PREPARING HEALTHY FOOD - DURING HOLIDAY SEASON

Countdown for Christmas is on and with it the planning of party menu.

Not only are there some wonderful healthy variations on the Traditional Christmas dinner, but there are some fabulous Party Food recipes that are just right for this busy time of year.

Just because a recipe calls for a specific ingredient doesn't mean you must use that ingredient. Your favorite recipes can be modified to make them more nutritious or lower in fat by reducing or substituting ingredients that are more acceptable. This fact sheet will show you a few ways to decrease the amount of fat, calories, sugar and salt in your recipes.

When You Shop

O Plan your food shopping in advance, keeping in mind what you are going to need in your quest for fat and calorie-control. Then stick to that list.

O Buy low-fat versions of dairy products such as skim milk. Consider fish and poultry as alternative to red meat; they are someone lower in saturated fat.

O Most store-stocked salad dressings are primarily fat, with most of it coming from oil. Some also contain eggs, cream and cheese. A fat-free dressing will usually list water as its first ingredient, followed by vinegar, sugar in one of its forms (e.g. corn syrup), spices, and sometimes lemon juice or tomato paste.

O To ensure the ground chicken you eat is low in fat, buy lean, skinless portions and grind the meat at home yourself.

Fat Trimming Tools

Skewers: It allows you to exercise instant fat and portion control. Your meal-on-a-stick can contain a few juicy bites of meat or fish while its bulk is made up of colorful vegetables-capsicum, cherry, tomatoes, onion, quarters, corn.