How can I cut down on total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol?

1. Steam, boil, bake, or microwave vegetables rather than fry them. Or, for a change, stirfry in just a small amount (less than a teaspoon per serving) of vegetable oil.
2. Season foods with herbs, spices, onions, garlic, flavored vinegars, and high-quality mustard instead of fatty sauces, butter, or margarine.
3. Try flavored vinegars or lemon juice on salads or use smaller servings of oil-based salad dressings or salad dressings that are low in fat or fat free.
4. Use vegetable oil in place of solid shortening, margarine, and butter whenever possible. Try reducing the fat by one-third in muffins and cookies and replacing butter or margarine with applesauce, pureed banana, or pureed prunes.
5. Try whole-grain flours to enhance flavors of baked goods made with less fat- and lower cholesterol ingredients.
6. Replace whole milk with skim milk or 2-percent milk in puddings, soups, sauces, and baked products. Use evaporated skim milk in place of cream. Use fat free or low-fat buttermilk in place of cream or whole milk in ranch dressing, muffins, and pancakes.
7. Substitute plain yogurt that is fat free or low fat; blender-whipped cottage cheese that is fat free or low fat; or part skim ricotta cheese for sour cream or mayonnaise.
8. Choose lean cuts of meat and trim fat from meat before or after cooking. Remove skin from poultry before or after cooking.
9. Roast, bake, broil, grill, steam, or simmer meat, poultry, or fish rather than fry it.
10. Cook meat or poultry on a rack so the fat will drain off. Use a nonstick pan for cooking so that added fat is unnecessary.
11. Chill meat or poultry broth until the fat becomes solid. Spoon off the fat before using the broth.
12. Limit egg yolks to one per serving when making scrambled eggs. Use additional egg whites for larger servings.
13. To lower cholesterol, try substituting egg whites in recipes calling for whole eggs. Use two egg whites in place of each whole egg in muffins, cookies, and puddings.
14. Substitute baked chips and pretzels for regular chips, snack crackers, party mixes, and other snacks high in fat.
15. Be careful not to serve a meal that is low in fat followed by a dessert that is high in fat. Examples of desserts that are low in fat are fresh fruit topped with light ice cream or low-fat frozen yogurt; sherbet; cookies that are lower in fat, such as gingersnaps; custard or pudding made with skim milk; and meringues filled with fruit.

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