Healthy cooking for beginners starts with this basic fact: you do not have to sacrifice taste or flavor in order to eat healthily!! Small changes to recipes can make a big difference to your overall nutrition. One of the easiest things you can do to improve your lifestyle is to swap out unhealthy ingredients for more wholesome ones. If you need help with cooking healthy food, you are at the right place. You may find that there is very little difference in taste if you make careful choices, but overall, the dish will be much better for you.
Tip #1: Use Less Fat or Grease
Quite often a recipe will call for butter or oil - perhaps to bind ingredients together, or to help with the cooking process. Avoid lard, and butter, and substitute for vegetable or sunflower oil, and low fat spreads where possible. If you cannot substitute for whatever reason, try using less of the oil or fat, or substitute with something like apple sauce. Also, try using a non stick cooking spray instead of oil if you are only using the oil to lubricate a pan.
Tip #2: Substitute Eggs For Something Better
Eggs are very nutritious. You would say they are interesting little packages of nutrition, with plenty of good things inside them. They are beneficial for keeping you healthy and for binding foods and creating emulsions. But eggs do have a downside. Egg yolks contain a lot of cholesterol, which many people try to avoid for health reasons. For healthy recipes that call for eggs, substitute two egg whites for one full egg, and you should be good to go.
Tip #3: Use Yogurt Instead of Mayonnaise
Yogurt is very versatile, healthy, and often relatively low in fat. If you need to make a recipe more creamy, or cool down something over-spiced, try using yogurt. For recipes that require mayonnaise or cream, try using yogurt instead - replacing a certain amount of mayonnaise with an equal amount of yogurt should work well. The only caveat is that while cream can simmer quite well, yogurt starts to curdle if it is over-heated, so watch the cooking time carefully if you are making a sauce with yogurt.
Tip #4: Reduce Your Salt Intake
It can be hard to get used to using less salt - after all, it has quite a strong taste and you really notice when it isn't there, but instead of covering everything in salt, why not try some other seasonings - garlic, herb mixtures, mustard, onions and celery can all be used as seasonings, and after a while you will enjoy mixing flavours and experiencing new tastes instead of using salt for everything. You don't have to totally eliminate salt, but reducing your intake will be a big step towards a healthy lifestyle.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Healthy Cooking Techniques
Cooking healthy really only requires some minor changes for most people. By substituting items and using various techniques, you can not only reduce the amount of fat intake, but also increase valuable nutrients in the food. You'll be amazed that once you start experimenting, you'll find that healthy cooking techniques actually improve your meals.
1. Add herbs to your food. Herbs are power packed with vitamins and minerals without adding excess extra calories. When you add herbs, you increase the flavor of the dish and make it more exotic. You don't have to be a gourmet chef to do this. Simply experiment. Did you know that parsley contains powerful antioxidants and cilantro contains substances that help fight diabetes? There's a world of cures in your spice rack, experiment.
2. Reduce salt intake. When you increase the herbs in your food, you can also reduce the amount of salt. Herbs add more flavors and makes salt less necessary. Reducing salt intake also reduces your potential for high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Combining this with other healthy cooking techniques improves not only the flavor but also the nutritional quality of the food you serve.
3. Steam your vegetables. You've heard the expression, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, well that's exactly what you do when you boil vegetables. Boiling vegetables leaches the nutrients out of the veggie and into the water. Instead, try steaming the vegetables. You can find small steaming baskets that fit into your pots. Simply put an inch of water in the pan, not enough to touch the vegetables, insert the basket filled with vegetables, cover and heat. You'll find that all vegetables taste better steamed. Add the spices at the last minute.
4. Use monounsaturated fats. You'll cook a lot healthier if you avoid certain types of fats, such as trans fatty acids and saturated fats. They simply are heart healthy. Canola oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil and sesame seed oil are good sources to use for cooking. Olive oil is also another. This is one of the healthy cooking techniques, which makes a huge difference in the potential for coronary artery disease.
5. Increase vegetables and fruit at each meal. Adding an extra vegetable selection to each meal increases the amount of health nutrients available to your family. The more selections you offer, the more variety they'll receive. Even fussy eaters like some type of vegetable.
6. Reduce the amount of red meat in your meals. Some men simply won't eat anything but steak and potatoes. You have to be tricky with them. Get smaller cuts of meat and slowly reduce the size of the steak you serve. You'll find they won't notice, will be healthier and your grocery bill goes down.
7. Try to go nuts. Nuts are a great source of plant protein. Most people don't consider nuts a main dish but you can reduce the amount of animal protein in the diet if you simply use them periodically. A Waldorf salad made from apples, celery, walnuts or pecans and mayonnaise or salad dressing provides both protein and valuable nutrients. The FDA approved walnuts as a heart healthy food, along with seven other nuts.
8. Get creative. There's nothing better than a salad on a burrito, especially if it's a whole grain burrito. Make your salad but finely chop the lettuce and other vegetables. Include finely chopped chicken and add your dressing. Put it into a burrito wrap and you'll have a meal that kids that wouldn't touch a salad will eat.
You can improve the flavor and healthful quality of your cooking by simply using a few healthy cooking techniques. It doesn't mean you have to give up everything you love, simply modify it so it's healthier for your whole family.
1. Add herbs to your food. Herbs are power packed with vitamins and minerals without adding excess extra calories. When you add herbs, you increase the flavor of the dish and make it more exotic. You don't have to be a gourmet chef to do this. Simply experiment. Did you know that parsley contains powerful antioxidants and cilantro contains substances that help fight diabetes? There's a world of cures in your spice rack, experiment.
2. Reduce salt intake. When you increase the herbs in your food, you can also reduce the amount of salt. Herbs add more flavors and makes salt less necessary. Reducing salt intake also reduces your potential for high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Combining this with other healthy cooking techniques improves not only the flavor but also the nutritional quality of the food you serve.
3. Steam your vegetables. You've heard the expression, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, well that's exactly what you do when you boil vegetables. Boiling vegetables leaches the nutrients out of the veggie and into the water. Instead, try steaming the vegetables. You can find small steaming baskets that fit into your pots. Simply put an inch of water in the pan, not enough to touch the vegetables, insert the basket filled with vegetables, cover and heat. You'll find that all vegetables taste better steamed. Add the spices at the last minute.
4. Use monounsaturated fats. You'll cook a lot healthier if you avoid certain types of fats, such as trans fatty acids and saturated fats. They simply are heart healthy. Canola oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil and sesame seed oil are good sources to use for cooking. Olive oil is also another. This is one of the healthy cooking techniques, which makes a huge difference in the potential for coronary artery disease.
5. Increase vegetables and fruit at each meal. Adding an extra vegetable selection to each meal increases the amount of health nutrients available to your family. The more selections you offer, the more variety they'll receive. Even fussy eaters like some type of vegetable.
6. Reduce the amount of red meat in your meals. Some men simply won't eat anything but steak and potatoes. You have to be tricky with them. Get smaller cuts of meat and slowly reduce the size of the steak you serve. You'll find they won't notice, will be healthier and your grocery bill goes down.
7. Try to go nuts. Nuts are a great source of plant protein. Most people don't consider nuts a main dish but you can reduce the amount of animal protein in the diet if you simply use them periodically. A Waldorf salad made from apples, celery, walnuts or pecans and mayonnaise or salad dressing provides both protein and valuable nutrients. The FDA approved walnuts as a heart healthy food, along with seven other nuts.
8. Get creative. There's nothing better than a salad on a burrito, especially if it's a whole grain burrito. Make your salad but finely chop the lettuce and other vegetables. Include finely chopped chicken and add your dressing. Put it into a burrito wrap and you'll have a meal that kids that wouldn't touch a salad will eat.
You can improve the flavor and healthful quality of your cooking by simply using a few healthy cooking techniques. It doesn't mean you have to give up everything you love, simply modify it so it's healthier for your whole family.
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