How to Make Meals Healthier

In our last blog, we shared some of our favorite ways to make cooking easier. We talked about simple swaps, meal planning tools, and easy recipes that were healthy too. Now we are giving you even more tips and tricks to turn you into a healthy eating pro.  

Healthy Ingredients = Healthy Meals

​Making a recipe or meal healthier can be as simple as cutting back on an ingredient or switching to another ingredient that has more nutrients. It is best to limit or reduce ingredients that add sodium, sugar, or saturated fat. The following small switches can make a big difference over time!

To Lower Sodium (Salt)

• Choose frozen or fresh vegetables and season with spices instead of salt.
• Buy low sodium canned vegetables or beans.
• Rinse all canned vegetables, beans, and tuna with water to remove the extra sodium.
• Remove the salt shaker from the table and season foods with citrus juices, herbs, or spices like pepper, garlic powder, or onion powder. [Find sodium free spice blends here.]

To Lower Sugar

• Drink flavored water or unsweetened tea instead of soda or sweet tea.
• Choose plain yogurt and sweeten with fruit or a touch of honey.
• Cut back on starchy foods like pasta and rice and replace with vegetables like riced cauliflower, shredded zucchini, or spaghetti squash.
• Watch for sneaky sources of sugar like jarred pasta sauce, BBQ sauce, ketchup, or breakfast cereals.

To Lower Saturated Fat

• In place of butter, use low sodium broth to flavor mashed potatoes or other cooked vegetables.
• Buy canned tuna in water instead of in oil.
• Remove the skin from chicken or turkey.
• Switch from whole or 2% milk to 1% or skim milk.

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Give Your Taste Buds Time

You might be thinking – If I cut back on salt, sugar, and fat, won’t everything taste bland? The truth is, making a change in your diet can be difficult at first. But over just a few weeks your taste buds will adjust. It might help to focus on one goal at a time, like switching from whole milk to 2% milk, or from drinking two cans of soda per day to only drinking one. Many people who have made these switches find that they enjoy them even better. For example, after you have been drinking water for a few months, soda tastes much too sweet! 

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Add Fiber for More Filling Meals

Cutting back isn’t the only way to make a meal healthier. Eating whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds makes meals and snacks more nutritious. One nutrient in particular that makes meals healthier and more filling is fiber. Use the tips below to increase the fiber in your meals.​

• Eat a whole piece of fruit instead of drinking fruit juice.
• Choose brown rice instead of white rice, and whole wheat pasta vs. plain white pasta.
• Scrub potatoes well before cooking, and then eat the skin.
• Add a handful of chopped walnuts to oatmeal for a more filling breakfast.

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What a Healthier Recipe Looks Like

​Need ideas for exactly what a healthier recipe looks like? Check out these delicious examples: 

​
Smothered Greens

​Turkey takes the place of fatty bacon in these flavorful greens.

​Yogurt Banana Split

This better-for-you banana split uses Greek yogurt
​ for the same creamy taste with less calories and fat. 

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes 

These mashed potatoes get their rich flavor from broth, Greek yogurt, and garlic.

​Dark Chocolate Black Bean Brownies

Brownies with a healthy boost of fiber and
rich flavor from a surprise ingredient. Yes please! ​

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For Even MORE Healthy Eating Tips See..

​Quick Swaps for More Nutrition and
​All the Flavor

Making a Recipe Heart Healthy
​in 5 Steps