7 clever ways to make any meal healthier

Eating a healthy diet doesn’t have to involve long lists of hard-to-find ingredients or complex culinary approaches. You can reduce your intake of saturated fat, added sugar, and excess salt by remembering a few simple cooking and meal-prep strategies.

The first step, says Denver dietitian Kaitlin Lindsay, RDN, CNSC, is cooking most of your meals at home. “When you're actually making the food yourself, you're so much more aware of what's going into it,” says Lindsay. “It helps you make better choices.” 

When you’re pulling those dishes together, keep these other tips in mind.

Lean protein is essential in a healthy diet, as are plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. Our bodies rely on protein for optimal function. But not all protein sources are ideal.

Some proteins—like certain cuts of beef, pork, and lamb—are high in saturated fats, which can increase cholesterol levels and raise your risk for heart disease. When choosing proteins, pick lower-fat options, such as lean ground turkey, chicken breast, or top sirloin.

Don’t forget plant-based proteins, like chickpeas and tofu. “Tofu is a great substitute because it takes on the nature of whatever flavors you're cooking it in,” says Lindsay. 

To find the best protein substitutions for any dish, check out the chef’s notes at the top of the recipe or similar recipes. If you find the recipe online, read reader reviews. These firsthand accounts will frequently offer tips for cooking even the leanest cut of meat.

Fried foods are cooked by submerging them in oil, meaning they’re typically high in saturated fat. Preparing these foods in other ways—such as grilling, baking, or sauteing—eliminates the need for most of the oil, helping to support heart health.

For example, instead of deep-frying whole pieces of skin-on chicken, cook skinless breasts and thighs by sautéing them on a stove top in a little olive oil, a good source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. 

Another light cooking option: Coat your meat in a thin layer of olive oil, season it with herbs and spices, and pop it on the grill or in the oven. You can cook your favorite veggies the same way.

To thicken soups, stews, and pasta sauces, it’s common to use heavy cream, which is rich in saturated fat.

Instead, consider substituting pureed silken tofu, a good source of protein that contains almost no saturated fat. Many cooks thicken dishes with a little flour or cornstarch, as well, while others use pureed vegetables. Roasted and blended cauliflower or potatoes are popular picks.

In some veggie-based dishes, like butternut squash soup, you can ditch the cream entirely without using a substitute at all—you may not even notice a difference in flavor or texture. Check out vegetarian- and vegan-friendly blogs for a multitude of delicious veggie purees, plus more swaps for heavy cream.

It’s wise to choose healthy salad toppings like avocado, roasted nuts, and unsweetened dried fruit over croutons, bacon bits, and hunks of cheese. But even some healthier extras tend to be high in calories. Use only a little or give them a chop so you get a bit in every bite of salad. The finer you chop, the better they’ll be distributed throughout your dish, so you can ultimately use less without sacrificing flavor and texture.

Vegetables are key to any healthy diet. In fact, Lindsay suggests eating more non-starchy, nutrient-rich produce than any other food.

"Think about how your plate is divided up,” she says. “The biggest section should be vegetables, which can take up half of your plate.” She recommends rounding out your meal with a serving of healthy carbs, lean protein, and heart-healthy fats, like avocado or olive oil.

You can make almost any meal healthier by tossing in your favorite veggies. Grate zucchini or carrot into your turkey burgers or meatloaf for added vitamin A and potassium, for example. Vitamin A is good for the health of your bones and cell growth, while potassium promotes healthy blood pressure levels.

Or, perhaps swap riced cauliflower in for white or brown rice. To make cauliflower rice, cut a head into chunks and grate it or run it through a food processor for a few pulses until it resembles rice. Then, either use it in a recipe that specifically calls for riced cauliflower or lightly sauté it in olive oil with salt and pepper for about 5 minutes.

Picking up a bottle of salad dressing from the supermarket is convenient, sure. But many storebought products contain multiple additives and preservatives, and are high in fat, sodium, and added sugar. Plus, making your own dressings and marinades is simpler than you might think.

“It's so easy to make a homemade salad dressing with some vinegar or lemon juice and some kind of oil,” says Lindsay. For example, to make a balsamic vinegar, combine the following in a jar and shake thoroughly:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon honey or sugar
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

For variety, give some lesser-known flavors like grapeseed or avocado oil a try. You can marinate your favorite meats and veggies in this mix, too.

Eggs are a quick and healthy source of protein. Their yolks—though rich in iron, vitamins, and antioxidants—contain all of the food’s dietary cholesterol, which might be linked to a higher heart disease risk if you tend to eat more than one egg each day. 

If you’re concerned about this, use egg whites, or combine multiple egg whites with one or two whole eggs when you cook. For example, replace one whole egg with two egg whites or 1/4 cup of egg substitute in your next casserole, soup, cookie, or brownie recipe. Or, mix two egg whites with one whole egg, instead of two whole eggs.