Click Partners

Cooking light is one of the biggest trends today especially when new years resolutions are still fresh or a wedding or special occasion is on the horizon. Unfortunately, the associations people have with cooking light are bland, tasteless and horrible food. However, this not need be true at all. You can try any of your family’s favorite recipes and make it a healthier alternative by just substituting a few things and having a more open mind.

Cooking lighter is easier today as many of our staple foods now have a light version. For example, cheese is now being made with alternative milk such as goats milk, skimmed milk is also used now too and these alternatives do not affect the flavor at all. Butter can be eliminated by substituting with low fat spread to reduce calorie intake significantly. It is important to make sure that you are eating the right fats and avoiding trans fats where possible.

Dressings are particularly high in all the wrong things so try a low fat mayonnaise or fat free ranch dressing in your sandwiches. Avoid using foods coated in oil, many types of tinned fish are now packed in water rather than oils, this significantly reduces your calorie intake.

If you eat a lot of refined white bread then you will not be getting the fiber you need and your fat intake will be high. When choosing bread go for the oat-based alternative or the 100% whole grain variety. Just because bread is brown does not mean it is healthier for you. By taking a true whole grain alternative your body will get an increased intake of fiber and lower amounts of fat.

The oil you use for cooking is also an important part of your lighter cooking style. Extra virgin olive oil is ideal but can be expensive a cheaper alternative is Canola, which has lots of health benefits when compared to vegetable oils.

When baking use a low calorie sweetener in place of sugar. Line your baking tins with a no fat cooking spray and use dark chocolate instead of milk. All of these are good alternatives for cooking light.