How To Cut Back On Fats In Holistic Diets
by Art Gib
Adopting a holistic living style means being extra careful about what you eat. In order to maintain balance and good health in our bodies, it's essential to watch our intake of unnecessary fats in our diets. Here are some tips to help cut back on the fat.
-- Eating vegetables is an important part of any vegetarian or holistic diet. However, if they are improperly prepared, or if we embellish them with fatty sauces in order to help them "taste" better, their nutritional value to us is greatly diminished. When preparing them, make sure to steam, broil, microwave, or boil them. If you must fry (as part of a stir-fry dish, for example), make sure to use just a smidgen of olive oil: it really doesn't take much at all if you have the pan properly heated.
Resist the temptation to smother broccoli and other veggies in butter or cheese: kids can learn to love them just the way they are if they are trained to do so from an early age. Try experimenting with different herbs and spices to give your vegetables an extra little kick.
-- Recipes that call for dairy products are relatively easy places to cut back on fats. Anything that calls for whole milk can be substituted with skim without any noticeable difference. This is true for baked goods, puddings, sauces, soups, and just about anything you can think of. Low or fat free yogurts make excellent bases for salad dressings and are also effective substitutes for high fat sour cream.
-- Beef and chicken broths make excellent bases for soups and other recipes, as long as the fat is skimmed off first. To do this effectively, chill the broth in the refrigerator until the fat rises to the top and solidifies. Then just scoop it out!
-- How about eating vegetarian more often? Meat products naturally contain fat, even when they are baked or broiled. Cutting down on the number of meat-based meals by serving one vegetarian entree to your family every week will make a big difference.
-- Meat lovers needn't give up beef and pork altogether, of course. Just make sure to choose organically grown meats in order to ensure that you are getting the healthiest, leanest products on the market. Pasture-raised beef is naturally leaner than conventional supermarket offerings, and it tastes better too! Besides the reduction in fact, organically grown meats are free of antibiotics and hormones as well.
You can actively reduce the amount of unnecessary fats consumed by your family on a daily basis: it just takes a little know-how.
-- Eating vegetables is an important part of any vegetarian or holistic diet. However, if they are improperly prepared, or if we embellish them with fatty sauces in order to help them "taste" better, their nutritional value to us is greatly diminished. When preparing them, make sure to steam, broil, microwave, or boil them. If you must fry (as part of a stir-fry dish, for example), make sure to use just a smidgen of olive oil: it really doesn't take much at all if you have the pan properly heated.
Resist the temptation to smother broccoli and other veggies in butter or cheese: kids can learn to love them just the way they are if they are trained to do so from an early age. Try experimenting with different herbs and spices to give your vegetables an extra little kick.
-- Recipes that call for dairy products are relatively easy places to cut back on fats. Anything that calls for whole milk can be substituted with skim without any noticeable difference. This is true for baked goods, puddings, sauces, soups, and just about anything you can think of. Low or fat free yogurts make excellent bases for salad dressings and are also effective substitutes for high fat sour cream.
-- Beef and chicken broths make excellent bases for soups and other recipes, as long as the fat is skimmed off first. To do this effectively, chill the broth in the refrigerator until the fat rises to the top and solidifies. Then just scoop it out!
-- How about eating vegetarian more often? Meat products naturally contain fat, even when they are baked or broiled. Cutting down on the number of meat-based meals by serving one vegetarian entree to your family every week will make a big difference.
-- Meat lovers needn't give up beef and pork altogether, of course. Just make sure to choose organically grown meats in order to ensure that you are getting the healthiest, leanest products on the market. Pasture-raised beef is naturally leaner than conventional supermarket offerings, and it tastes better too! Besides the reduction in fact, organically grown meats are free of antibiotics and hormones as well.
You can actively reduce the amount of unnecessary fats consumed by your family on a daily basis: it just takes a little know-how.
About the Author
For the highest quality in natural beef products and other types of organic meat, contact the good folks at Niman Ranch. Art Gib is a freelance writer.
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