For readers of this newsletter who are attempting to lower the fat content of their diet, here are some tips which, if you are exercising regularly, may be all the adjustments you need to make to your snacking and cooking routines.

FOR SNACKING

• Instead of potato chips -- eat corn chips
• Instead of corn chips--eat low fat corn chips
• Instead of whole milk--drink low fat milk
• Instead of carrot cake--chose angel food cake with fruit topping
• Instead of butter on toast--choose a fruit sweetened preserve or jelly
• Instead of roast beef--choose roast turkey
• Use low fat sour cream, yogurt, cream cheese and mayonnaise
• Alternate alcoholic drinks with sparkling water
• If you eat fat and sugar-laden snacks, alternate them with fruit or high protein, low fat cheese and crackers
• If you eat chocolate, substitute gummy bears, life savers and candy corn.
• On second thought, enjoy the chocolate.

FOR COOKING

1.Bouillon granules can be added to water as a substitute for broth. They are lower in fat and sodium than most canned broth or broth cubes.

Freeze dissolved bouillon in an ice cube tray. Use the cubes as a liquid for sautéing instead of oil or butter.

2.Canned goods: look for fruits packed in their own unsweetened juices. Use water-packed tuna.

3.Cheese: low fat cottage cheese can be used in place of ricotta in most cases, and is a good substitute for sour cream on a baked potato.

4.Sour cream: if you can't find non fat or low fat sour cream you can make an imitation sour cream by mixing cottage cheese with a little skim milk or yogurt then blending it, until smooth, in a processor.

5.Cornstarch: can be used instead of cream, butter or flour to thicken a sauce. Use half as much cornstarch as you would flour.

6.Eggs: all of the fat is in the egg yolk, so when possible substitute two egg whites for each whole egg in a recipe.

7.Whipping cream: chilled skim evaporated milk will fluff up as quickly as the high fat cream you buy to make whipped cream. The downside: it must be used right away or it gets very watery.

8.Use vegetable cooking spray instead of butter or oil to sauté or fry. Use it to coat baking sheets, casseroles, or muffin tins.

9.Trim away all visible fat and skin from poultry and cuts of meat.

10.Defat soups, stews, and gravies by making them ahead of serving time, and chilling until fat congeals. Lift fat off the top.

11.Use a fat-separator measuring cup to make sauces and gravies. The cup's spout pours from the bottom of the container, leaving the oil on the top.

12.Cook with nonstick cookware to eliminate the need for greasing or oiling pans.

13.When cooking meats in a skillet, tip the pan to allow the fat to drain to one side. Spoon out the liquid fat as it collects.

14. Butter: Use a product like "I Can't Believe It's Butter" spray on mashed potatoes and other vegetables to get a butter-like flavor without the 100 percent fat calories in "the real thing."