SNAP4CT
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Categories >
      • Kid Friendly Recipes
      • No Added Sugar
      • Vegetarian Recipes
      • Heart Healthy Recipes
      • Five Ingredients or Less
      • Quick and Easy Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Breads and Muffins
    • Desserts
    • Dips and Salsas
    • Drinks and Smoothies
    • Meatless Meals
    • Meals with Meat
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
    • Soups and Stews
    • Sodium Free Spice Blends
    • Recetas
  • Farmers Markets
    • Find a Farmers Market
    • CT Crop Calendar
    • Using SNAP/EBT at Farmers Markets
  • Education
    • Healthy Eating >
      • MyPlate
      • Understanding The Nutrition Label
      • Added Sugar
      • Healthy Snacking Tips
      • Calories Needed Each Day
      • What is "enough" fruits and vegetables
      • Recipe Videos
    • Budget Shopping >
      • Healthy Shopping on a Budget
      • What Can $16 Buy?
      • Budget Pantry
    • Diabetes >
      • Healthy Eating with Diabetes
      • "Diabetes-Friendly" Recipe Guide
    • Heart Health
    • Exercise Tips
    • Physical Literacy
    • Water First for Your Thirst
  • SNAP4CT Blog
  • Resources
    • DSS Offices and SNAP Help
    • FAQ
    • Free Health Events in CT
    • Organizations
    • SNAP-Ed Events Calendar
    • Healthy Food Pantry Donations

SNAP4CT Blog

How to Make Meals Healthier

11/27/2018

0 Comments

 
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!
Picture
Picture
Picture
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.

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! 

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.

What a Healthier Recipe Looks Like

​Need ideas for exactly what a healthier recipe looks like? Check out these delicious examples: 
Smother Greens Picture
​
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. 
Yogurt Banana Split Picture
Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes Picture

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!
 
​
Dark Chocolate Black Bean Brownies Picture

For Even MORE Healthy Eating Tips See..

Southwest Baked Potato Picture
​Quick Swaps for More Nutrition and
​All the Flavor
Chicken & Vegetables Picture
Making a Recipe Heart Healthy
​in 5 Steps
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

      Subscribe to our
      ​blog & receive a FREE cookbook!

    Subscribe
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Cooking School
    Cooking Tips
    Exercise
    For The Kids
    Grocery Shopping
    Growing Your Food
    Holidays
    Meal Plans
    Nutrition Tips
    Recipes
    Saving $$

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016


​Services

Healthy Living Tips
Recipes
Search Tool


​Suppo
rt

About Us
Contact
FAQ
Privacy


Picture
Husky Nutrition at UConn Health
195 Farmington Avenue, MC 6030
Farmington, CT 06032​
Picture
SNAP-ED Event Calendar
© COPYRIGHT 2018.  ​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

This information was funded by the USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - SNAP.  
SNAP helps low-income people buy nutritious food for a better diet.
​To get more information contact the CT Department of Social Services at
1-855-626-6632 or www.CT.gov/dss.


This institution is an equal opportunity provider.​
​Nondiscrimination Statement
Aviso de No Discriminación
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Categories >
      • Kid Friendly Recipes
      • No Added Sugar
      • Vegetarian Recipes
      • Heart Healthy Recipes
      • Five Ingredients or Less
      • Quick and Easy Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Breads and Muffins
    • Desserts
    • Dips and Salsas
    • Drinks and Smoothies
    • Meatless Meals
    • Meals with Meat
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
    • Soups and Stews
    • Sodium Free Spice Blends
    • Recetas
  • Farmers Markets
    • Find a Farmers Market
    • CT Crop Calendar
    • Using SNAP/EBT at Farmers Markets
  • Education
    • Healthy Eating >
      • MyPlate
      • Understanding The Nutrition Label
      • Added Sugar
      • Healthy Snacking Tips
      • Calories Needed Each Day
      • What is "enough" fruits and vegetables
      • Recipe Videos
    • Budget Shopping >
      • Healthy Shopping on a Budget
      • What Can $16 Buy?
      • Budget Pantry
    • Diabetes >
      • Healthy Eating with Diabetes
      • "Diabetes-Friendly" Recipe Guide
    • Heart Health
    • Exercise Tips
    • Physical Literacy
    • Water First for Your Thirst
  • SNAP4CT Blog
  • Resources
    • DSS Offices and SNAP Help
    • FAQ
    • Free Health Events in CT
    • Organizations
    • SNAP-Ed Events Calendar
    • Healthy Food Pantry Donations