ways to adapt recipes reduce sodium and fat in recipes? Topic

Turducken 07/29/21
I'm not much of a cook, and a challenge I'm having in making meals I'd feel comfortable sharing with others is that even healthy recipes have are high sodium and fat. Most of the sheet pan recipes for sheet pan dinners have around 30-50, or would after a realistic (not nutrition label sized) serving. That much fat can also be an issue for the belly.

I gravitate toward pre-cooked meat since I can't stand handling raw, and frozen vegetables as inevitably fresh ones go to waste.

Looking for recipes that arent loaded with salt and fat, or are easily customizable that easily amenable to sauce--on-the-side serving. So many stir fries and roasts require sauce to be mixed in. Trying to find the balance between something tasty enough to share and what I'd feel ok eating regularly is turning into more of a challenge than expected.

Thanks

Highland_Gigi 07/29/21
Can you give an example of a meal you would like to serve? It's hard to provide options when we don't know what you like. Using pre-cooked meat adds a ton of salt to your meals - look at the labels of what you buy to ensure they don't have added fats and salt.

A super easy way to pull together a meal without a lot of work is to buy rotisserie chicken. Yes, it has added salt but overall it's a great way to add protein without work. Offer a side dish like rice pilaf along with some vegetables (skip the cheese sauce if you're limiting fat). Voila, you have a dinner. You can pull the chicken off the bone to use in soups, chicken tacos, salads...anything you would use cooked chicken in. Another option is to buy already made skewers from the meat department. It is raw but you don't have to do anything other than throw it on a grill or throw it in the oven.

Turducken 07/29/21 replied to Highland_Gigi
Thanks!

Yes, this is unfortunately the case with most pre-cooked meats. Looking at things like:

https://www.cocoandash.com/one-pot-sausage-peppers-with-rice/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/one-pan-roasted-kielbasa-cabbage-dinner/?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=grow-social-pro
https://www.recipetineats.com/chinese-noodle-soup/#wprm-recipe-container-25274

Thanks again!

CanadaAnne 07/29/21
It’s important to be aware of what healthy fat is. Our bodies need it. Fat is not the enemy it has been made out to be - the low fat/no fat craze that started decades ago was actually begun by the sugar industry to take attention away from how bad sugar is for us. Having said that, the fat from the kielbasa is not so healthy but the fats from olive oil in the recipe are.

Turducken 07/29/21 replied to CanadaAnne
Totally. Nothing wrong with fat. But consuming a very large amount in addition to meals throughout the day can add up.

Dietician 08/02/21 replied to Turducken
Hi there Turducken-

Have you checked out the premium recipes lately? You can filter your recipe search by tapping on low-fat. This will pull up only recipes that have less than 30% calories from total fat or under 3g total fat per serving.
When we were developing the recipes we were mindful of sodium intake. Most recipes have reasonable sodium totals, though you can always leave out the added salt if you'd prefer to reduce the sodium further. Here's some more info:
https://www.mynetdiary.com/mynetdiary-recipe-database.html

Take Care, Joanna (MyNetDiary Dietitian)

Turducken 08/06/21
Thanks, Joanna! I'm not able to do a premium membership at the moment, are there any sample recipes?

Thanks again!

Dietician 08/06/21 replied to Turducken
Hey Turducken- Yes! We often highlight Premium recipes in our blog posts. You can find a smoothie recipe and curry recipe in this post: https://www.mynetdiary.com/how-to-use-tofu-in-more-tasty-ways.html
These recipes are also low in sodium: https://www.mynetdiary.com/healthy-lentil-recipes-for-weight-loss.html
Best, Joanna

Turducken 08/08/21
Thank you! Is there a direct link to the blog as opposed to individual entries?

Dietician 08/09/21 replied to Turducken
Hi Turducken-

Hope your cooking is going well! I am not sure I understand your question about a direct link to the blog?
Here is a direct link to the MyNetDiary blog: https://www.mynetdiary.com/blog.html
Best, Joanna

ways to adapt recipes reduce sodium and fat in recipes?