By making small changes to the way you prepare and cook your favorite meals and by adjusting your portion sizes, you can still enjoy the taste of the Caribbean while living a healthy lifestyle.
Here are some tips for healthier Caribbean cooking!
Keep fat to a minimum.
Choose lean meats and reduced-fat dairy products. Limit processed foods. Healthy fats include nuts, seeds, fish, soy, olive and avocado oil.
Use smaller portions of meat and include extra vegetables and beans in your meals.
A healthier diet begins in the supermarket.
Choose lean meats and skinless chicken breast.
Whenever possible, choose the reduced or low-fat version of foods such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and salad dressings.
Limit consumption of fast foods, chips, processed meats, and desserts.
Low fat-cooking.
Limit saturated fats, such as butter, lard, shortening, palm oil, and coconut oil.
Choose lean meat, fresh fish, skinless poultry, and low-fat milk products.
Some low-fat cooking methods include baking, broiling, barbecuing, roasting, and air-frying.
Cutting down on salt.
Salt is a common flavor enhancer, but a high salt diet can lead to high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
Read your labels carefully, be cautious of added salts and sugars.
Choose fresh or frozen vegetables, as canned vegetables tend to be packaged with salt. Choose reduced salt bread and breakfast cereals.
Avoid salt-laden processed foods, such as flavored instant pasta or noodles, canned or dehydrated soup mixes, chips and salted nuts.
Sources:
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating
