Cooking healthy can be intimidating, especially if you are not accustomed to cooking from scratch. However, it doesn’t have to be a big ordeal. You can cook healthy meals and maintain a busy schedule if you take the time to plan your meals and prep your food in advance.
When it comes to cooking, most cooks fall into one of two camps. Some follow recipes from restaurants, grocery stores, and even magazines. Others prefer to cook most of their meals from scratch, using recipes they come up with. You might benefit from some healthy cooking tips if you are in the former camp. Here are some healthy cooking tips for you.
Cook At Home
Cooking at home is a healthier option than eating out, but with all the choices, it can be confusing. Healthy cooking tips are easy to find, but if you’re looking for new healthy dishes that taste great, you’ll find them in the kitchen. Cooking your own food also allows you to eat healthier.
Eating healthily needn’t be difficult. It can be as simple as making sure you cook at home at least 3 nights a week. Cooking at home helps you avoid bad ingredients, such as salt and sugar. When you cook at home, you control what goes into your meals, which is an important step in controlling your weight.
Cook With Basic Ingredients
Cooking with basic ingredients is one of the easiest and best ways to stay healthy. It’s not about buying expensive or exotic ingredients; it’s about knowing how to prepare them. When you are cooking with basic ingredients, you can limit your salt, sugar, and fat consumption because you won’t be adding extra seasonings. The health benefits are obvious, but it is also a simple way to save your budget.
Cooking doesn’t have to mean spending hours in the kitchen. The healthiest way to prepare food is by sticking to the basics, including basic ingredients. When you cook with basic ingredients, you make cooking for work or dinner easier and healthier.
Avoid Cooking At High Temperatures
When it comes to health, cooking is a science, not a craft. If you cook food at high temperatures, you’ll kill any beneficial bacteria and enzymes that it contains—and that’s kind of the point. While cooking’s primary goal is to deliver nutrients to your body, the cooking method also influences the food’s flavor and texture.
Avoid cooking at high temperatures. Cooking at high temperatures (400 degrees Fahrenheit or higher) can damage foods that have high acid content, like soft cheeses, most vegetables, and fruits. The high heat can also quickly turn some starches like rice and pasta into sugars.
Avoid Deep Frying
Deep frying food sounds like a great, quick way to make a meal. But it brings with it a host of problems. For one, the high heat causes certain nutrients in food to break down quicker and leave less behind. High heat also causes food to absorb up to twice as much fat as cooking food at lower temperatures. And if you’re worried about calories, frying food reduces the amount of nutrition you get per serving.
Use Low-Fat Cooking Methods Like Boiling or Steaming
Healthy cooking can help you eat right and lose weight. The key is to use low-fat cooking methods like boiling and steaming. Cooking food in oil, butter, and grease can put a lot of extra calories and bad fats into your diet.
Low-fat cooking methods like boiling or steaming vegetables can help preserve these nutrients. This process helps your body get the nutrients it needs, too. So, choose low-fat cooking methods when cooking vegetables.