How to cook for a healthy diet

• Print

Instead of giving up our favourite dishes, let’s make them healthier by making small changes to how we cook them. Here’s our 10 ways to adapt recipes to reduce fat, sugar and salt, and increase fibre.  

1. Use less fat 

• Steam, bake grill and boil food instead of frying, deep frying or roasting. 
• If you have to fry, use a good non-stick pan. Try dry frying – minced meat dry fries very well. 
• If food gets dry add a little water instead of oil. 
• Choose healthier fats like olive oil or rapeseed oil instead of butter or coconut oil.  
• Always cook with as little fat or oil as possible – measure it out instead of pouring into the pan. 
• Trim off fat from meat and remove chicken skin before cooking.  

2. Cut down on salt 

• For flavour try pepper, herbs, spices, lemon juice, vinegar or mustard instead of adding salt.  

3. Use less sugar 

• Try reducing the amount of sugar in cake recipes by a third – they will still taste great.  
• Make fruit cakes, fruit scones and tea breads without sugar as the dried fruit gives enough sweetness.     

4. Add more fibre 

• Use brown instead of white rice, pasta and bread for more fibre. This will also help you feel fuller for longer. 
• Use mashed potatoes instead of pastry on top of pies. 
• Scrub instead of peeling potatoes for extra nutrients and fibre. 

5. Make healthier soups and stews 

• Cool broth, stew or soup then skim off any fat on top.  
• Use less meat and add pulses like peas, beans and lentils instead – it adds fibre and reduces fat.  

6. Healthier sauces and dips 

• Swap cream, whole milk and sour cream for low-fat milk or yoghurt. 
• On puddings, swap cream, double cream or Greek yoghurt with low-fat yoghurt or fromage frais.  

7. Smarter cheese choices  

Reduce cheese in savoury dishes by:  

• Using strong cheeses like mature cheddar or blue cheese  
• Using low-fat alternatives 
• Grating cheese instead of slicing it, as you will need less cheese to spread across a dish  
• Replacing cream cheese with low-fat cream cheese. 

8. Swap out mayonnaise 

• Use natural yoghurt instead of mayonnaise in salads and dips. 
• Try vinaigrette dressings instead of creamy ones. 
• For sandwiches, pick either mayonnaise or butter, not both. 

9. Eat more vegetables 

• Use herbs instead of butter to flavour vegetables.  
• Swap some meat in dishes with vegetables and pulses like peas, beans and lentils.  
• Steam or microwave vegetables, cut into large chunks, to keep more nutrients.  

10. Choose leaner meat 

• Remove fat from meat and skin from poultry before cooking. 
• Bake, grill, microwave, roast or poach instead of frying.  
• If roasting, place the meat on a grill rack so the fat drips away. 
• Brown mince and drain away the fat before adding other ingredients.