Healthy Cooking for Summer 2007
This summer, let’s make a pact to choose healthy foods at each meal, and prepare those foods in healthy ways.  Even if we’re careful about watching what we eat, we must also be careful to watch how much we eat.  Serving sizes are generally listed on food labels along with the recommended number of servings in the food pyramid.  A serving size may be smaller than we realize. Knowing how much food goes into a serving size can help us gauge if we’re eating enough food – or too much. 

Here are 8 of my suggestions for healthy summer cooking in Guilford:

1.  Before preparing any type of meat dish, trim all visible fat, and remove the skin from poultry.   After cooking, drain off  all fat drippings before eating.
2.  Skim the fat off soups, stews, sauces and gravies by chilling them. The fat solidifies on the surface, so it’s easy to remove.
3.  Choose recipes that call for baking, broiling, roasting, steaming, braising, grilling, poaching or stir-frying.
4.  Steam vegetables — and if you do fry foods, use non-stick pans that don’t need oil.
5.  Use skim milk-based cheeses when recipes call for cheese.
6.  Use 1% or skim milk instead of whole milk or cream. Skim milk has no measurable fat.
7.  Eat more fish, poultry, whole grains, and meatless dishes. Limit meat to two or three times per week.
8.  Reduce the amount of sugar in recipes; make fruit desserts using fruit packed in natural juices.

Health Director’s “Fab 4” (Secret) Health Tips

1. Wiggle Jiggle
*Find ways to move your body! ¼br /> *Climb the stairs.
*Walk your dog.
*Chase your kids.
*Play the sport of your choice.
*Bike through the neighborhood.
*Dig in the yard.

2. Cut Fat
Even if you’re not a dietitian, we all know some basic sources of fat:
*Fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats (i.e. pork, bacon, ham, salami, ribs and sausage).
*Dairy products such as cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream.
*Mayonnaise, margarine, butter.

3. Stop Smoking
Way back in 1960, the Surgeon General announced that smoking was harmful to your health.
Enough said!

4. Reduce Stress
Try these methods:
*Think positive thoughts.
*Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like.
*Soak in a hot tub.
*Walk along a lake or in a park.
*Read a good book.
*Visit a friend.
*Play with your pet.
*Listen to soothing music.
*Watch a funny movie.
*Meditate.
*Avoid difficult people…life’s too short!