Ground meat is a great buy for your money! It's not only high in protein and iron, it's also very versatile in many recipes. However, the fat content of ground meat varies with the type of meat and the cut of meat used. For a lower fat choice, you can substitute ground turkey for ground beef in any recipe. Lean ground turkey breast can be as lean as 99% fat free. The fat content is higher if it's ground with dark meat and skin. When buying ground meat, be sure to check the label for fat content. If you buy ground meat with higher fat content, be sure to cook the meat well and drain any excess fat.
You may also want to look for the new soy-based ground meat products that are very low in fat.

Garlic has gained recent attention for its potential heart health effects. Although the Romans, Greeks, Indians, and the Chinese have used garlic as a medicinal herb since Ancient times, few of the claims made about garlic have been supported by scientific evidence. Can eating garlic be good for your health? The effect is likely insignificant in the amounts we typically use. Large amounts of garlic in an extract or pill form may lack the chemicals that impart potential benefits and may potentially cause stomach irritation and nausea. The best advice is to enjoy the flavour of garlic and use it liberally in your cooking.

There's a group of compounds in plant foods - legumes, vegetables, fruits and whole grains - that may be beneficial to your health. These natural plant chemicals are called phytochemicals. Plants naturally produce phytochemicals to protect themselves against viruses, bacteria, and fungi. As with vitamins and minerals, different plant foods supply different kinds and amounts of phytochemicals. Although their exact role in disease prevention is still unknown, they are suspected to protect against some cancers, heart disease, and other chronic health conditions.

Do you feel guilty eating foods that are high in fat, sugar, or salt? With a few strategies, you no longer need to avoid these foods. Any food can fit into a healthy eating plan if you keep variety, balance and moderation in mind. Try not to eat the same foods all the time - experiment with new foods and new ways of cooking. Balance your food choices over the course of the day with various foods. In meals and snacks, compliment high fat, high sugar, or salty foods with lower ones. Keep portion sizes in check! A little bit of high fat, high sugar, or salty food will not amount to very much in an overall healthful diet.

Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta. Like most pasta, it's relatively low in calories, high in carbohydrate and usually enriched with B vitamins and iron. Three quarters of a cup of cooked orzo provides about 200 calories, 40 grams of carbohydrate, 9 grams protein and less then 1 gram of fat. Because of its small size, orzo is a great starch to use in a salad, soup of stuffing.

Nuts are a good protein source! Although higher in fat than many choices in the Meat and Alternatives Food Group, they add variety to meals and provide a protein option for vegetarians. One third of a cup of nuts can be counted as 1 ounce of meat. In terms of nutritional value, dry and oil roasted nuts have about the same amount of fat and calories - almost 14 fat grams per ounce. Nuts don't absorb much oil when they're roasted. The fat comes from the nuts themselves. Try tossing nuts in salads, vegetarian main dishes or casseroles.

When it comes to frozen desserts, the freezer section of the supermarket offers a variety of choices - ice cream, frozen yogurt, ice milk, and sherbet. But how do they rank nutritionally? Most frozen yogurt has less fat than ice cream. If you prefer the creamy texture and rich flavour of premium ice cream, which contains more fat and calories, you may cut back on fat somewhere else so you can enjoy this treat. Ice milk has a new name: reduced-fat ice cream or low-fat ice cream. The fat content of these reduced-fat versions varies greatly, so check the nutrition label for the whole story. Sherbet is sweetened with fruit juice and water, and it may contain milk, egg white, and gelatin. While is has less fat, it contains more sugar than ice cream. A lower sugar alternative is fruit sorbet (whipped and frozen fruit juice) - a refreshing way of getting your fruit serving on a hot summer day.

Fluid, often an overlooked nutrient, is essential for maintaining the body's functions. It transports nutrients and oxygen to cells and carries waste products away. Most people need 8 to 12 cups of water daily from drinking water, other beverages, and water in solid foods. In moderation, soft drinks can fit with an overall diet. However, avoid replacing more nutritious beverages, such as milk and real juices with sugary soft drinks. Except for water and carbohydrate, soft drinks don't supply significant amounts of nutrients. A 12-ounce can of cola, for example, supplies about 150 calories, but little else.

For variety in your meat selection, try lamb! Lamb may appear fatty because of its whitish brittle fat covering, called the fell. Removing this layer of fat not only reduces calories and saturated fat but also tends to make the flavour of the meat less strong. If you prefer leaner cuts of lamb, choose the leg, loin chop, arm chop, and foreshanks. Other than seasoning with the traditional mint sauce, try using mustard, Jalapeno peppers or soy sauce to add a new dimension to lamb.

If you only eat cottage cheese with fruit, you may be missing out on a great cooking ingredient that is not only delicious but also nutritious. Blend cottage cheese in a food processor with a little milk and you have yourself some mock cream; adjust the amount of milk for desired consistency. Add your favourite seasonings, the mock cream can be used as a dressing for salads, cream sauce for pasta or a dip for fruits and vegetables. Choose lower fat cottage cheese and milk for less fat, cholesterol and calories.

Tortilla is eaten as the main bread in a Mexican diet. It may be made with wheat or corn flour. The amount and type of fat used by different manufacturers may vary, so reading the label is key to finding healthy tortillas. Tortillas are available in various sizes; one large tortilla is equal to 2 servings of bread. If you're watching your fat and calories, use smaller and light tortillas. Also, stay on the light side with low-fat sour cream and naturally fat-free salsa.

Ready-to-eat breakfast cereal is an easy and nutritious staple to keep in your food pantry. It's no longer just for breakfast; try using in cooking and baking. Besides being fortified with vitamins and minerals, you'll also find many high-fiber varieties. The nutritional content of the cereal depends on its composition. Whether buying sweetened or unsweetened cereal, read the nutrition label on the package for the nutrient, fiber and caloric content. Sweetened cereals are no more cavity-causing than unsweetened cereals; both starches and sugars that linger on tooth surfaces can promote cavities. Choose the cereal that matches your taste preferences and cooking needs, and practice good oral hygiene.

Shellfish is extremely low in fat and high in protein. Most types of shellfish are also low in cholesterol with the exception of prawns and shrimps. However, there's no need to worry to much about the cholesterol in your food because it's the cholesterol in your blood that really matters when it comes to prevention of heart disease. The main source of blood cholesterol is dietary saturated fat. Excessive saturated fat in your diet can cause the body to increase its production of cholesterol. Since all shellfish is low in fat it's a healthy choice!

Canned fruit provides the convenience of non-perishable, high quality fruit all year round. When buying canned fruit, check the label for valuable information. You'll find descriptions like packed in its own juice, packed in fruit juice, unsweetened, in light syrup, or in heavy syrup. Fruits packed in juices have less sugar than fruits packed in syrup and hence fewer calories.

Spreads and dips, often served as appetizers, can contribute significantly to your daily nutritional intake if they contain the right ingredients. Choose recipes with a protein source - shellfish, beans, or milk products - as the main ingredient. What you serve with the spread or dip is as important as the ingredients in your recipe. Make it a well-balanced dish by rounding it out with low fat crackers (less than 3 grams of fat per serving), carrot and celery sticks, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, or Belgian endives.

Looking for a variety of lean meat? Try pork - it's much leaner than a decade ago. One serving (3 ounces) of roasted pork tenderloin is only 4.1 grams of fat and 139 calories. Other lean cuts include boneless sirloin chop, boneless top loin chop, and loin roast. The key word to look for on the package is loin. Pork's mild flavour gives it versatility in everyday meals - you can marinate it with sauces, stir-fry with rice or noodles, bake with fruit, broil with potatoes, roast with herbs or grill with vegetables - the possibilities are endless.

Salsa is simply the Spanish word for sauce. Tomato salsa has become a mainstay in today's health conscious cuisine. It consists of mainly tomatoes, onions, cilantro and lime juice - all low fat, low calorie ingredients. Most people use salsa as a topping on nachos, but it also makes a great dip or cooking sauce for seafood and meat. For variety, try salsa of different hotness or salsas made with pineapple, papaya, kiwifruit or mangoes. Mmmmm!

Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating recommends 5 to 10 servings of vegetables and fruit per day. One serving of fruit is 1 medium-sized vegetable or fruit, 1/2 a cup of cooked vegetables or fruit, 1 cup of salad or 1/2 a cup of juice. Use fresh vegetables as a main part of your meal - try dinner salads. To help meet your vitamin and mineral requirements, choose a variety of rich colours when choosing produce.

Cheese is milk in a concentrated form. That's why it's a great source of nutrients: calcium, protein and riboflavin. Like milk, cheese comes in various fat content. To reduce fat and still get plenty of nutrients, look for lower-fat cheese, such as low-fat ricotta or part-skim mozzarella. As a rule of thumb, choose hard cheeses with less than 20% M.F. (milk fat) and cottage cheese with less than 2% M.F. You can save money and fat calories and boost flavour by using small amounts of strong-flavoured cheese - such as Parmesan, sharp cheddar and Swiss Gruyere - rather than large amounts of mild cheese.

Tofu, also known as soybean curd, is a cheese-like curd made from curdled soybean milk and pressed into soft cakes. Tofu is naturally bland in taste and easily takes up the flavour of other ingredients in a dish. This versatile food is sold in several forms: use soft or silken for dressings, dips, shakes, and sauces; medium-soft for puddings, cheesecakes, pie fillings, and salads; and firm or extra firm for grilling, marinating, slicing, stir-frying or in casseroles, soups, and sandwiches. Tofu is a good source of nutrients in any eating style - vegetarian or not. It's high in protein and calcium, especially when fortified with calcium sulfite. (Check the ingredient list to verify so.)

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After 8 to 12 hours without any food, your body needs to refuel. The brain relies on a fresh supply of glucose, an energy source from food, to sustain mental work. Also, the muscles need to replenish their blood glucose supply for physical activity throughout the day. Start your morning with a well-balanced breakfast including carbohydrate, protein and fat. Choose foods from at least three of the four food groups: Grain Products, Vegetables and Fruits, Milk Products, and Meat and Alternatives.

By removing the chicken skin before cooking, you can cut the fat content in half! Under the skin, there's a layer of fat - mostly saturated - that's easier to remove when it's cold. Seasoning skinless chicken with your favorite herbs, spices or sauces allows the flavour to penetrate the flesh during cooking.

Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids. Replacing saturated fatty acids with monounsaturates may help to increase the good cholesterol (HDL) in your blood. Use olive oil in your salads, cooking, and even with breads. No matter what type, olive oils have the same amount of calories. The term "light" refers to the colour or the flavour. Other terms such as "virgin" and "extra virgin" refer to the acid content and not the nutrient value. Extra virgin olive oil is less acidic and fruitier in flavor than "pure" or "virgin" olive oil.

Not all margarines are created equal. Most margarines are made using a process called hydrogenation. This process turns a liquid vegetable oil into a solid fat so that the oil-based product can be spread at room temperature. As a result of the hydrogenation process, a polyunsaturated oil becomes more saturated, and trans-fatty acids are formed. Saturated fat and trans-fatty acids contribute to high-blood cholesterol so they should be limited. When choosing margarine, read the label to identify those that are hydrogenated.

Fish, especially higher fat, cold-water varieties, such as mackerel, albacore tuna, salmon, sardines, and lake trout, is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acid. Although inconclusive, some research suggests that omega-3s may help prevent blood platelets from clotting and sticking to artery walls. As a result, they may help lower the risk for blocked blood vessels and heart attacks. To enjoy the protective effect of omega-3 fatty acids, try to eat fish two or three times a week.