Are you aware that what you feed your family on a daily basis affects their health? Since the family eats at home the majority of the time compared to eating at restaurants, you should be very aware of what you serve on the table. Your family’s health is in your hands and this is a huge responsibility but with knowledge, you can do it.

You can protect the heart and blood vessels by preparing less saturated fat meals. Remember, not all fats are bad. You just have to know how to identify the bad ones. The ingredients you will use and the way you cook the food will make a big difference in cooking healthy food for the heart.

Basic Things To Remember

* Less Fat: You can cut down on the fat through cooking methods like boiling, broiling, steaming, roasting, baking, grilling & microwaving food instead the usual frying. If you need to fry, use non-stick pans & a cooking spray instead of frying oil. Fats can really add flavor to the food, so what do you do if it is lessened? Opt for using seasonings and spices instead. Lemon juice is great for steamed vegetables & broiled fish. Pepper is great for chicken seasoning. Onion and garlic can boost the flavor of meat and vegetables.

* Lean Cuts: You cannot avoid meat, pork & poultry due to its protein. But you can keep the cholesterol down by choosing leaner cuts! With beef choose cuts like round, flank, sirloin, tenderloin, rib, chunk, rump roast, T-bone, porterhouse & cubed. In poultry, white breast meat is low in fat. In pork the leaner types are pork loin, center loin chops, Canadian bacon & ham.

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* Low Dairy Fat: Dairy should be part of your meals because of the calcium. However, dairy can be pretty fatty if you do not know how to choose. Instead of drinking full-cream milk, opt for fat-free skim milk or low-fat buttermilk. For yogurts, buy the low fat or fat-free ones. For cheese, Parmesan & cottage cheese have less fat.

* Find Substitutes: Fatty food is definitely tastier but you can still make your food delicious by using substitutes. For instance, instead of using regular salad dressings, you can go for low-fat mayonnaise & low-fat salad dressing. Instead of plain yogurt, go for sour cream when cooking.

By knowing what to cook for your family, you can help protect them from heart diseases. In addition, if they learn to eat healthy at home, it will be easier to continue a healthy lifestyle from then on!