166. Try yogurt cheese as a tasty substitute for cream cheese or sour cream. It’s thick,
spreadable, tangy, and fatfree if you make it from nonfat yogurt. To make it, place a fine
meshed strainer or colander over a bowl and line it with one or more coffee filters, a double
thickness of cheesecloth, or three layers of paper towel. Add plain or flavored yogurt (one
containing no fruit, jam, or gelatin) and refrigerate overnight or longer. The longer it drains, the
thicker the cheese will be. Yogurt cheese has only 20 calories per ounce. A pint of yogurt
yields a cup of cheese.
167. To cut calories, start your meals with a lowfat salad. One study found that people who
ate three cups of lowfat salad before lunch ended up eating 12% fewer calories at the entire
meal than those skipping the salad. The key is to avoid highfat dressings and cheese. More good
news: a threecup salad will provide at least three of the nine servings of produce you should
eat daily.
168. Check the label on anything called “drink,” “beverage,” “punch,” “juice blend,” “
ade,” or “juice cocktail.” It is likely to contain little fruit juice—but a lot of water and sugar
(generally corn syrup). Thus your “tropical punch” may contain only 10% juice, or your “cranberry juice cocktail” just 25% juice. Manufacturers must disclose the type and percentage
of juices in a fruit beverage on the labels.
169. Compare “lowfat” or “lowcarb” cookies and cakes carefully: Many contain nearly as
many calories as conventional products.
170. If you’re looking for the most nutritious yogurt, skip the fruit flavored varieties. Most
of these contain fruit jam, which is not a significant source of nutrients, but does add the
equivalent of eight or nine teaspoons of sugar per cup. The jam also takes up space otherwise
filled by yogurt—so jam sweetened varieties contain less calcium, protein, and other nutrients
than plain yogurt or flavors such as vanilla or lemon, which don’t contain jam. The best
option: add fresh fruit to plain yogurt.
171. Be careful when wiping up juices from uncooked poultry, which can contain harmful
bacteria such as salmonella. You don’t need a special “disinfectant” sponge or soap, just
common sense. Sponges can harbor the germs and then spread them counters or dishes, even the
next day. So use one sponge or dishcloth for such spills, another one for washing dishes. At the
very least, wash your sponges with soap and very hot water (or use the dishwasher), and replace
them often. You can use paper towels for cleaning up after handling poultry and meat.
172. Bring cooking water to a boil before adding vegetables. Allowing water to heat up
slowly with the vegetables in it destroys more nutrients.
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