Nutrition: Cutting the Fat

Three years ago my husband almost had a heart attack. Luckily it was determined what was wrong and he had a stent put in prior to actually having a heart attack. We have both watched our diet and fat intake much better since then!

What is a little scary is that his cholesterol levels were not that bad. They are good now! Mine have always been pretty good, and now they are great! So diet does help and is worth it. A side benefit to cutting the fat was that we both lost weight. Dropping two clothing sizes was fun (and expensive). I got to buy two wardrobes in less than a year!

The following are just some things that have worked for us.

• Fat free salad dressings, condiments, mayonnaise, “butter” etc. we use wherever possible. The quality has improved greatly over the past several years!
  
• Naturally fat free condiments such as catsup, mustard, barbecue sauce, etc. are always an option. My husband really loves salsa on his baked potatoes now instead of butter and sour cream. Fat free ranch dressing is another option and many restaurants carry it.
  
• Fat free cheeses (hard, cottage, cream) work well in casseroles, pizza, etc. I prefer the low or reduced fat for sandwiches or bagels.
  
• Fat free sour cream works great in dip. We serve it routinely and no one knows the difference.
  
• Fat free yogurt is great to eat alone (there are so many flavors) or in fruit dips.
  
• There is an absolutely fabulous fat free brownie mix—No Pudge! Fudge Brownie Mix. It is mixed with fat free yogurt.
  
• Many dessert recipes and mixes can be altered to use fat free yogurt or applesauce.
  
• Eating less meat helps cut the fat. Both watching the portion size and eating it less frequently helps.
  
• There are healthier oils to use for cooking than butter or margarine. Dipping bread in olive oil is really very good! But you still need to watch the amounts.

The way I look at it, I can eat anything I want. I just can’t eat it whenever I want and as much as I want! But we do allow ourselves “diet holidays” for special occasions. And it has been worth it!