A salad can incorporate all kinds of vegetables, simplifying your meal planning. Besides the usual carrots, tomatoes, or bell peppers, consider adding a sprinkling of peas or fresh mushrooms and slices of red cabbage.
Season hot vegetable side dishes with herbs instead of butter. Or try shake-on-butter-flavored flakes.
Painless substitutes for high-fat milk products like whole milk, cream, or sour cream include plain nonfat yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese (pureed in a blender) fat-free sour cream, and evaporated skim milk, which is as thick as cream.
Many standard
recipes call for more sugar than is necessary. Try using one-third the amount specified.
Do the same with fat in recipes. If a recipe specifies 3 tablespoons of cooking oil, use 2.
Nonstick pans let you sauté most foods with little or no added oil.
If you're currently using whole milk, gradually switch: first to reduced-fat (2%), then to low-fat (1%), and finally to nonfat (skim).
You may already be using lean ground beef or ground turkey (ask the butcher to grind your turkey without the skin) to make hamburger dishes. You can cut fat even further by substituting mashed pinto beans or black beans for half the meat.
Baked potatoes needn't be topped with sour cream. Try nonfat plain yogurt, mustard, salsa, chili sauce, or lemon juice.
Make a light dessert topping with evaporated skim milk or nonfat dry milk instead of heavy cream or whipping cream.