RECIPES

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Nutrition Guidelines

EatingWell Nutrition and Recipe Guidelines

A guide to the Health, Diet and Cooking Considerations used in developing and categorizing our recipes.

Diabetes Appropriate

• With carbohydrate servings and/or diabetic exchanges provided, a recipe may be considered diabetes appropriate as part of a daily meal plan.
• See our Diabetic Diet Recipe Collection
  

Healthy Weight

• Main dishes have 350 calories or less, 20 grams or less total fat and 5 grams or less saturated fat per serving.
  
• Soups, salads and side dishes have 250 calories or less, 10 grams or less total fat and 5 grams or less saturated fat per serving.
  
• Muffins, breads and desserts have 230 calories or less, 10 grams or less total fat, 5 grams or less saturated fat per serving.
• See our Healthy Diet Recipe Collection
  

Heart Healthy

• Main dishes have 5 grams or less saturated fat per serving.
  
• All other recipes have 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving.
• See our Heart Healthy Diet Recipe Collection
  

High Calcium

• Recipe provides 150 milligrams or more of calcium per serving.
  

High Fiber

• Recipe has 5 grams or more of fiber per serving.
• See our Healthy High-Fiber Recipe Collection
  

High Potassium

• Recipe provides 525 milligrams or more of potassium per serving.
  

Low Calorie

• Main dishes have 350 calories or less per serving.
  
• Sauces and dressings have 40 calories or less per serving when the serving size is 2 tablespoons or less.
  
• All other recipes have 250 calories or less per serving.
• See our Healthy Low Calorie Recipe Collection
  

Low Carbs

• Recipe has 22 grams or less of carbohydrates per serving.
• See our Healthy Low Carb Recipe Collection
  

Low Cholesterol

• Recipe has 60 milligrams or less of cholesterol per serving.
• See our Healthy Low Cholesterol Recipe Collection
  

Low Sat Fat

• Recipe has 5 grams or less of saturated fat per serving.
  

Low Sodium

• Main dishes have 480 milligrams or less per serving.
  
• All other recipes have 360 milligrams or less per serving.
• See our Healthy Low Sodium Recipe Collection
  

Nutrition Bonus

• These values—identical to those on food labels—are FDA benchmarks for adults eating 2,000 calories a day.
  

RECIPE GUIDELINES

Defining “Active Time” and “Total”:

Testers in the EatingWell Test Kitchen keep track of the time needed for each recipe.

• Active Time includes prep time (the time it takes to chop, dice, puree, mix, combine, etc. before cooking begins), but it also includes the time spent tending something on the stovetop, in the oven or on the grill—and getting it to the table. If you can’t walk away from it, we consider it active minutes.
  
• Total includes both active and inactive minutes and indicates the entire amount of time required for each recipe, start to finish.
  
• To Make Ahead gives storage instructions to help you plan. If Special Equipment is needed, we tell you that at the top of the recipe too.

Analysis Notes:

Each recipe is analyzed for calories, total fat, saturated (sat) and monounsaturated (mono) fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate, protein, fiber, sodium and potassium. (Numbers less than 0.5 are rounded down to 0; 0.5 to 0.9 are rounded up to 1.) We use Food Processor SQL software (ESHA Research) for analyses.

When a recipe states a measure of salt “or to taste,” we analyze the measured quantity. (Readers on sodium-restricted diets can reduce or eliminate the salt.) Recipes are tested with iodized table salt unless otherwise indicated. Kosher or sea salt is called for when the recipe will benefit from the unique texture or flavor. We assume that rinsing reduces the sodium in canned beans by 35%.

Butter is analyzed as unsalted. We do not include trimmings or marinade that is not absorbed. When alternative ingredients are listed, we analyze the first one suggested. Optional ingredients and garnishes are not analyzed. Portion sizes are consistent with healthy-eating guidelines.