Believe it or not, there are actually people out there that think the only way to prepare their favorite proteins -- and other mealtime staples -- is by frying it in Crisco. Not so much. In reality, there are many diet-friendly ways to cook - sautéing, poaching, broiling, smoking, roasting are just a few. Most whole foods start out as healthy. It's the techniques we use to cook the food that make the transformation from healthy to unhealthy. Ask most health experts and they're quick to point out their beef with frying. It adds fat, calories and even cholesterol to otherwise nutritious foods. The good news is that you can do a lot with a little if you take the right approach. The first no-brainer is to substitute cooking spray for oil or butter when cooking meat, chicken or fish. This drastically trims down the amount of fat and calories you're adding to a dish. Just one tablespoon of oil is 14 grams of fat and 100 calories. A tablespoon of butter is no better with 102 calories (all from fat) and 11.5 grams of fat. Make PAM your friend and give your pan or pot a spray.
Another essential is to avoid preparation that is going to add calories and fat. Don't bread foods. Lay off high-calorie, high-fat marinades. Instead, opt for soy sauce, fruit juices, vinaigrettes or other low-fat salad dressings. Avoid topping burgers, chicken breasts and fish with high-calorie, high-fat cheese as well. The next step is to get cooking. Grilling is a great way to prepare beef, chicken and fish, although it should be done in moderation. When grilling, the fatty juices tend to drip off of the food. However, open-flame grilling has been found to produce cancer-promoting compounds. Stir frying adds little fat to the mix. It's important that you don't cook at high temperature for long periods of time when baking, broiling, roasting or grilling as it can break down valuable nutrients in chicken, beef and fish. Think outside the box and investigate other healthy ways to prepare your meats and vegetables.