Healthy Cooking 101

 
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Preparing healthy meals for yourself and your family is one of the best ways to improve health, support a healthy weight, and save money all at the same time. The misconception that healthy cooking is complicated couldn’t be further from the truth. With just a few guiding factors in mind, you will feel confident to whip up a healthy meal at any time!

BACK TO BASICS

The major difference between healthy cooking and “regular” cooking is that when cooking for health, it is important to be mindful of the quality of ingredients, variety of foods used, and balance.

  • Quality: whenever possible, choose foods that are minimally processed and refined. Good quality, nutrient-rich foods provide our bodies with significant nutritional value without an excess of calories and harmful ingredients.

  • Variety: avoid eating the same foods year-round, cycle produce with the seasons, try new foods, use sales and seasonality to guide grocery shopping, and always eat from each food group.

  • Balance: strive for balance in your eating; perfection is not the goal. Excessive rigidity in nutrition should not take away from other important areas of your life or cause undue stress.

BRING ON THE FLAVOR

Healthy cooking does not need to be bland or boring! Utilize aromatics (vegetables, herbs, spices, citrus, vinegar, and wine) in your cooking for great depth of flavor. Many spices and herbs such as cinnamon, turmeric, peppers, ginger, mint, and oregano even provide a variety of health benefits.

EMBRACE FAT

For a long time fat was painted as the “evil” macronutrient, but not anymore! Not only is fat an important nutrient for health, but it also provides lots of flavor and satiety to meals. Remember to choose your fats wisely (quality!) and be mindful of portion sizes.

EXPLORE & EXPERIMENT

Experimenting with different ingredients and recipes are great ways to incorporate more variety into your diet. As recipes call for various seasonings and ingredients, you will naturally integrate more foods into your routine! Manipulating texture is another easy way to switch things up. Experiment with roasting, baking, broiling, sauteing, steaming, grilling, and stewing different dishes and ingredients.

Sarah Kerthealthy cooking, easy healthy cooking, healthy tricks, healthy hacks, eat well, cook, cooking, family1 Comment