Here are some tricks to eat healthily and progressively change your eating habits.

Egg yolk

• Do not eat more than one or two egg yolks per week. You can eat as many egg whites as you wish; they do not contain cholesterol. Try to reduce the number of egg yolks you use for making pastries. Use two egg whites instead of one whole egg.

Dairy products

• Drink skim milk instead of 2 % or 1 %.
• Restrict your consumption of soft cream cheese and other rich in fat cheeses. An edge of hard cheese can contain as much fat as two teaspoons of butter! Read the back labels and look for cheeses that contain as little fat as possible.
• Use 1 % M.F. cottage cheese and less than 1 % M.F. yoghurt, according to label.
• Try some yoghurt or fat free sour cream on oven baked potatoes instead of butter or margarine. You can also use yoghurt to garnish a fresh fruit dessert cup.

Oils and fat

• Read the labels. Avoid products containing hydrogenated oil. Be wary of labels with the « no cholesterol »mention, or even « low in saturated fat ». Vegetable oils and margarines are high in fat, even if they contain little saturated fat and no cholesterol; be careful with portion sizes.
• On salads, try good oils with lemon juice, squeezed orange segments or vinegar. You can also add fine herbs. Replace part of the oil with juice or low in sodium stock. Use fat free salad dressings.
• When you buy meat, choose lean cuts.
• Try meat substitutes like lentils and beans.
• Avoid eating chicken or turkey skin.
• Eat fish at least two or three times a week. Choose fish like salmon, haddock, tuna or trout.
• If you don’t eat fish, you will still have to intake healthy fats that your body does not produce. Try one or two tablespoons of freshly grinded flax seeds mixed with cereals.

Sugars

• Avoid pastries and desserts like doughnuts, brioches, commercially made muffins, cakes, etc. You must also avoid snacks like chocolate bars, sweet popcorn, candies, etc. They contain a lot of calories and even less healthy ingredients. Opt for fruits; there is a great year long variety.

Food preparation

• Use fat free cooking methods: boil, grill or roast your meat, fish and poultry. Drain as much fat as you can, you can also use grates for cooking.
• Avoid all fried food.
• Use anti-adhesive pans or spray oil for cooking.
• Fat-drain your soups (which is easier to do when they are cold).
• Instead of using butter to add flavor to your food, try lemon juice, salsa or even 1 % (or less) M.F. sour cream or yoghurt. Garlic and ginger are also nice choices.

Restaurant meals

• Don’t hesitate to ask how a meal is prepared. If it is high in fat, ask that they prepare it differently or that some ingredients be changed.
• Choose foods that are steam cooked, roasted, grilled or oven baked. Avoid breaded or fried foods.
• Avoid foods with a cream base. (Ex : sauce)
• Ask for fat free salad dressings.
• Ask that sauces and other garnishes be served separately.

Reducing salt

• Reduce salt addition while cooking.
• Limit salt at the table.
• Choose low sodium products.
• Choose fresh or frozen foods.
• Avoid canned or pre-cooked foods.
• Read the food labels. Check if the word "sodium” appears at the beginning of the ingredient list.
• Use fine herbs.