Cut down on fat - not on taste!

Protect your family's heart health by serving foods low in fat and saturated fat.

Latino foods such as beans, vegetables, fruits, rice, and corn tortillas are all part of a healthy diet. Prepare them in a heart-healthy way for you and your family. Help your family to eat less fat and saturated fat.

Buy lower fat foods.

* Skim or 1% milk.

* Low fat or fat free cheeses, sour cream, salad dressing, and mayonnaise.

* Fish and chicken or turkey without the skin. Lean cuts of meat instead of fatty meats.

* Fruits, vegetables, and grains like beans, rice, corn tortillas, and pasta.

Cook with less fat.

* Bake, broil, or boil instead of frying.

* Use a nonstick pan with cooking oil spray.

* Use only a little bit of vegetable oil or margarine instead of lard, shortening, or butter.

* Cook beans and rice without lard, bacon, or other fatty meats. Season the beans with green pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, or cilantro.

Throw the fat away.

* Cut the fat off beef and pork before you cook.

* Remove the skin from the chicken and turkey before you eat.

* Drain the fat from meats after you cook.

* Cool soups and gravies and skim the fat off with a spoon before you reheat them.

You can make changes little by little.

Check how you will try to eat less fat.

* Eat fruit instead of fatty desserts such as flan, ice cream, or cakes.

* Drink skim or 1% milk.

* Buy cheeses marked "low fat" or "fat free."

* Bake, broil, or boil chicken instead of frying it.

* Remove the skin from chicken.

Eat foods low in fat and saturated fat! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Service National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute NIH Publication No. 96-4045 September 1996