by Sarah Brown

Created on: July 01, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

Cutting fat in your cooking is an easy way to shed pounds and improve your overall health. Dietary fat is calorie dense. Each gram of fat contains nine calories, compared to carbohydrates and protein, which each has four calories per gram. As you can see, cutting even a small amount of fat from your cooking can make a big difference. Keep in mind, though, that dietary fat is essential for the body. It is responsible for many important functions, including transporting fat-soluble vitamins. As a nutritionist, I typically recommend that my clients consume no more than 30% of their daily calories from fat. The typical American diet contains much more than this.

One concern about cooking with less fat that I often hear from people is that food will be bland and unappealing. This does not have to be the case. There are countless ways to use spices, herbs, low fat dressings and marinades to give your meals mouth-watering goodness. Low fat cooking does not have to be complicated or time consuming either. No matter your cooking skills, you can create appetizing low fat meals with minimal effort. My ten tips for cutting fat in cooking should help.

1. Purchase some non-stick cooking spray. The quickest and simplest way to cook meat is in a frying pan on the stove. Cooking in oil, however, can tack on extra fat and calories. Whether you marinate your meat or coat with spices, simply spray cooking spray lightly on pan and cover to retain maximum flavor. Cooking spray also works well if you wish to fry some vegetables, such as peppers and onions, with your meat. Be careful not to apply cooking spray liberally, or you will be adding fat and calories.

2. Use egg whites instead of whole eggs. If the recipe calls for one egg, replace with two egg whites. In most cases egg whites work just as well as whole eggs, and contain no fat at all.

3. If you are a fan of butter on your food, try Molly McButter fat free butter sprinkles. It is a surprisingly tasty product that adds no extra fat and very few calories.

4. When shopping for meat, choose the leanest cuts. 96% lean ground beef, 99% lean chicken and turkey breasts are great choices. Most fish are very lean as well. Always trim excess fat from pork, steak and chicken before cooking.

5. When planning your meals, plan to have a moderate portion of lean meat, a whole grain, and plenty of vegetables. An example could be a three-ounce chicken breast,  a cup of brown rice, and a cup of green beans. Filling your plate with vegetables

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