Goodbye, Cruel Fat! 5 Easy Food Makeovers

Faux Fried Food

The Idea: "When I am yearning for something fried, I dip the food (chicken, fish, zucchini) in bottled fat-free Italian dressing, cover it with bread crumbs and place on a baking sheet coated with PAM cooking spray. I then spray the food and bake at a high heat. It tastes fried but without all the fat."—Kelly Seymour, Dallas, Pennsylvania

The Rating: Good

Katz Says: "I like your oven frying technique. But I think you can improve it. With bottled dressing, you may be adding high-fructose corn syrup and lots of sodium.  Use olive oil and vinegar, or choose a commercial dressing with a short ingredient list, like Newman’s Own. And instead of bread crumbs—which can contain salt, trans fat, even sugar—try crushed KashiTLC Original 7-Grain crackers: They have moderate salt and zero saturated and trans fat."