Food and Cooking Techniques for a Healthy Lifestyle
As most of us all know, a healthy lifestyle, balanced diet, and exercise is essential in maintaining our overall health. When it comes to a balanced diet and nutrition, it is not only important that we know what types of food to eat, but also how to cook them properly to cut down on the calories, fat, and sodium while retaining their nutritional value.
When it comes to preparing and eating healthy food, many people neglect their diet due to their belief that they have to purchase expensive foods or that cooking foods in a healthy manner takes up to much time. As you will learn in this guide, this is simply not the case and you too can cook healthy meals using these simple cooking techniques regardless of your busy lifestyle or financial status.
Using Ingredient Substitutions for Healthier Meals
There are many alternative ingredients which can be used when it comes to preparing your favorite dishes with little or no difference when it comes to the overall taste. Cutting down on sodium can make a big difference when it comes to having hypertension or if you are trying to lose weight.
In recipes which call for salt, you can cut the amount in half without a noticeable difference and substitute with other herbs and spices such as paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, citrus juice, flavored vinegar. Create your own blend of your favorite herbs and spices ahead of time so you can quickly add them when preparing any meal.
For recipes in which it is necessary to use oil, use only canola or olive oil and drain the oil from the food blotting it with a paper towel to absorb any extra grease or oil. When pan frying food, it is essential to use a pan that is identified as "non-stick".
Examples of healthy pan fried dishes include the popular low fat stir fry dish. If you do not have access to a non-stick pan, you may substitute with a spray that is created from vegetables or identified as non-fat.
It is important to avoid using heavy cooking oils when preparing foods that are healthy. In recipes which call for dressings, milk, eggs, and cheese, use alternative ingredients which are lower in fat such as replacing whole milk with skim, use egg substitutes or replace two egg whites for one whole egg, and purchase reduced fat cheese and dressings.
When baking homemade desserts such as cakes, cookies, and brownies, replace approximately half of the shortening with ingredients such as applesauce, yogurt, pureed or mashed fruits like bananas or prunes.
Use a fruit based sauce for toppings instead of whipped cream or frosting. As an alternative to baking sweets such as cake and cookies, try substituting fresh fruit desserts like peach or cherry cobblers, or custards and puddings. When it comes to frozen desserts such as ice cream, replace them with low fat ice cream, sorbet, sherbet, or frozen yogurt.
Methods of Cooking for Healthier Meals
When it comes to cooking your food it is important to choose methods which will retain all the natural flavors and nutrients within the food. When it comes to meats such as poultry, and beef, these should be baked, broiled, grilled, or roasted in such a manner as to not let the food lose its moisture and become dry while at the same time making sure that any unnecessary fat is being drained.
When it comes to baking meat in the oven it is important that you use lean meats, fish or poultry and avoid adding any fats as this is typically not required. When broiling, roasting, or indoor grilling, place the food on a rack with a drip pan underneath allowing all the excess fat to drip from the food.
Vegetables are a very important part of healthy nutrition and should be included in every meal. It is essential when cooking vegetables to cook them in such a way so that they retain all of their nutritional value.
With fresh vegetables, this is accomplished best by steaming and can be done very efficiently on the stovetop or in the microwave. With the stove top method you can either use a double boiler if you have one available or any large pot with a colander which you can fit inside.
Place a small amount of water in the bottom of the pot and place the colander or second pan of the double boiler inside ensuring that the bottom is just touching the water. Once the water begins to boil, you can then place your vegetables inside the pan or colander, covering them loosely with a lid letting the steam escape and cooking until the vegetables are tender.
Microwaving vegetables is a great alternative to the stove top method and is very beneficial in retaining the nutrients in vegetables as well as saving time. Typically no water or fat is needed and the cooking time is very short which reduces the loss of nutrients in the vegetables.
Grains are also an essential part of a healthy diet and whole grains are the best choice when it comes to fiber and nutrients as opposed to regular grains. When it comes to baking with grains, all-purpose flour can be substituted with whole wheat grains in bread and muffins by using ingredients such as whole wheat flour, oatmeal, bran, wheat germ, or flax. These ingredients including soy based flour can also be used when cooking entrees which require the use of bread or flour.
Cooking Healthy with a Busy Lifestyle
A great time saver when in comes to a busy lifestyle and still being able to cook healthy meals for your family is to prepare some of these foods ahead of time. Most main entrees and meats can be frozen therefore, when cooking certain meals if you make them in double batches you can freeze the other half which can be utilized at another time when you are to busy to cook an entire meal which also helps you to avoid grabbing items which are quicker but much less healthy.
As you can see by the information contained within this healthy living food and cooking guide, there are many ways to optimize your health through the means of meal preparation and a basic knowledge of nutrition.