Tip Of The WeeK : Healthy cooking

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Healthy cooking

If you grew up in a home where red meat, deep frying and butter always took centre stage, then healthy cooking methods might feel a bit foreign in your kitchen. Whether you are a cook/seasoned chef looking to make conscious changes or a cooking novice prepared to get comfortable in the kitchen, there are healthy and helpful tips on these lists for everybody. Cooking (and eating) healthy doesn’t mean giving up your favourite meals. Your favourite recipes can be modified easily to provide a healthier alternative.

When you prepare and cook meals at home, you have better control over the nutritional content and the over-all healthfulness of the foods you eat. (This also saves you money.)

*(Like I did on the healthy eating tips, these tips for cooking healthy will be posted in parts weekly)

Photo: eatthis

Tip 1: Healthy Shopping

Healthy cooking begins when you are shopping. Healthy food choices are vital for good health and well-being. Eating healthy means consuming variety of nutrient-packed foods and beverages from the food groups and staying within your calorie needs. This, combined with selecting foods low in cholesterol, saturated and trans fats, salt (sodium), and added sugars will help make sure that you are eating a healthy diet while helping to maintain a healthy weight. If you opt to drink alcoholic beverages, do so sensibly and in moderation.

Here are checklists for making healthier food choices in every department/section of your supermarket, shop or market:

1.       Produce. Spend the most time at the produce section! Choose a rainbow of colourful fruits and vegetables. The colours reflect the different vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrient content of each fruit or vegetable.

2.       Breads, Cereals, and Pasta. Choose the least processed foods that are made from whole grains. For instance, regular oatmeal is preferable to instant oatmeal even though instant oatmeal is a whole grain, and a good choice. When choosing whole-grain cereals, go for at least 4 grams of fibre per serving, and the less sugar, the better! Bread, pasta, rice, and grains offer more opportunities of adding whole grains into your diet. Choose whole-wheat pastas and bread, brown rice, grain mixes, bulgur, millet, quinoa, and barley. To help your family get used to whole grains, you can begin with whole-wheat blends and slowly switch to 100% whole-wheat pastas and bread.

3.       Choose the low-fat or reduced version of a food if possible – for instance milk, cheese, yoghurt, salad dressings and gravies. If you enjoy higher-fat milk or cheeses, no problem -- just keep your portions small.

4.       Choose lean meat cuts and skinless poultry.

5.       Dried and canned foods. Choose variety of canned vegetables, and beans without added salt, and fruits packed without juice. Fish packed in water, low-fat soups, nut butters, olive and canola oils, and assorted vinegars should be in every healthy pantry.

6.       Limit fast foods, processed meats, pastries, pies, chips, and crisps, which all contain large amounts of fat.

7.       Stock up on heart-healthy cookbooks and recipes for cooking ideas or follow healthy cooking websites.

8.       Lastly, avoid packaged or canned foods that contain more than five ingredients, artificial ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.