Have you ever thought that a small tweak in your favorite recipe could help lower your risk of health problems? Nearly two out of five Americans live with two or more conditions like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, or obesity (Benavidez, 2024). The good news is that many of these health issues can often be prevented or improved by making simple changes to what you eat.
Start small—reduce fat (specifically saturated fat), salt, or added sugar, or increase fiber when cooking. These small changes can add up to big health benefits. Check out the tips below to start revitalizing your recipes.
Limit Total Fat and Saturated Fat in Your Diet
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans publication (Health and Human Services, 2020) recommends limiting the total fat and saturated fat in your diet because these nutrients cause the “bad” cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, or LDL cholesterol) in your blood to rise. These recommendations suggest limiting your total dietary fat to 25%–35% of your daily calories and limiting saturated fat to less than 7% of your daily calories.
Reduce Dietary Cholesterol and Trans Fats
Cholesterol appears naturally in animal-based food sources. While a recommended dietary cholesterol level used to be part of the Dietary Guidelines, newer research shows that the cholesterol in food does not significantly affect the levels of cholesterol in our blood. The updated Dietary Guidelines now recommend limiting cholesterol as much as possible in our diets.
While trans fats also occur naturally in very small amounts in animal-based food sources, trans fats also can be made through a process called hydrogenation. Artificial trans fats are created by adding hydrogen to oil, which changes it from liquid fat (unsaturated) to solid fat (saturated). Trans fats increase the LDL cholesterol in our blood, and the Dietary Guidelines recommends limiting trans fats in our diets as much as possible.
In 2018, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of artificial trans fats in the United States. Now we have very low levels of trans fats in our foods, making it much easier to avoid trans fats in our diets.
The American Heart Association (2024a) shared some simple tips for decreasing dietary fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and trans fats in your recipes.
Meats
- Buy “choice” or “select” grades of beef rather than “prime.” Choice and select grades tend to have less marbling and lower saturated fat content than prime cuts. Lean cuts of meat contain the words “round,” “loin,” or “sirloin” on the package.
- Trim fat from meats and remove the skin from poultry before cooking.
- Drain grease from cooked ground beef using a colander or press it with paper towels.
- Cooking poultry with the skin on can help hold in moisture. Just remember to remove the skin before eating. While some saturated fat may soak into the meat during cooking, removing the skin still helps reduce the amount of saturated fat you eat.
- If poultry turns out too dry, try basting it with wine, fruit juice, or an oil-based marinade to keep it moist.
Dairy and Eggs
- Use low-fat or nonfat milk, cheese, sour cream, and yogurt.
- Use evaporated skim milk instead of cream.
- Use two egg whites or ¼ cup egg substitute in place of one whole egg.
Cooking and Baking With Fats and Oils
- Chill soups and stews to allow fat to rise to the top, then skim the fat from the top before reheating.
- Make gravies and sauces with less fat by thickening broth or skimmed pan juices with cornstarch mixed in a small amount of cold liquid, then stir that slowly into the hot liquid.
- Choose lower-fat cooking methods. Instead of frying meats and vegetables, try baking, broiling, boiling, grilling, poaching, or microwaving.
- Use nonstick sprays and nonstick pans when sautéing to reduce the amount of cooking oil needed.
- Cook vegetables with a small amount of oil and add a little water, then add herbs or spices for flavor instead of butter, margarine, or fatback.
- Use liquid vegetable oils instead of solid fats like butter or lard. If you must use margarine, try the soft or liquid types, which are often oil-based, or select one with the lowest amount of saturated fat and no trans fat.
- Reduce the fat in baked-good recipes by one-quarter or a third.
Reduce Sugar
Sugar is found everywhere. It occurs naturally in fruits as fructose, in vegetables in small amounts of glucose, and in dairy products as lactose. These natural sugars are paired with fiber, vitamins, and minerals that benefit the body when consumed in moderation.
When we talk about reducing sugar, we are referring to added sugars—those added during processing or preparation. These sugars provide extra calories with little to no nutritional value and are often called “empty calories.” Eating too much added sugar can lead to weight gain and increase the risk of chronic diseases.
Common sources of added sugars include:
- sweetened beverages, such as sweet tea, commercial lemonade, sports drinks, flavored coffee drinks, and so on
- baked goods, like donuts, pastries, cakes, and similar items
- snacks and sweets, such as candy, granola bars, and ice cream
- breakfast cereals, especially sugar-coated or sweetened varieties
- processed foods, which can be anything from canned fruit in syrup to ready-to-eat meals, and even flavored rice and pasta dishes
- condiments and sauces, like ketchup, BBQ sauce, and salad dressings
These added sugars are what we should aim to limit. The Dietary Guidelines publication recommends that individuals 2 years of age and older consume less than 10% of their daily calories from added sugars, and for infants and toddlers to avoid them entirely.
According to the American Heart Association (2024b), some simple ways to reduce added sugars in your recipes include:
- Cut back on table sugar. Start by using half the amount of sugar you usually add and reduce it further as your taste adjusts.
- Skip sugar-sweetened drinks. Water is best. Add sliced fruit, veggies, or herbs, or try unsweetened beverages for more flavor without the added sugar.
- Read Nutrition Facts labels and choose foods with the fewest added sugars. Get sweetness from natural sugars found in whole fruits.
- Buy canned fruit packed in water or unsweetened juice. Avoid fruit packed in light or heavy syrup.
- Gradually reduce sugar in baked goods by one-third to one-half. However, do not cut sugar in yeast-based recipes.
- Add vanilla or cinnamon for a warm flavor without extra sugar.
- Swap half the sugar in many baking recipes with an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce. This works especially well in moist baked goods like muffins, quick breads, cakes, and soft cookies.
Reduce Salt
Many people in the United States eat too much salt, but it’s really the sodium in salt that matters for your health. Salt is made of about 40% sodium. When you look at food labels, they show the amount of sodium, not salt. Eating too much sodium can raise your blood pressure. This increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.
To stay healthy, the National Academy of Sciences recommends the following daily limits for sodium:
- 1,200 mg per day for ages 1–3,
- 1,500 mg per day for ages 4–8,
- 1,800 mg per day for ages 9–13
- 2,300 mg per day for all other age groups
Despite these guidelines, the average sodium consumption for U.S. residents over 1 year of age is about 3,393 mg per day, well above the recommended levels. Most sodium comes from commercially processed foods and meals prepared at restaurants. Common sources include sandwiches, deli meats, burgers, microwavable meals, condiments and sauces, and salty snacks like chips.
To help reduce the amount of sodium, try these tips from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (2023):
- Pick fresh foods over salty, processed foods.
- Cut back on salt in recipes gradually, starting with a quarter to half the normal amount over time.
- Choose low-sodium or no-salt-added options for canned vegetables, soups, sauces, and ketchup.
- Use herbs and spices for flavor. Avoid garlic salt, onion salt, or lemon pepper, which typically include salt as an ingredient. Instead, choose garlic powder, onion powder, or seasoning blends that do not contain salt.
- Limit salty sides like pickles, olives, sauerkraut, and pickled veggies.
- Use cooking wine or vinegar to flavor casseroles and stews.
Increase Fiber
Fiber, which is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, supports health by aiding digestion, promoting satiety, and helping to regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Because the human body does not absorb or break down fiber, it does not cause spikes in blood glucose and helps you feel fuller for longer as it moves slowly through the digestive tract.
Fiber also prevents the absorption of some fat and cholesterol, which can lower the risk of heart disease. Additionally, it supports digestive health by cleaning buildup in the gut, helping to reduce the risk of colon cancer.
For adults, the daily goal for dietary fiber intake is 25–38 g/day. For most people, it is best to get fiber from the foods they eat. Fiber supplements are not needed unless instructed by your doctor.
To get more fiber from your foods, try these tips from UCSF Health (n.d.):
- Switch half the white flour in recipes with whole wheat flour.
- Choose whole grains like brown rice, bulgur, oatmeal, and hulled barley.
- Add fresh fruit, vegetables, unsalted nuts, or seeds to muffins, pancakes, salads, and desserts.
- Include plenty of vegetables and legumes/pulses (like beans, lentils, or chickpeas) with meals, as sides, or in sauces, stews, or curries.
Questions to Ask Yourself
1. In what recipe can I lower the fat?
2. In what recipe can I lower the sugar?
3. In what recipe can I lower the salt?
4. In what recipe can I increase the fiber content?
5. Which one will I change this week?
References
American Heart Association. (2024a, February 20). Cooking to lower cholesterol. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cholesterol/prevention-and-treatment-of-high-cholesterol-hyperlipidemia/cooking-to-lower-cholesterol
American Heart Association. (2024b, July 31). Tips for cutting down on sugar. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sugar/tips-for-cutting-down-on-sugar
Benavidez, G. A., Zahnd, W. E., Hung, P., & Eberth, J. M. (2024). Chronic disease prevalence in the US: Sociodemographic and geographic variations by zip code tabulation area. Preventing Chronic Disease, 21, E14. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd21.230267
Department of Health and Human Services. (2020, December) Dietary guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025 (9th ed). U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2023, February 13). Halt the salt: 5 ways to cut down on sodium and improve your heart health. National Institutes of Health. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/news/2023/halt-salt-5-ways-cut-down-sodium-and-improve-your-heart-health
UCSF Health. (n.d.). Increasing fiber intake. University of California San Francisco. https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/increasing-fiber-intake
