We have learnt about soup, meats and fish to eat on a low fat diet in the past a few parts of “healthy living”. Today we are going to talk about how to get the best of poultry and dairy products.
Poultry is low fat, high in protein and is a useful source of B vitamins. Chicken and turkey are excellent sources of animal proteins for low-fat, low-cholesterol content, provided lean poultry is used. The dark meat of poultry is higher in fat content than white meat. Skin should be discarded. Giblets are very high in fat content.
Duck and goose are always considered fatty meat, but if you are on a diet I suggest you use skinless breast fillets, because that will cut down the calorie content of this meal hugely; skinless duck and goose are actually very lean.
As a matter of fact, the fat from chicken and turkey, even though much less quantitatively than that in meat, is best drained off and removed in the same manner as in the preparation and cooking of all meats.
Eggs contain most of the recognised vitamins with the exception of vitamin C and most of the minerals that the human body requires for health. Egg whites, which are proteins, may be eaten and used for cooking as much as desired. But you should avoid egg yolk which contains one of the most concentrated forms of fat available?namely cholesterol.
Milk and dairy products are providers of?calcium, phosphorous, magnesium and protein which are all essential for healthy bone growth and development. One pint or more daily of non-fat or skim milk should be taken. Use fortified milk with added amounts of vitamin A and D, as now commonly in use. Buttermilk is also a refreshing source of milk with an exceedingly low-fat content.
Cheese is a food consisting of proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. The majority of cheeses cannot be used in the low-fat diet, as they are very high in butterfat content.
However, there are several important exceptions. First is cottage cheese made from dry curd and non-fat milk, as specified by federal law. Cottage cheese must contain a minimum amount of butterfat to meet legal requirements.
One of the most frequent pitfalls in the use of cottage cheese is the user’s failure to notice that often she is using or buying creamed cottage cheese, which of course does contain fat. This creamed cottage cheese can be corrected by washing it out with cold water through a strainer.
Various brands of cottage cheese that taste like creamed cottage cheese are available, such as “Slim Cheez” or Ricotta Cheese made from milk whey and a favourite of Italian cooks. Cheese spreads or dips made from non-fat or cottage cheeses are also widely used for low-fat menus.
