WWs Top 10 Ways to Lower Points Values
COOKING GUIDE
Top 10 Ways to Lower POINTS® Values
By Jodie Shield, RD | 1/1/2001
Tip 1. Invest in a set of cookware that has a nonstick finish. This
will enable you to prepare foods with little or no added fat. In
addition, you'll want to pick up some cooking spray, so you can coat your
cookware with it for even less sticking potential.
Tip 2. Prepare meat, poultry and fish using low-fat cooking methods
such as broiling, grilling and stir-frying. And remember that both fresh
and frozen vegetables taste great either steamed or cooked in a
microwave oven.
Tip 3. Marinate meat, poultry, and fish in low-fat marinades such as
salsa, teriyaki sauce, orange juice or Dijon mustard. You'll get a
burst of flavor with out adding a lot of POINTS values.
Tip 4. Season your foods with fresh or dried herbs instead of using
oil or butter. Try adding dill to steamed carrots, saffron to brown
rice, cilantro to baked fish and ginger to stir-fried chicken.
Tip 5. Remove the skin from chicken, turkey and Cornish hens before
you eat it. The skin is mostly fat and will almost double the amount of
POINTS value.
Tip 6. Skim and discard fat from hot soups, stews, or chilies. Or
chill the soup, stew or chili, and skim off the solid fat that forms at
the top.
Tip 7. For most recipes, you can trim the amount of fat called for by
25 to 50 percent without effecting taste or quality. For example, if a
recipe calls for adding 1 cup of chopped pecans, you could use only 1/2
cup. Also, you can omit the butter or oil in baked goods by using fruit
purées like applesauce or puréed prunes. The concentration of their
natural sweetness will help retain moisture during baking.
Tip 8. Scale down the amount of sugar in fruit sauces, beverages or
other dishes that aren't baked by 25 percent. And add a pinch of
cinnamon or nutmeg instead of sugar to help increase the sweetness.
Tip 9. Replace one-quarter to one-half of the ground meat or poultry
in a casserole with cooked brown rice, or cooked and chopped dried
beans. You'll cut back on fat and boost fiber.
Tip 10. Substitute lower fat ingredients for higher fat ingredients.
Some key switches to make include:
Instead of... Use... 1 whole egg 2 egg whites or egg
substitute 1 cup sour cream 1 cup fat-free plain yogurt 1 cup whole
milk 1 cup low-fat or fat-free milk
