.net/low-fat-cookbooks].