Know the facts about Fat free food

For a product to be fat free, it must contain less than 0.5g of fat per serving. This is all very well if we eat the stated serving size of that food, say one cookie. But if we consume more than a serving of that food, it ceases to be fat free. All those fractions of a gram will count towards your daily fat intake. Remember, fat free doesn't mean calorie free.

How Much Fat Should We Eat?

• Total fat intake should be between 20 and 35 percent of total calories.
• Less than 10 percent of calories should come from saturated fats, such as those found in animal products (meat and full-fat dairy).
• Most fat should come from monounsaturated or polyunsaturated sources (for instance, fish, nuts, canola and olive oils and spreads.
• We should keep consumption of trans fats as low as possible
• We should consume less than 300mg of cholesterol a day
• We should consume no more than 6 teaspoons of oils a day

Tips for low fat cooking:

• Use nonstick cooking spray instead of butter or oil; or at least choose liquid oils over solid fats (preferably canola oil or olive oil)

• Choose extra-lean meat and skinless chicken breasts

• Trim all visible fat from meat

• Grill, broil, bake, braise, steam, poach, slow-cook, and microwave foods instead of frying them. Sautéing is ok with minimal amounts of oil, or use nonstick spray, or broth instead.

• Drain fat from cooked meats and blot them with kitchen paper if necessary

• Substitute two meat dishes each week with fish or vegetarian meals

• Use fat-free chicken broth or fat-free milk in mashed potatoes, soups, gravies and stews

• Try fat-free evaporated milk in creamy soups and casseroles instead of heavy cream

• Top your pies or line your tarts with phyllo dough instead of regular pastry

• Oven-fry potatoes instead of making or buying French fries

• Use herbs, spices, fruits and salsas to flavor your food

• Substitute reduced fat cheeses for full-fat ones, and cut the amount you use

• Choose reduced fat sour cream or yogurt instead of full-fat versions for stews, dips, spreads, and dressings

• Use reduced fat or fat-free cream cheese instead of the regular version for cheesecakes

• Replace some of the fat in baked goods with applesauce, plain nonfat yogurt or low fat buttermilk

Some Fat free food recipe for you to enjoy

Banana-French-toast recipe for breakfast

Ingredients

• 2 small, very ripe bananas

• 1 cup plain soy milk
• dash cinnamon and/or nutmeg
• 8 slices whole wheat bread
• nonstick cooking spray as needed

Method

Pizza: baked-sweet-potato-pizza recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 huge baked sweet potato peeled and sliced into rounds

• 1/2 cup tomato paste

• 1/2 cup chopped peppers 

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
  

• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms 
  

• 1/2 cup chopped  canned artichoaks
  

• 1/2  cup grated carrot
  

• 1/2 cup chopped veg. pepperoni (No fat)

• 1/2 cup chopped pineapple (optional)
  

• 1/4  cup grated skim milk mozzarella (optional)
  

• 1/4  cup chopped pickled jalapeno peppers (optional)
  

• 1 (or 2) fat free pizza bases 1/4  cup fresh basil

Method

1. Spread tomato paste on pizza
   

2. Arrange all the other ingredients artistically on top. 
   

3. Cook at 450 F till brown and bubbly.

Tofu mushroom stuffed baked potatoes

Ingredients

• 4 med. to large baking potatoes
  

• 1 1/3 c chopped onions
  

• 1 1/3 c chopped mushrooms
  

• 1/2 tsp sage
  

• Dash white pepper (optional)
  

• 8 oz firm tofu, drained & mashed (1.5 cups)
  

• 3 TBSP finely chopped parsley
  

• 1 TBSP prepared mustard, spicy
  

• 1/2 tsp honey

• Paprika

Method

1. Bake potatoes in preheated 425 F oven for 40 - 60 minutes.

2. Combine onion, mushrooms and sage in skillet. 

3. Cover and stew 5 minutes over medium heat, until mushrooms become tender and release their juices.

4. Season with pepper.

5. Cut baked potatoes in half lengthwise & scoop out insides, leaving a shell that is about 1/4 in thick.

6. Combine scooped out potato with tofu, parsley, mustard and honey. 

7. Mash together making the mixture as smooth as possible. 

8. Stir in mushroom- onion mixture.

9. Fill potato skins with tofu-potato mixture, mounding the filling above the shell.  

10. Sprinkle generously with paprika. 

11. Place on baking sheet and bake at 375 F for 20 minutes.

You need to worry about is the exact types of foods that you combine together at each meal, so that you get the proper portion of fat calories at each meal, which will maximize weight loss.

(Sources: atfree.com, lowfatcooking.about.com, lowfatcooking.about.com, lowfatcooking.about.com)