The natural sugars found in honey and fruits are known as fructose. When it comes to blood sugar and carbohydrates, your body doesn’t react any differently to the fructose that naturally exists in fruit than it does to added sweeteners like corn syrup.

For fat-conscious diners, lean white fish such as tilapia are a boon at mealtime. Tilapia's delicate flesh is naturally high in protein and low in fat, and culinarily, it's a blank canvas suitable for almost any combination of flavors.

Sizzling in flavor, beef hot links are a tasty dish for people who like spicy sausage. While the precooked links are ideal for grilling, they can also be cooked on the stove. The key to cooking links on the stovetop is to use water instead of direct heat.

Bulgur comes from an ancient style of processed grain, called "groats." The wheat is cooked and then dried again, leaving its starches in their cooked form and ready to rehydrate quickly. The bulgur kernels are then milled into fine, medium and coarse pieces.

MayoClinic.com advises eating more grains, such as those in old-fashioned thick rolled oats. When combined with fruit, the cooked oats make for a complete, nutritious breakfast. Rolled oats are a source of complex carbohydrates and essential vitamins and minerals, and they are low in fat.

Millions of Americans have never heard of congee, but it’s as common in many Asian countries as oatmeal or mac and cheese. In its most basic form, congee is relatively low in calories, although it’s not very nutritionally rich.

Uncle Ben's Converted Rice is parboiled, meaning that the rice grains were steamed before they were husked. This process infuses the grains with many nutrients that would otherwise have been thrown away with the husk.

Mung bean noodles are widely used throughout China and Southeast Asia. They are an ingredient in many Oriental food dishes, such as soups, stir-fries, salads, desserts and spring rolls. The noodles themselves are flavorless but readily absorb the flavors of other ingredients added to the dish.

Salmon is one of the healthiest fish you can eat. It's rich in the omega-3 fatty acids linked to a decreased risk of high blood cholesterol and cardiovascular disease; a 3-ounce serving may contain as much as 1.9 grams of the heart-healthy fats.

Pierogies, Polish dumplings typically filled with creamy potatoes, can be boiled, baked or steamed, but pan-frying makes the pasta exterior crispy so it contrasts well with the creamy filling. The potato filling is often accompanied with other ingredients, such as cheese, onions or traditional sauerkraut.

Skip the heavy cream, but still make a thick and creamy Alfredo sauce using milk. This rich sauce, typically served with pasta, doesn't lose anything but its reputation as unhealthy when prepared using milk. Create a delicious lower-fat Alfredo sauce that can be whipped together in less than 30 minutes.

Coconut sugar is a natural sugar substitute. It is made from the flowers of the coconut tree by evaporating the sap of the tree. Coconut sugar is also sometimes referred to as palm sugar, and the two terms are often used interchangeably.