Produce Department
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to increase your daily intake of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. You need 2-4 servings of fruit daily and 3-5 servings of vegetables daily. Choose from a wide variety of high quality fresh fruits and vegetables. Pick up tofu and soy products to help your heart.
Meat Department
Buy the leanest cuts of meat (extra lean, loin, and round) and trim off any visible fat before cooking. Select chicken without the skin. Use extra lean ground beef (90-95% lean), sirloin steak, round steak, lean pork, and boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or chicken fingers.
Seafood Department
Eat fish at least once a week . . . frozen-at-sea haddock and farm-raised salmon are the best buys. It's best to bake, boil, or broil your fish. Flavor your fish with a twist of fresh lemon or lime.
Dairy Case
Choose low-fat or skim milk, reduced fat cheeses, and low-fat or nonfat yogurts instead of their high-fat counterparts. You need 2-4 servings of dairy products daily. Choose 1% or skim milk, reduced-fat shredded cheese, and nonfat and low-fat yogurts. Look for soy milk and soy based alternatives for heart health.
Spices and Seasonings Aisle
Get creative! Use seasonings that don't add fat or sodium to your foods like fresh or dried herbs, spices, and low-fat condiments. Choose salsa, Dijon mustard, and spices like garlic powder, basil, thyme, or oregano.
Salad Dressings Aisle
Look for nonfat or light salad dressings to keep your total fat intake low. Dressings made with olive oil and canola oil offer the benefits of monounsaturated fats. Look for balsamic vinegar to add flavor to tossed greens and vegetables without the fat. Check out the ingredient listing on all food labels.
Nutrition Labeling Tip:
Read the Nutrition Facts on the food label to choose foods which have less than 3 grams of fat per serving and more than 2 grams of fiber per serving to lower your fat intake and increase your fiber.
Low-fat Cooking Techniques
Bake, broil, boil, or grill
Use nonstick pans
Trim all the visible fat from meats, poultry, and seafood
Thicken sauces with cornstarch instead of flour.ALWAYS READ THE NUTRITION FACTS ON EACH PRODUCT LABEL
