Cooking light is one of the biggest trends today especially when new years resolutions are still fresh or a wedding or special occasion is on the horizon. Unfortunately, the associations people have with cooking light are bland, tasteless and horrible food. However, this not need be true at all. You can try any of your family’s favorite recipes and make it a healthier alternative by just substituting a few things and having a more open mind.

Thankfully, many staples are now easily available in low fat versions. From reduced fat Oreo cookies and cheddar cheese to milk and bread, you really do have many cooking light choices in several food groups. You can make your kids’ favorite mac n cheese and use skim milk instead of whole Vitamin D milk and use vegetable spread which has no trans fat as opposed to regular butter and you have already saved you and your family a lot of calories.

Dressings are particularly high in all the wrong things so try a low fat mayonnaise or fat free ranch dressing in your sandwiches. Avoid using foods coated in oil, many types of tinned fish are now packed in water rather than oils, this significantly reduces your calorie intake.

Whenever you have a choice, opt for 100% whole grain as the first ingredient in the bread, muffins, rolls, and other such goods like pasta and rice you choose. Do not be fooled for bread that just looks brown; if it has enriched bleach flour as one of the main ingredients, then it is definitely not whole grain. Whole grain breads will not just be higher in fiber and lower in fat, they are also healthier for your heart and are proven to help protect against some diseases too. How’s that for cooking light?

Switch the oil you use when you begin to cook light. Even if olive oil is more expensive, try using a little of it and use no-fat cooking spray instead. If you must use more oil and olive oil is burning a hole in your pocket, try canola instead. It is very price competitive and has lots of health benefits as opposed to corn or vegetable oils.

For baking there are several substitutions you can make. For example avoid sugar and use, instead, a low calorie sweetener. Your baking pans should be lined with a no fat cooking spray.