Bear in mind that you'll find people with deeply held convictions that say "A is BAD!" and "B is GOOD!" even though ten years ago the opposite position was held with equal fervor. That's not because of some diabolical conspiracy, but just that knowledge evolves over time. I grew up in the fifties, and Health class would cover nutrition by saying, "You MUST have three servings of meat or dairy a day" or other such bilge that would (and should) be considered grossly erroneous today.

Take margarine, for instance. Most margarines are made by hydrogenating vegetable oils--that is, chemically altering a liquid so that it remains solid at room temperature. In so doing some bad actors called 'trans-fats' are created, which are probably much worse for you than butter.

If you want to limit your butter intake, here's something I have used (it's from Laurel's Kitchen, called 'Better Butter'. Basically, it's butter and vegetable oil mixed 50/50 with a few other ingredients. It stays soft in the fridge so when you spread it you use less, but you still have a good butter flavor. So you can get some good flavor while cutting down somewhat on butter, and not worrying about weird byproducts that show up in some margarine. (By the way, margarine is generally a terrible fat to cook with. Use butter or oil or a combination of the two.)

Better-Butter
1 cup safflower, corn, or soy oil (or light olive oil, canola oil, or other light oils)
1 cup butter, soft but not melted
2 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. dried skim milk
1/4 tsp. lecithin
1/2 tsp. salt

Dissolve salt in water in blender. Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into containers and store in fridge
From: Laurel's Kitchen by Laurel Robertson

You can get liquid lecithin at a health food store.

I'll make up a few jars of this stuff using different oils; they stay good for a long time in the fridge or freezer. A flavorless oil like canola or safflower works fine for general use, but I'll also make up a jar or two using olive oil--that's great for sauteing stuff or as a basis for a garlic spread for garlic bread.

This reminds me of a joke I think I read in Reader's Digest:

A married couple was doing the marketing together. The wife was an oncologist, and the husband a cardiologist. When they got to the butter aisle, they looked at the butter and margarine, trying to make a choice. The husband looked at the wife and said, "Heart attack, or cancer?"

Well, it went something like that... I didn't tell it right.

I have switched to fat free organic milk (no Bovine growth hormone for me, thank you) and it is just fine. I've also used non fat milk powder in some things (but prices have shot up on that) with no ill effects. I was raised on whole milk and graduall went down to two, then, one percent, and now skim is fine.

I use unsalted butter for baking (not that I bake anymore... well not much anyway, for me, health means to stop making the things I enjoy). I use Promise spread for spreading on things. It's cardiologist endorsed. I don't use it for health reasons, just because it's easier to spread/work with than butter. I've used Smart Balance as well, but didn't like its spreadability.

Lots of people will say to just use "regular" stuff, but to do so in moderation.

I first heard of The Ojai Cook "Lemonaise Light" on the Martha Stewart Show a couple years back when she was focusing on healthy eating. It's the only "lite" product I have in my home, and I hate being without it. It's my favorite sandwich spread, and I sometimes have it with broiled or baked fish and use it to make chicken salad.

It has no preservatives, is dairy free, and all of the ingredients are things I recognize and can pronounce. It's not available in the supermarket chains in my area, but a couple of specialty markets nearby carry it. I don't know if you can order it online.

I've learned to not salt anything until it's served, I use much less salt than I do when I salt it while cooking and I use a lot more pepper than I used to and actually like it better.

I always drink skim milk and most of the time I have eggs from my own chickens. Studies have shown that farm raised chickens lay eggs with about half as much saturated fat as the regular grocery store eggs. I raise my own grassfed beef of course, but I eat a lot more fish and have started using beef as a side dish and vegetables as my main staple food. Grassfed beef, however, is nearly as lean as venison, if you can find some.

I bake all my own bread, mostly with whole grains and little or no fat. In addition, I can slice it thinly and get fewer calories.

I'm not eating margarine on bread, ever, I'd rather skip it entirely. I use half as much butter as I used to and will have toast with just peanut butter or homemade jam. I do use margarine in some baking. Truthfully, I've found that a lot of oil can be cut out by using apple sauce or pumpkin, even the pureed plums.

I agree, the low fat cheese isn't bad, and I regularly use the low fat cream cheese and sour cream too. I make my own yogurt out of skim milk and use that in baking in place of sour cream. I also use it in homemade salad dressings instead of sour cream.

Turkey sausage isn't bad if it's made well, but if you just get nice lean pork, trimmed well, and grind it in the food processor you can add your own seasonings and have great sausage with even lower fat. Did you know that a lot of the turkey sausage and ground turkey contains the skin and fat and is higher in fat than lean pork sausage?

Oh, and I actually LIKE veggie burgers, although I don't expect them to taste like beef. As long as I know they are veggie burgers I like the flavor, LOL. Mustard and horseradish are virtually fat free too, so I use those copiously.

Watch for saturated fat hidden in crackers, salad dressings, sauces. I've become a whole lot better at reading labels, it's not just fat but the sodium level in some of that stuff is astounding.

Good luck, it's just a matter of adjusting and making sure you know what's in your food before you put it in your mouth!

Annie

Chicken, fish, veggies, fruits, & grains. The trick is learning how to cook some of them with low fat/low cal flavor. Fresh or dried herbs, balsamic vinegar & chicken or veggie stock go a long way. And don't forget the garlic. Fresh or roasted - yum. I roast 5 or 6 heads of garlic at a time, then squeeze the cloves out onto a sheet pan and freeze. When frozen, I dump them into a ziplock and keep in the freezer. Tomatoes are fabulous roasted too. I have a batch in the oven right now. Plum tomatoes, cut the end off and then cut in half lengthwise. Drizzle with a little olive oil and a dash of balsamic. Cook in a 350 degree oven for about an hour. They are heavenly.

I use olive oil -extra virgin- for many things instead of butter. Also, I sub soy milk for eggs in things like pancakes and muffins and use non fat yoghurt instead of milk.
I'll add oil too but the cholesterol is mostly removed. I actually make a multigrain pancake this way that is better than my regular high fat, dairy, egg pancakes! They are light and fluffy.
I also like non fat sour cream and fat free cream cheese.
No they are not as good but the biggest thing you can do is train your taste buds!
It can be done, I've done it gradually for many food items and feel better for it.

We've started using extra-virgin olive oil instead of butter on bread. It is not the same as using butter (a horse of a different color) but quite satisfying and we use a whole lot less than when we used butter. My husband likes it plain or with a little garlic powder. I like to use a few grains of sea salt with it.

For years I've been using the Better Butter spread that Arley mentioned. I liked that it was made with real ingredients, not a bunch of chemicals & additives. Also, it's got a wonderful spreadable consistency. However, last year I started experimenting with making a lower calorie and lower salt version. I wrote about my experience on my blog that's listed below.

Right now I'm experimenting with a way to lower the calories and salt content of salad dressings. So far I've used Sure-Jell Pectin (used in jams/jellies), Xantham gum (used in gluten free baking), and just today Clear Gel (from King Arthur Flour). All three have worked out well but the Clear Gel has no noticeable flavor and may be the winner. I've been substituting 1/4 cup water mixed with one of those natural thickeners for an equal amount of oil. The salad dressing flavor stays the same and so does the viscosity. A few more test runs and I should have a winning formula for making good homemade low calorie salad dressings.

Here is a link that might be useful: Even Better Butter Spread

Isn't a simple vinaigrette a lot easier? Good quality olive oil and wine vinegar. I think cutting down on portion size is a lot easier and healthier than trying to come up with substitutes.

Try the uncooked Jimmy Dean light sausage. The pre-cooked stuff is never as good. But how much breakfast sausage do you eat? We cook breakfast meats like sausage or bacon maybe once a week, or less (weekend breakfast), and buy the real stuff. If you just serve the sausage less often, you accomplish the same effect: to lessen the calories, fat and sodium. Just don't have it as often.

Watch out for prepared fake foods, especially low cal or light items... these are loaded with fake ingredients, and use a lot of sugar to cover for the fats used.

Jim likes the Smart Balance margarine on his morning bread, but I think it's waxy. I will use the Brummel and Brown light margarine on bread sometimes, and it's okay. But we use unsalted butter for the most part. And a lot of good olive oil.

I agree about the salad dressings. I can't see using thickeners in the first place. Just olive oil and vinegar and whatever herbs/flavors you like. The light mayo is okay for sandwiches, but you cannot thin it with lemon juice for a sauce, so I use a fair amount of real Best Foods.

Good luck----- it's hard to change the way we cook, isn't it?

I only fry anything about once every two weeks, and use Smart Balance oil. It's a combo of canola, soy, and olive oils. Light, absolutely no taste. An older, very health-conscious friend has been making her own "better butter" for decades. simply equal parts butter and the lightest olive oil she can find. I honestly cannot taste any difference!

Oh, and have you tried the old faithful "cornflake chicken" trick on oven baked fish? Mustard for the glue, and panko crumbs with some herbs and paprika for the crust. Yummy! Bake at 400-450 for just a few minutes.

There are some healthier versions of foods that are actually better than the originals. We discovered by mistake that Reduced-Fat Wheat Thins taste better than the regular ones.

That's the only one I can think of. But I'm sure other people will suggest some.

I'm in the butter-or-nothing camp. If you eat real food and not prepackaged stuff or fast food, cooking from basic ingredients, you avoid a lot of sugar and fat. The you can bake with it.

Like someone else here said, I used full fat milk for years and could not drink skim. I gradually went down on the fat percentages and now drink skim and cannot stand full fat milk.

I use fat free cream cheese and it's a wonderful base for dips too. In many instances I use fat free sour cream. You just have to test to see where you can use it and where you cant. Unfortunately I can't stand low fat mayo.

I use artificial sweeteners, almost never using sugar for any reason.

A dietician put me on to Olivio instead of butter. It's spreadable and made from olive oil. I use it on my toast and as seasoning in my veggies.

Almost never do I eat prepackaged foods. One time my daughter opened my refrigerator and said it looked like the produce counter at the supermarket.

Of course I do have my vices such as lots of cheeses.

Hope this helps and you have lots of luck getting the cholesterol down. I have to take meds for mine because it's mainly inherited.

No packaged foods, no cake mix, no bottled salad dressing, no frozen dinners, no chicken nuggets, no bottled spaghetti sauce, no canned soup.
And no fast food, no French fries, no Big Mac, n o onion rings, no Olive garden pasta plate. Out side of flying through the drive up at the Oasis when I am deiving to chicago.....and when I eat out I usually order the small sirloin and a side ofs teamed veggies with aw edge of lemon....actually I ask for 2w edges.
Not suire it's particularly low fat....but definitly tastes better.
Linda C

I have alot of lowfat favorites...some i really like Skinny Cow Milk,Skinny Cow Ice Creams,Land O'Lakes light butter (in a oval container w/green top),Trader Joes Fat Free Balsamic Vinegarette and LaTortilla Company sandwich wraps(very high in fiber,great taste low fat 100 calories and there big!)

Ah yes, and then there are those of use who don't like viniagrette. So, no olive oil and vinegar for me, that's why I make a "creamy" dressing with homemade no fat yogurt!

Annie

linda_c, No packaged foods, no cake mix, no bottled salad dressing, no frozen dinners, no chicken nuggets, no bottled spaghetti sauce, no canned soup.
And no fast food, no French fries, no Big Mac, n o onion rings, no Olive garden pasta plate.

I'm proud to say I don't eat a single one of these things on your list and haven't for years. Well, every now and then fast food but not often.

That's what is a bit frustrating for me. I truly believe that we eat very healthfully, so it annoys me that we both are creeping up in those bad numbers. I do have genetics on the wrong side though, and we aren't sure if DH does or not.

You all have some good suggestions here though that I will try. So far I can't do most fat-free, but am okay with reduced fat. I just bought fat-free cream cheese and think it tastes awful. I like reduced fat though. So ... I'll keep experimenting with which ones work for us and which don't.

Annie, we usually buy a half-a-side of beef from the Angus farmer down the road. It's due to arrive any day now and I'm thinking "hmmm, maybe this'll last longer than before as we will be eating less". DH is a bow hunter so we have venison and elk. He also fishes so we have walleye and northerns. We eat a lot of chicken already. We are adding more fish to our diet though.

Cheese, it's all about the cheese. That's the hardest one for me to cut back on but .... gotta do it. Just cut back, not cut out.

Thanks for the ideas everyone.

Ann_F

Good luck on that cheese thing, Ann. I'm not a big consumer of cheese, mostly I can take it or leave it. Elery, though, goes through a LOT of cheese and I don't think he could imagine life without it. LOL And he doesn't like lowfat cheese either.....

Annie

I also use the Land O' Lakes light butter with added canola oil - mainly because it is soft and easy to spread so I use less of it than if I were trying to spread butter still cold from the fridge. I use milk only with cereal and a little on oatmeal. Hardly ever fry, just saute in a bit of olive oil.

It's the bread and cheese that get me into trouble.

Ann_F --- try the Cabot brand reduced fat cheeses. They are very good --- much better than other 'light' cheeses, at least their cheddar is. I prefer the 50% reduced fat but they also have a 75% reduced fat white cheddar. Cabot light sour cream is also delicious; I prefer it to other companies' full fat sour cream (it's more flavorful). Trader joes also has a pretty good fat free feta. If fat & calories are my main concern, I'll eat goat cheese, since many are naturally lower in calories and fat than american hard cheeses.

For lighter butter, my favorite is Balade. Unfortunately it is sometimes hard to find (i usually get it at trader joe's). It is a belgian light butter, and I think it tastes much much better than U.S. versions; seems to be a blend of butter and water. I try to avoid trans fats (DH has had high blood pressure since he was a teenager and his father recently had a heart attack so we've become very conscious). But land o lakes makes a light butter spread that is pretty good and trans fat free(but not as good as Balade). I still use regular butter for baking, unless it's a recipe like carrot cake or some chocolate cakes that use oil instead.

I would recommend cook's illustrated 'the best light recipe' as a good source for recipes, and that cookbook also includes helpful reviews of 'light' products that they taste tested. I have enjoyed every recipe that I have tried so far; their theory was that if the 'light' result didn't meet their taste criteria, it wasn't worth it. I particularly love their light carrot cake recipe; it's better than any full fat carrot cake that I've tried. Eating well and cooking light also are good recipe sources, and I think eating well has a cookbook specifically geared at heart healthy concerns, so it may be good for HBP and cholesterol.

We are gradually increasing our whole grain consumption. I love bread and rice and will never give up my carbs. But I've found some wheat tortillas that we like (trial and error; some 'low carb' brands taste like cardboard or have a strange chemical aftertaste). And I am trying more recipes that use a mix of regular and wheat or white-wheat flour. It can get prohibitively expensive to try a slew of products (b/c if I don't like it I will not eat it); so I try to limit the # of things I'll experiment on a given grocery trip.

Good luck. It takes a while, but I think the changes are worth it.

Ann, I think you have the right idea, just cut back, not out. I only eat regular butter, and rather a lot of it. My cholesterol is very good for someone so heavy. Smiles. I have other issues that I address by eating as healthy as I can and to me that means, as natural as I can. I'm also not a big meat eater and love whole grains of all types, so I think that really does help cholesterol. I too like the lowfat cream cheese, prefer it even, and many lowfat sour creams and cheeses are good.

I don't like olive oil and don't really like oil on my salads but do like them with plenty of fresh lemon juice. Lemon juice helps cut out/down salt on veggies too.

It also helps me to have something really delicious and lowfat, low sodium around to snack on. I often have a great veggie soup around and can have a cup that satisfies, fills and is good for you anytime.

About fat-free sour cream.... The only brand I like is the Truly Yours (I think that's the name) in the cow-spot container. All other brands were not worth using at all, but this one is very good.

Ann_F :
I have the same problems. I cut back on certain things , like Ice Cream.
I have it a couple times a week. Instead of maybe 5 times.
I eat what ever I want now but in moderation.

There are so many bad things they told us thru the years, that have been reversed,
that I don't listen to them anymore.

They probably do all this to get Grants for Studies.

The doctor prescribed medication for Cholesterol.
When I returned to him after blood tests, he said ,
" I see the medication is working "
I told him I wasn't taking it, I just watched my diet,
" a little." and exercised.

The Lite things that really work are , the Alluminum Frying pan,
Instead of the Heavy Cast Iron mammy fletcher.
And the 5lb. bags of flour instead of the 10lb. bags.
Also the 2 lb. bags of Potatoes , instead of the 10 Lb.
bags, Etc., etc., etc.

Lou
PS; Am I in trouble again ?????

Prairie Love has it about right for me, CHEESE, it's all about cheese. I like everything lowfat but I cannot imagine life without cheese. And lowfat cheese is kind of an oxymoron. I actually prefer neufatchel and lowfat sour cream, and 1% milk. But I cannot abide by the NO-FAT kinds, and the "lowfat" are only low in fat compared to the originals, which are almost PURE FAT. So lowfat sour cream, cheese and milk are not low fat compared to vegetables and fruits and whole grains. I like all of those things. With cheese . . .

That said, non-fat feta is tolerable to add color, muenster cheese is a relatively lowfat kind I like for sandwiches, and Cabot Lodge low fat cheeses are good.

I don't have much of a problem with butter--I only use it when I bake things that I know are bad for me. Otherwise I use a reduced fat spread and like it because of it's spreadability. I use Land o' Lakes. It has some butter in it. I should make the better butter, as the commercial butter mixes have a bunch of chemicals in them.

I love olive oil for cooking, since I do mostly mediterranean.

I am fine with cutting down on egg yolks. I don't buy the packaged egg replacement--it is just egg whites with coloring and flavorings. Some people can't abide by throwing out "good" yolks though. I remember hearing Dr. Pritkin on TV once saying people should think of the yolks as the "inedible" part of the egg. I eat a few a week though, I don't have serious cholesterol issues or a big enough jones for eggs that it is a problem to eat them in moderation.

Hi all!! I just rejoined after years of being away - life got too hectic and I just wasn't able to spend much time on-line. Not that I have more time now, but I've missed cooking and talking about cooking, so decided to return!

Anyway - hubby has high blood pressure, I have cholesteral issues, and we both needed to lose some weight, so I changed a lot about how I used to cook and have really improved on our health.

Everyone has their own taste, however, and what works for one might not work for another. Case in point - I switched to Smart Balance and absolutely love it! I initially switched from using butter to Promise spread. It was the only "margerine" I ever used that I could tolerate. However, I find I like the Smart Balance even better. I use the light. I never use butter anymore except at Christmas, when I go all out. We only have those things once a year, so I figure it won't kill us. I have basically switched to using EVOO exclusively unless I stirfry, and then I use canola. I never fry anything, other than stirfrying, and even then, I try to use much less oil than most recipes call for. I substitute chicken stock for a lot of the oil in recipes as well - I use a combination of EVOO and chicken stock when I make my shrimp scampi now where I used to use mostly butter. I find my tastes have changed and I really like the "lighter" flavor. When I eat anything really oily now I actually get queasy from it. I just can't tolerate that amount of fat. It's unfortunate as well because I could make a meal out of a good loaf of bread, dipping it in EVOO with fresh ground pepper and sea salt, maybe a little parmesan grated in, however, I simply can't tolerate eating that much oil anymore.

I've started using a new, Greek yogurt called Fageh - I might have the spelling wrong on that! Anyway, the 0% fat free is thick and rich and you would not believe it's fat free. I mainly eat it as a "dessert" now, drizzled with a little honey, but I've used it in place of sour cream and I recently used a third light mayo - again, I just started using Smart Balance, omega 3 or something like that, or I use Cain's light - and the rest this yogurt, to make chicken salad and it was fine. I'm not sure how the yogurt would be in tuna salad, however - haven't tried it yet.

I've also tried to get away from using prepackaged food, altho I admit I still use some things, like rice pilaf mix, my son loves those noode-roni side dishes - things like that. My problem is finding the time with working full time to make everything from scratch. I've greatly reduced the amount of beef we eat, upped the fish (we always used chicken as our main meat source) and I've increased the amount of salad we eat, as well as vegetables. As I said, I'm trying to incorporate more whole grains, and I want to start making my own starch side dishes instead of relying on packaged ones.

I don't really keep any sweets in the house and other than bread now and then, don't really bake much so making those things lighter hasn't been a focus for me.

We switched to turkey bacon simply because I stopped eating pork. It doesn't taste as greasy to me, but I really don't know the actually fat content comparisons between the turkey and regular. I stick to turkey or roast beef for cold cuts, so those haven't been an issue.

Like many others here, my one weakness is cheese. I LOVE cheese!!! I gave up eating meat altogether for close to 3 years and I lived on cheese during that time. I've tried some lowfats that are good and others that were horrid. I've basically just cut way, way back on the amount I eat and use it more as a treat now and then. It's the one part of eating light and reducing fat that I really miss.

Really, the only way to control fat/salt, etc., is to cook from scratch. And I'm no doctor and am not advising people to not bother, but my husband's doctor told him that salt and high blood pressure is greatly overblown. Of course, he takes medication, other people might not, but the doctor told hubby that as long as he takes his meds, not to worry about salt. I don't use much salt in cooking to begin with, and since I don't use all that much prepackaged food, salt hasn't been a big issue. I realize it is touchy for some people tho, but if you're on medication for high blood pressure anyway, I don't think it's as big an issue as making other changes, such as lowering fat and hence, losing weight.

Anyway - glad to be back, am enjoying reading everyone's posts already, and hope I can contribute some cooking tips of my own!

Lisa