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Step 1
Get rid of the fatback. Fat meat is a tried and true seasoning in traditional soul food dishes, used in everything from beans to vegetables to breads. However, cooking with fat adds unwanted fat and cholesterol to food. Also, hormones and chemicals are stored in fatty tissue. So, if you’re cooking with fat, you’re adding hormones and other pollutants too. Cut off the extra fat from meat before you cook it.
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Step 2
Season your cooking water for vegetables an hour to thirty minutes before you cook them. You can add seasonings like garlic, onion and pepper. Cover the pot and let the water stay on a low boil. When it’s time to cook the vegetables, the seasonings in the water will flavor the vegetables.
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Step 3
Go easy on the salt. If you can, wait until you’ve tasted your food before you salt it. If you must use salt while you’re cooking, use a low-sodium salt or sea salt. Sea salt is a higher quality salt and you’ll need less of it.
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Step 4
Fry with a vegetable oil like extra virgin olive oil, which is healthy for you. We all remember growing up with the jar of grease on the counter and how Mama would reuse it when frying meat. Well, all of that lard and grease couldn’t be worse for us.
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Step 5
Use whole wheat bread crumbs to fry, if you must fry at all. Stay away from enriched flours.
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Step 6
Substitute ground turkey or turkey sausage for dishes using ground beef and pork sausage. Turkey is lower in fat and cholesterol. It will taste different, but turkey won’t lack flavor.
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Step 7
Broil, roast and bake your meats instead of frying them. This will cut down on fat, cholesterol and carbs.
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Step 8
Use fresh vegetables instead of canned vegetables. Canned vegetables have preservatives and are higher in sodium. Fresh vegetables are more vitamin rich. If you have to use canned vegetables, look for labels that say “low-sodium” or “low in sodium.”
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Step 9
Use a healthier mayonnaise like Smart Balance for potato salads, cole slaws and other mayonnaise-based salads. Healthier mayonnaises will lower the calories, cholesterol and fat in your dishes.
