Healthy Cooking Tips

Cooking Eating healthy food doesn’t mean switching to salads. Healthy cooking is easy because in many cases, you can can change the recipes so they offer a healthier alternative.

Keep fats to minimum

It’s a good idea to minimize ‘hidden fats’ by choosing lean meats and reduced fat dairy products. Processed foods can also have lots of hidden fats. Dietary fats are best when they come from the unrefined natural fats found in nuts, seeds, fish, soy, olives and avocado because this fat is accompanied by other good nutrients. A little added oil can be a good thing. If you add a little oil to vegetable and legume dishes, it will help your body absorb fat soluble vitamins and antioxidant phytochemicals.

At the shop

Low fat cooking begins when you are shopping:

Choose the low fat version of a food if it exists – for example milk, cheese, yoghurt, salad dressings.
Choose leaner meat cuts.

General suggestions

Steam, bake, grill, braise, boil or microwave your foods.
Modify or eliminate recipes that include butter or ask you to deep fry.
Avoid using oils and butter as lubricants – use non-stick cookware instead.
Don’t add salt to food as it is cooking.
Remove chicken skin, which is high in fat. However, to retain the moisture in the chicken meat, remove the skin at the end of cooking.
Eat more fresh vegetables and legumes.

Low fat cooking

If you need to use oil, try cooking sprays or apply oil with a pastry brush.
Cook in liquids (such as wine, lemon juice, fruit juice, vinegar or water) instead of oil.
When a recipe calls for cream as a thickener, use low fat yoghurt, low fat soy milk or evaporated skim milk.
When browning vegetables, put them in a hot pan then spray with oil, rather than adding the oil first to the pan. This reduces the amount of oil that vegetables (such as mushrooms) can absorb during cooking.
When serving meat and fish, use pesto, salsas, chutneys and vinegars in place of sour creams, butter and creamy sauces.

Retaining the nutrients

Water soluble vitamins are delicate and easily destroyed during preparation and cooking.

Scrub vegetables rather than peel them, as many nutrients are found close to the skin.
Microwave or steam vegetables instead of boiling them.
If you like to boil vegetables, keep the vitamin-rich water to use as a stock and do not overboil them.
Include more stir-fry recipes in your diet. Stir-fried vegetables are cooked quickly to retain their crunch (and associated nutrients).

Cutting out salt

Salt is a traditional flavour enhancer, but research suggests that a high salt diet could contribute to a range of disorders including high blood pressure.

Don’t automatically salt your food – taste it first.
Add a splash of olive oil or lemon juice close to the end of cooking time or to cooked vegetables – it can enhance flavours in the same way as salt.
Choose fresh or frozen vegetables, since canned and pickled vegetables tend to be packaged with salt.
Limit your consumption of salty processed meats, such as salami, ham, corned beef, bacon, smoked salmon, frankfurters and chicken loaf.
Choose reduced salt bread and breakfast cereals. Breads and cereals are a major source of salt in the diet.
Iodised salt is best. A major dietary source of iodine is plant foods. If you eat fish regularly (at least once a week), the need for iodised salt is reduced.
Avoid salt-laden processed foods, such as flavoured instant pasta, canned or dehydrated soup mixes, chips and salted nuts.
Margarine and butter contain a lot of salt.
Most cheeses are very high in salt so limit your intake or choose lower salt varieties.
Reduce your use of soy sauce, tomato sauce and processed sauces and condiments (for example mayonnaise and salad dressings) because they contain high levels of salt.
Use herbs, spices, vinegar or lemon juice to reduce the need for salt.

Herbs

Culinary herbs are leafy plants that add flavour and colour to all types of meals. In many cases, they can replace the flavour of salt and oil. Remember:

Herbs are delicately flavoured, so add them to your cooking in the last few minutes.
Dried herbs are more strongly flavoured than fresh. As a general rule, one teaspoon of dried herbs equals four teaspoons of fresh.
Apart from boosting meat dishes, herbs can be added to soups, breads, mustards, salad dressings, vinegars, desserts and drinks.
Herbs such as coriander, ginger, garlic, chilli and lemongrass are especially complimentary in vegetable-based stir-fry recipes.

Sandwich suggestions

To make a sandwich even healthier:

Switch to wholegrain bread.
Don’t butter the bread. You won’t miss butter if your sandwich has a few tasty ingredients already.
Limit your use of spreads high in saturated fat like butter and cream cheese; replace with low fat cheese spreads or avocado.
Choose reduced fat ingredients when you can, such as low fat cheese or mayonnaise.

Other tips

Spend a little time on presentation. You are more likely to enjoy a meal if it’s visually appealing as well as tasty.
Make every meal an occasion. Set the table. Eat with your family. Give yourself the opportunity to enjoy your food without distractions like television.
Long term deprivation, such as crash dieting, doesn’t work. Allow yourself the occasional guilt-free treat.
You are less likely to overeat if you eat slowly and savour every mouthful.

Things to remember

In many cases, favourite recipes can be modified so they offer a lower fat content.
Choose to steam, bake, grill, braise, boil or microwave your foods, rather than deep fry them.
Use non-stick cookware.
Microwave or steam your vegetables instead of boiling them to retain the nutrients.

RSS Trackback URL 8. May 2007 (10:55)
Filed under: Nutrition, Recipes, Tips

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