Unhealthy to healthy food makeovers

Have you ever eaten a food that you thought was healthy, only to find out it wasn't?The great news is there are many easy ways to easily transform an “unhealthy food”, into a very healthy food diet. 

Add fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables provide simples ways of adding flavor and nutritional value to dishes otherwise lacking in nutrients. Add fresh or frozen spinach, peas and fresh or canned tomatoes to pasta dishes, for example, then consume a reasonable-sized portion. In doing so, you will consume fewer calories from pasta and more nutrients from fruits and vegetables. You can also add berries, raisins or banana slices to low-fiber cereals. For an even healthier option, choose a high-fiber, whole grain cereal instead of low-fiber varieties, such as puffed rice and corn flakes.

Eliminate or cut back on some ingredients

Eliminate items you generally add out of habit or for appearance, such as frosting, coconut or whipped cream toppings, which are all high in fat and calories.Cut condiments, such as pickles, olives, butter, mayonnaise, syrup, jelly and mustard, which can have large amounts of salt, sugar, fat and calories.If a recipe calls for 1 cup of cheddar cheese, use 1/2 cup instead.

Change cooking techniques

Healthy cooking techniques include braising, broiling, grilling, poaching, sauteing and steaming.Using nonstick pans or spraying pans with nonstick spray will further reduce the amount of fat and calories added to your meals.

Reduce portion size

Train yourself by using smaller plates, spoons and cups. And learn to use common visual cues to understand servings .Take precautions such as splitting a dish with a dining companion, skipping the bread basket, or asking for a doggie bag and packing up half your meal.

Reduce fat,sugar and salt

For baked goods, use half the butter, shortening or oil and replace the other half with unsweetened applesauce, mashed bananaReduce the amount of sugar by one-third to one-half. Instead, add spices such as cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg, or flavorings such as vanilla or almond extract to boost sweetness.You can reduce salt by half in baked goods that don't require yeast too.