The Quest to Make Things Healthier

[Tepee]

Shoot, I was looking forward to the New Way To Cook thread. Some great stuff in there and for whatever reason, I often overlook that book.

[snip]

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Oh, but we must have a Cook Through. I just ordered the book...hope to get it by Monday.

Over the past 2 years, with us getting richer in years and girth, I've consciously tried to cook/eat healthier too...at least from Monday to Friday....we eat out during the weekends when I 'let go' a little. I don't deep-fry in my kitchen, instead, I shallow-fry. I also use the oven and steamer more.

Edited November 30, 2007 by Tepee (log)

[Terrasanct]

So is the only way to make things healthier by cutting out the fat? I'm curious why fat's supposed to be the big culprit, when there are other things that aren't healthy, and fats that are. I'm not saying that deep-fried anything is good, but what about the other health issues--salt, sugar, stuff like that?

[Bella S.F.]

HEIDTH , I love the idea of the eyedropper. I find that I spend a great deal of time turning a bottle/jar SLOWLY, having nothing come out, and then I tip it just a LITTLE bit more and it all pours out.

Katie Loeb, I have never seen fat free half and half. I see that you live in Philly. When I lived there I always used Light Cream in my coffee. That is not available out here either. You either get Heavy Cream or half and half. That just does not make sense to me.

markk, using rice to make "creamed" soup sounds interesting. I have also added buttermilk which gives the soup, in this case Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, a nice creamy tang. I also like the fact that buttermilk is low fat.

Doodad, how would you oven fry chunks of chicken for a Chinese dish?(That is what started my idea for this thread. I didn't want to deep fry the chicken for Black Bean Chicken.

Sony, I never thought of adding water to hamburgers, but it makes sense. I make the most amazing meatballs. It is a recipe for the meatballs from Rao's Restaurant in New York City that was in a Fine Cooking magazine.

They are so very light and full of flavor.

Thanks for all of the good tips. I hope to see more.

Edited November 30, 2007 by Bella S.F. (log)

[Tepee]

  Doodad, how would you oven fry chunks of chicken for a Chinese dish?(That is what started my idea for this thread. I didn't want to deep fry the chicken for Black Bean Chicken.

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Not Doodad, but, like I said above, I don't deep-fry (doesn't mean I don't eat deep-fried food when I'm eating outside) and I'm chinese. You can shallow-fry your chicken chunks to brown all sides. If it takes too long, help it to cook faster by covering it...steam-cook. Just make sure you cook the individual ingredients separately, then throw in everything and give a quick hot fry to finish.

Terrasanct: The thread is still young, I'm sure other ways of making things healthier will surface.

Had less time earlier for a more lengthy reply but other things I do:

* Haven't had white table salt in my home for a long time. I use celtic sea salt or himalayan rock salt.

* I use Bragg's liquid aminos to replace soy sauce sometimes.

* Have more raw ingredients dishes.

* Reduce sugar in desserts a third to half.

* Fry cod fish and salmon in their own fats.

* As for fats intake, I cook with grapeseed oil and consume healthy doses of olive oil. I do need fats as I've mild eczema. Transfats are a no-no.

* hubby used to do the grocery-shopping and you can't believe the stuff he buys home....canned sodium-loaded soup, fruit juices and drinks in cartons...eek! I've taken over the shopping now. I make my own soybean drink (out of non-GM beans) and like it unsweetened.

* have gone organic whenever I can. Especially, flours (unbleached). Ain't cheap in our neck of the woods.

I'm not going into the yin and yang of eating, but, I consciously put together the day's menu so that the body feels harmonious....a chinese thing.

[KatieLoeb]

Katie Loeb, I have never seen fat free half and half. I see that you live in Philly. When I lived there I always used Light Cream in my coffee. That is not available out here either. You either get Heavy Cream or half and half. That just does not make sense to me.

Bella:

The brands I see out here are Land 'o Lakes and usually the supermarket has it's own brand of fat free half 'n half. It's in the dairy case right next to the regular stuff or it's with the other non-dairy coffee creamers. Other brands I've seen or read of include Garelick Farms, Hood, Darigold and Coffee-Mate. Don't know what brands are local to you. Perhaps if you ask the dairy manager at your local supermarket they might be more helpful.

[prasantrin]

Is the Land 'o Lakes fat free half 'n half more "pure" than the other types I've seen?

I think when you start getting into "low fat" foods which end up having more additives than the foods they're replacing, you're getting a less healthful product. In those cases, you're better off just using the original product more sparingly.

[GreekCook]

I often make mashed potatoes without butter especially when I have them with a main dish that has gravy....I personally can't taste that much of a difference and I can eat lots of mash without feeling guilty

[Terrasanct]

Now, in my case the mashed potatoes would be the unhealthy food (even though I do like them) and adding butter would make them better for me because the fat slows the absorption of carbs into the bloodstream.

I guess healthy depends on who's doing the eating.

[GreekCook]

Now, in my case the mashed potatoes would be the unhealthy food (even though I do like them) and adding butter would make them better for me because the fat slows the absorption of carbs into the bloodstream.

I guess healthy depends on who's doing the eating. 

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Why would you do that? Potatoes are a complex carbohydrate and fat free!

[Katie Meadow]

What's healthy is clearly based on any given person's needs at the time, and everyone has a different approach; there are almost as many food issues in this country as there are people. For some it's fat, for others it's calories or sugar and for some it's additives and chemicals.

I prefer to simply eliminate certain dishes instead of substituting ingredients to make them healthier; most things that really depend on the flavor of butter just don't translate when you try to use a something else. It would just be awful to make Indian food with olive oil. Mashed potatoes, on the other hand, can be pretty good when made with garlicky oil.

The things I need to stay away from (cholesterol delivery systems like butter, cheese, eggs and animal fat) I use sparingly and think of as special treats. Turkey bacon just doesn't do it for me, so I indulge in real bacon just a few times a year in the summer when tomatoes are peaking and a BLT is calling my name. I'll never say never about any food, since that would be so sad! If I have guests and a cheese app seems appropriate I buy my most favorite gooey wonderful cheese and indulge. No leftovers to tempt me--at least not with friends like mine. My solution has been to get into cuisines that use olive oil bigtime, or Japanese and Vietnamese foods which don't rely on dairy. So when I indulge I don't feel bad.

I've always been mystified by vegetarians who make tofu burgers or "turkey." There are so many great Asian tofu dishes to be made. Is it a nostalgia thing? Do you miss the burgers of your youth?

How could half and half possibly be fat free? How can they even call it half and half? What's in it? It sounds like a hoax.

[Terrasanct]

Now, in my case the mashed potatoes would be the unhealthy food (even though I do like them) and adding butter would make them better for me because the fat slows the absorption of carbs into the bloodstream.

I guess healthy depends on who's doing the eating.  

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Why would you do that? Potatoes are a complex carbohydrate and fat free!

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Because fat doesn't affect my blood sugar, and carbs do. I can eat vegetables (carbs) all day, but starchy ones are a problem. Fat became the big culprit about 30 years ago; before that our grandmas told us not to eat too much bread or we'd get fat. Fat on the plate doesn't necessarily translate to fat in the body, any more than eating bread makes you, uh, bready.

I'm looking at the glycemic index, and a plain baked potato is going to do much more damage to me than a potato with some fats along with it.