That's Fit

How long does it take McDonald's to make a hamburger? My guess is around 30 or 40 seconds. How long does it take to make a healthy meal at home? Much longer, right? Not quite, says Keri Glassman, registered dietitian and part of the Women's Health magazine team. Glassman suggests the following ten easy food flips to help you prepare healthier meals in a jiffy.

1. SWAP THE MAYO (or the sour cream). Instead use nonfat Greek yogurt as a much healthier, low-fat substitution. In addition to being much lighter in the calorie department, nonfat Greek yogurt is high in protein, calcium, and also contains digestion-aiding probiotics.

2. PUREE. Freeze your favorite fruits and vegetables and then days or even months later you can puree them in large batches. In a matter of seconds you can have a healthy and tasty snack. For kids, Glassman suggests purchasing the containers that ice cream manufacturers usually use to make push-pops and filling it with a fruit puree.

3. INCREASE VOLUME. Make your meals bigger without adding any calories. Trust me, it's easier than it sounds. For some easy ways to do this, click here.

4. GO FOR CHICKEN STOCK. Using the low-sodium version, add chicken stock to mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower instead of butter or cream. You can also use chicken stock when you steam vegetables for added flavor rather than using butter or oil.

5. CONDIMENTS. Steer clear of those high in fat and sugar and instead opt for herbs, spices, and even low-sodium soy sauce, lemon juice, brown mustard, vinegars, and salsa.

6. INDULGE IN YOUR CRAVING. Have a favorite restaurant food? If so, take a moment and think about how you can go about making your own healthy, at-home version. And for the record, you don't need to sacrifice flavor. There are many ways to swap calorie-laden culprit for those that are much lesser offenders.

7. PREPARE. Set aside some prep time right after you get home from the grocery store. Before things magically get lost in the back of the cabinet or buried under a pile of frost in the freezer, take stock of what you have and then get to work on some meals.

8. 1,2,3 DONE! Having ready-to-eat meals and on-hand ingredients in your home can help make food prep much easier, says Glassman. Rarely will you find yourself standing in the middle of the kitchen like a stranger in an unknown town, wondering "What am I going to make for dinner?", if you are well prepared.

9. WATER. No, not those so-called sports waters that have too much sugar and calories in them. No, we're talking about plain ol' H20. Proper hydration is essential to life, so don't be fooled into thinking you need all these fancy fruit waters to be healthy. But, if water is a bit too boring for you, try adding lemon slices or even raspberries to a large jug of ice water and keep it cool in your fridge. The natural fruit will add the hint of flavor you may be looking for.

10. SNACK. Those 100-calorie snack-packs are not the answer! They offer almost no nutritional value, so essentially what you're eating is just 100 calories worth of garbage. Plus, because they are usually high in sugar, your blood glucose levels will rise after eating them, only to then fall shortly thereafter. This, in turn, will leave you feeling somewhat sluggish and hungry again. Then what usually happens? Yup -- bag numbers two and three get ripped open, and now 100 calories has become 300!! Instead, take the time to prepare healthy snacks. Think fruits and vegetables with natural peanut butter, think low-fat cottage cheese. And, don't forget that portioned leftovers often make great snacks, as well.