Topping, Oil, Seasoning & Salt Tips

Try different toppings.

• In recipes that call for sour cream, use buttermilk or plain yogurt instead.
• On baked potatoes, skip the sour cream and gravy—instead, try plain yogurt or a little butter or trans fat-free margarine.
• Plain yogurt makes a great topping for fruit and other desserts.

Use less gravy.

• Make healthier gravy—pour off the fat, thicken the meat juices, and go easy on the salt.
• Instead of gravy on your meat, try using tomato, barbecue, Worcestershire or steak sauces—Avoid sauces high in salt. Try to buy sauces labeled “no salt added” or “low sodium”.
• Use a little trans fat-free margarine or gravy on brown rice or mashed potatoes.

Choose trans fat-free margarine.

• When you use margarine, look for tub or squeeze margarines that say trans fat-free.
• Don’t use regular stick margarines or shortening, which are high in trans fats.

• Stay away from lard (high in saturated fat).

Use vegetable oil for frying.

• Vegetable oils are better for your heart than bacon grease or shortening.
• When you fry, use vegetable oil—just enough to keep the food from sticking.

Get creative when you bake.

• Use vegetable oil instead of margarine, lard, butter, or shortening for baking. Two teaspoons of oil can replace one tablespoon of hard shortening.
• For muffins and cakes, replace some of the margarine or butter with buttermilk, applesauce, or pureed prunes.

Use healthy seasonings for vegetables and salads.

• Instead of fatback, side meat, or stick margarine, season your vegetables with these:
• A small amount of lean ham
• Onions and garlic with vegetable oil
• Vinegar or lemon juice
• Low sodium bouillon
• Fresh or dried herbs
• A little transfat-free margarine
• Make your own olive oil and vinegar dressing for tossed salads—stay away from bottled dressings with a lot of salt (sodium) and watch out for dressings with high fructose corn syrup or other sugars.

Go the low salt way.

• Buy foods that say low or reduced salt (sodium) or no salt added.
• Eat out less often at restaurants—even healthy restaurant meals often have a lot of salt.
• Keep the salt shaker away from where you cook and eat.
• Taste your food before salting it. You’ll get used to the taste of less salt.
• Use seasonings like pepper, lemon juice, vinegar, herbs, and spices.

Mix your favorite herbs or spices in a handy shaker.

• Watch out! Packaged meals with noodles can be high in salt (sodium) and trans fats.