Cooking healthy meals does not have to be a big hassle. You can find easy adaptations to traditional recipes that you can make to enhance the nutritional value of your meals. If you make larger meals, freeze the leftovers and eat them later on in the week for an additional, no-work healthy meal. Talking to a nutritionist or health care provider can help provide you with even more nutrition information, especially if you have dietary restrictions due to a medical condition.
Step 1
Avoid frying foods to save fat and calories. Each tablespoon of oil used to fry food can add 100 calories and up to 14 g fat to your meals. Roasting, grilling, steaming and broiling usually do not need oil, saving you calories and fat, making the meal more waist-line friendly.
Step 2
Use fresh herbs to add seasoning and flavor to meals. Prepackaged seasoning mixes contain a great deal of salt, so fresh seasonings are a healthier alternative. Fresh hot peppers, rosemary, thyme, vinegar and citrus juices are all healthy flavorings for meals.
Step 3
Find healthier oils with which to cook. Avoid coconut, palm and palm kernel oils. Choose canola, saffron, olive and sunflower oils, which are lower in saturated and trans fats, as well as cholesterol. Nonfat cooking sprays are easy to use and are diet-friendly.
Step 4
Substitute healthier ingredients for traditional ingredients when appropriate. Use low-fat or fat-free milk instead of whole milk or cream, use margarine instead of butter, and use egg whites instead of whole eggs. Reduce the amount of sugar called for in recipes by one-third to one-half. Add other spices or flavorings like vanilla extract, cinnamon or cloves to recipes.
Step 5
Monitor your portion sizes. Even if you use healthy ingredients, too much of anything is not good for a diet. Meal sizes are so inflated today, but if you use smaller dishes and cups, you eat smaller portions and reduce the risk of overeating.
Tips and Warnings
- Many diet and health-conscious cookbooks and websites, like CookingLight.com, are available to provide healthy recipes for you to try. These can provide you with new and exciting recipes that you may not have thought of, as well as nutrition information and tips.
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