Healthy Cooking Techniques and Tips
1. Keep the Kitchen Stocked
Having healthy foods accessible encourages their use and lessens the risk of popping in a frozen pizza following a long work day. Keep the kitchen stocked with nourishing foods, including these pantry staples to always keep on hand, lean proteins, and sliced fruits and veggies.
2. Use Seasonings
Swap out the salt shaker with seasonings, as spicing it up in the kitchen amplifies flavor without a large need of sauces and condiments typically loaded with sodium, fat, and sugar. Lemon, lime, garlic, and onion also offers natural flavor to dishes, along with various vinegars including apple cider, rice, and red wine.
3. Swap Butter with Healthy Oils
Although butter can fit into a well-balanced diet, swapping out saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats has shown to be cardio-protective and lessen the risk of heart disease. Use olive oil and other healthy oils to roast veggies, lightly stir-fry, and any other recipe deserving a little more flavor depth
4. Go Whole
Naturally cook healthier by selecting whole grains over processed varieties. Whole grains, including brown rice and noodles, still have the entire grain intact, resulting to more fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and other valuable nutrients lacking in their processed form.
5. Offer Bulk with Grains and Beans
Offer bulk to meals with whole grains and beans, as they are rich in fiber without packing on large loads of calories. Try out this healthy cooking technique by adding oats to meatloaf and beans into ground beef, or other dishes you see fit.
6. Spiralize Veggies
While giving up beloved pasta is not absolutely necessary in a healthy diet, a high volume of portions and ongoing servings may start impeding on your health goals. The use of a spiralizer not only mimics pasta noodles, but can simultaneously increase veggie consumption, too. Top spiralized veggies with favorite pasta sauce, including a tomato or pesto, along with fresh herbs.
7. Skip the Deep Fryer
Though the crunch deep fryers are known to offer is appetizing, the added grease and fat is far from desirable. To obtain the same anticipated crunch of fried chicken, lightly coat with breadcrumbs and bake as described for these healthier-for-you chicken strips. Ultimately, skip the deep fryer and try boiling, grilling, steaming, or stir-frying your favorite fried recipes.
8. Ditch the Sugar
When it comes to healthier cooking and eating, ditching sugar is one of the simplest ways to cut back on empty calories. Especially in baking, resort to more natural sources, including bananas and unsweetened applesauce, for a natural sweetness. Find more healthy baking swaps here.
