9 Healthy Eating Principles to Help You Lose Weight
By: Leah Rodrigues
Published: June 29, 2011

I have been reading Cooking Light's Way to Cook and was inspired by the various ways you can eat healthful meals without sacrificing flavor.  This book is not about extreme dieting but rather how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Implement these principles and you will be on the road to weight loss and more importantly, living a better life in no time.
1. Incorporate healthy fats
We want to limit the overall intake of fat in our diet.  However, when we cook or eat fatty foods, they should be good fat.  Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in salmon, nuts, avocados, and olive oil are an essential part a healthy diet.  They help to lower LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke.  We should avoid saturated and trans fats, usually found in processed foods.
2. All foods can be eaten with balance and moderation
A varied diet is a healthy one.  Dubbing certain foods off-limits like butter or cream will only make you want them more.  Use these ingredients sparingly and you won't feel guilty afterward.  There are plenty of recipes that limit the amount of high fat foods but still retain the essential flavors of the dish.
3. Expand your culinary horizons and go global
With the availability of a myriad of ethnic ingredients, there are many ways to add flavor with minimal effort and little fat.  Keep your pantry stocked with ingredients like garlic ginger, fish sauce, chipotle chiles, spices, and herbs.
4. Quality Matters
Quality ingredients with have a stronger and  better flavor.  Splurging on a bottle of aged balsamic vinegar will reward you with the feeling of being satisfied.
5. Use Heat
Toasting spices and nuts or browning meat heightens the ingredients natural flavor.  Using this technique will maximize the flavor of the overall dish.
6. Balance ingredients
Limit the amount of fat in recipes.  When there is less fat coating the tongue, you will be able to taste flavors more intensely.  You can compensate for the loss of fat with other ingredients such as citrus juice, honey, maple syrup, and others.
7. Go reduced fat not fat-free
The flavor and texture of fat-free products are usually unpleasing to the palate.  Moreover, they usually contain additives and preservatives.  You are better of using a small amount of full fat or reduced-fat products.
8. Take some help from convenience products
Everybody is busy and sometimes healthy eating takes a backseat.  Choose pantry items that will help you to prepare dinner.  Canned beans and corn or bagged salad are great options.  You can embellish these products with herbs and citrus to  freshen their taste.
9. Add healthful ingredients to your favorite foods
Substitute whole wheat flour in your pancakes or add wheat germ to your pancakes.  By doing this, you are adding some nutrition to dishes that otherwise wouldn't have any.