I get a lot of questions about recipes since people know that I create monthly menu programs.
"Debbie, is this recipe good for me or not really?"
"Hey Deb, would you eat this? Is there too much fat?"
"I adore cheese, can you look this recipe over and tell me if I am allowed to eat it?"
I love to help. As consumers we need to be smarter than manufacturers.
Here are 6 tips to keep in mind when deciding if you should cook a recipe you found on Pinterest:
1. Study nutrition labels!
Take the total carbohydrates. Subtract fiber and protein. This number should be 10 or less.
The fat content should be less than 15.
Aim for sodium that’s 200 or less.
Can you pronounce the ingredients?
2. Remember the dangers of dairy! Avoid cheeses and butter and yogurt and regular creams and cream of ___ soups.
3. Sugar is terrible. Sugars can be hiding in recipes (for example, dried fruits, fruit juices, granola, muffins, pastas, bagels, sauces and drinks) and avoid sugar additions (often the added sugar can be completely eliminated or can be substituted with a reduced amount of Swerve or 100% pure organic stevia).
4. Avoid unhealthy oils (vegetable, soybean, canola, corn, safflower, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut) and margarines and fake butters.
5. Flours can cause fat STORAGE. I only like almond, coconut, and some newer options like sweet potato, etc. Using white flour or whole wheat flour is a no.
6. Keep it REAL. A recipe’s ingredients should include real food. Limit processed, refined, boxed foods.
Spices are a genius way to add flavor without unwanted calories.
I am pretty skeptical when I see food that claim to be "healthy" as too often they are anything but. That's why I spend HOURS putting together 4-week menus of fat-loss friendly recipes (that don't taste like cardboard).
What do you look for when checking out recipes?