"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." There's a lot more to those words than simply pleasing the male palate. Keeping the heart (and body) healthy means cranking your shopping and kitchen know-how up a notch, especially for foods men like and eat most often.
With both Father's Day and National Men's Health Week in June, now's a great time to bring food to the table with men's health in mind.
Reinventing Men's Favorites
Like these foods? Most guys do. Why not reinvent a few for healthier eating?
Eggs and Bacon
Reinvention:
For great scrambled eggs or the perfect omelet (with less fat and cholesterol), substitute egg whites or EggBeaters®. You can cut out all the egg yolks or just some of them. Likewise, you can replace the whole egg or just some of it.
Cook eggs in a nonstick skillet, sprayed with All Natural Butter Flavor PAM® cooking spray. If you need more than spray to flip an omelet or sauté a vegetable filling, add a splash of vegetable oil first. (Tip: Olive oil adds nice flavor to an Italian omelet with tomatoes, mushrooms, oregano, and basil.)
Season eggs with herbs and pepper. Skip the salt, or add just a dash to cut down on sodium. Or enjoy the convenience of EggBeaters, seasoned for you. EggBeaters come in Original, Southwestern, Garden Vegetable, or Cheese & Chive.
Instead of bacon, enjoy sliced, lean Healthy Choice® ham—perhaps Honey Maple Ham or Virginia Brand Ham. The deli counter can cut thick slices. Or look for packaged Deli Thin or Hearty Slices of Healthy Choice ham. Or cook up a side of Healthy Choice Smoked Sausage.
Serve your meal with whole-wheat toast made from Healthy Choice Hearty 100% Whole Grain bread. And go easy on the spread!
Hero Sandwich (aka submarine, poor boy, hoagie, torpedo, Dagwood)
Reinvention:
Build your sandwich on Healthy Choice Hearty 100% Whole Grain bread or a crusty whole-grain roll.
Brush the bread with herbed olive oil, low-fat mayo, or low-fat vinaigrette.
Arrange a layer (3 to 4 ounces) of Healthy Choice lunchmeat. Try Honey Mustard Ham, Mesquite Turkey, Pastrami, or Oven Roasted Chicken Breast. Optional: add an ounce of calcium-rich mozzarella or Swiss cheese.
Add sliced tomatoes, bell peppers, and red onions.
Turn your sandwich into a trendy panini by heating it on the grill. Tuck in basil leaves and fresh oregano for an Italian flavor.
Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
Reinvention:
Pick your favorite meatloaf recipe. Then use lean ground beef, chicken, or turkey for less fat. If the recipe calls for bacon strips on top, arrange sliced strips of Healthy Choice deli ham instead.
Bake potatoes alongside the meatloaf to save time and fuel energy.
Top meatloaf or your baked potato with tomato salsa instead of gravy.
Sundae with Chocolate Syrup and Whipped Cream
Reinvention:
Scoop any flavor of premium Caramel Fudge Brownie is always a favorite). For a bigger appetite, use small scoops of two or three flavors. Figure a half-cup has about 120 to 130 calories.
Top with sliced fruit and a small handful of nuts. (This is a great way to enjoy these good-for-you foods). Optional: Add a few chocolate shavings. The darker the chocolate, the more good-for-you phytonutrients it has.
Top with Reddi-wip® Light whipped cream. Enjoy!
Click here for more cooking tips. You'll also find ways to reinvent steak, burgers, and chicken.
"Driving" Your Shopping Cart
Eating smart actually starts with the shopping cart. As you circle and crisscross the supermarket, slow down! Check out the "landscape." Read the signs. And proceed with caution as you keep these pointers in mind.
Bag some produce. Guys need about 2 cups of fruits and 3 cups of veggies a day. Pick for variety—and what suits him best. Buy cantaloupe to eat with pancakes; bananas for drive time; lettuce, peppers, and tomatoes to layer on sandwiches; grapes to snack on; asparagus, carrots, and zucchini to grill; sweet potatoes to bake as a side for steak or meatloaf; and blueberries to smother on an ice-cream sundae.
Buy lean. For meat-and-potato meals, choose the leanest cuts of meat. For beef, look for loin or round cuts. For pork and lamb, choose loin or leg cuts. "Select" grades of beef have less marbled fat (fat between the muscle), followed by "choice" grades. Those juicy "prime" cuts have the most marbling. And buy well-trimmed meat with no more than 1/8-inch of fat around the cut.
For ground meat, check the numbers. 95 percent or more lean is the leanest choice. Ground round is leaner than ground chuck, followed by regular ground beef.
For great workday sandwiches, buy lean Healthy Choice lunchmeat or deli meats. For hearty weekend breakfasts, keep Healthy Choice Smoked Sausage on hand. Hot dogs on the grill? Buy Healthy Choice franks.
How much to buy? It's not as much as you might think! Most men need just 6 to 7 ounces of meat, or the equivalent, a day.
Stock up. For quick meals or snacks at work or home, put Healthy Choice microwaveable bowls and canned soups in your cart. No-fat and low-fat sauces add easy flavor to cooked meat, poultry, or fish. For salads, buy low-fat or fat-free dressings. Your favorite Healthy Choice pasta sauce gives a jump-start (and a great lycopene source) to a filling meal.
Check the dairy case. Calcium-rich, bone-building dairy foods aren't just for kids and women. Men need the equivalent of 3 daily cups of milk. Choose mostly low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt, and yogurt drinks. Tip: Get enough milk to lighten your morning coffee.
In the egg display, reach for EggBeaters. Made from egg whites only, they pack plenty of protein but no cholesterol or fat. And they have less than half the calories of a whole egg.
Follow your cart to "frozen." Then stock up with good-for-you, convenient versions of your favorite meals. Healthy Choice meals can be microwaved at home or work. You'll find frozen EggBeaters, too. While in the frozen aisle, pick up some Healthy Choice ice cream for a low-fat dessert that tastes like an indulgence.
Go for whole. When choosing bread, pasta, rice, or breakfast cereal, put whole grains in your shopping cart. Try to make half of your grain choices whole. One place to start: Healthy Choice Hearty 100% Whole Grain bread.
Cooking up a Storm
Next stop: your kitchen (indoors or out)! As "chef," you can trim the fat (and saturated fat), yet still deliver on flavor.
Cook lean. Frying adds fat. Instead, cook meat (and more) in low-fat ways.
Bake or roast: Place meat in an uncovered pan. Then cook it in an oven or covered grill. This usually takes longer than direct grilling or broiling. It's great for roasts, whole chicken, fish filets, and cut-up chicken.
Grill or broil: Cook directly over (or under) a hot flame or coals. Tips: Brush with a little sauce or spray with PAM For Grilling oil to keep food from drying out. This works for beef and fish steaks, kebabs, burgers, franks, and chicken breasts.
Microwave: Cook in a covered, microwave-safe container with little or no liquid. Microwave cooking is especially great for vegetables.
Stir-fry: Cook quickly in a skillet over high heat, with just a little oil. Tips: Slice meat and poultry in thin, uniform pieces. Do the same for veggies. Use a nonstick skillet with All Natural Original PAM cooking spray. Marinate meat, poultry, or fish for more flavor. Put meat in the skillet first to make sure it cooks through. Then add the veggies to finish.
Switch fats. Be heart smart. Use oils, tub margarines, and other unsaturated fats more often than butter or stick margarine. Dip bread in a little olive oil. Baste grilled food with herbed oil. Or brush sandwich bread with herbed oil or tub margarine.
Lighten up! You don't need to add butter or oil to water for cooking vegetables, pasta, or rice. If you like buttery flavor, add a smaller amount. But wait until just before serving. To keep pasta or rice from sticking, spray a little PAM into the water before boiling. For tasty and low-fat alternatives to butter and olive oil, use All Natural Butter Flavor PAM and All Natural Olive Oil PAM.
Ease up on dressing. For a typical salad, just two tablespoons will do!
For more ways to "Celebrate the Men in Our Lives," click here.
