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Start this New Year by preparing healthy meals in your kitchen. Despite the barrage of prepared food, ready to be heated and eaten, restaurants (including fast food), and convenience stores at any street corner, you can really change your eating habits. The best place to start these changes in eating habits is therefore in the kitchen. But that doesn’t mean you’ll have to spend all your free time in the kitchen; consider the following healthy cooking resolutions for New Year when preparing meals to make your life easier.
1. Change cooking methods to prepare your family meals in a healthy way. Try to bake, grill, roast or poach (dip food in water that is just on the verge of a boil) your protein sources. Rather than sprinkle with butter or margarine, reduce the amount of saturated fat and trans fat by basting flavored vegetable broth, white wine or orange juice without sugar. Avoid recipes that call for heavy sauces or gravies for roasting in order to keep your dishes low-fat.
2. Plan your meals for the week. Go to the grocery store armed with a grocery list that you generated from your planned meals for the week. You will be less tempted to buy on impulse or buy more than needed because you’ve planned ahead. There is nothing more frustrating than throwing away rotten food at the end of the week because of poor planning. It is a waste of not only food, but money.
3. Cooking simple. The golden rule is to keep simplicity when preparing a healthy meal for your family. Avoid recipes that require many steps and ingredients. A simple dish, grilled or baked, without too many ingredients and steps, accompanied by fresh vegetables and a starch is a good option.
4. Keep meat lean. Buy the leanest slices of meat (without fat or skin) and remove any possible part of visible fat before preparing your family meals. Ground meat should be at least 95% lean. Remember that lean meats are very helpful in preparing family meals in a healthy way. Also try the ground turkey sandwiches for a change, or replace at least a third of your beef with minced turkey breast. Be sure to buy some ground turkey breast and not the variety that contains alternative skin and dark meat, making it more fatty and higher in calories.
5. Bet on spices and condiments. Lighter and fat-free meal are often criticized for their lack of taste. Admittedly, our taste buds are not especially happy to enjoy 200 grams of steamed broccoli upfront. To break the monotony and uniformity of taste, there is nothing like a pinch of curry, ginger or basil. This way you will vary tastes and pleasures! Here’s a popular post about using spice and herbs for your every day cooking. With these five methods to cooking lighter, you can enjoy balanced meals and manage your caloric intake. This way you will not have to begin a hard diet to get rid of a few extra pounds that appeared because of eating unhealthy cuisine. Practice some regular physical activity and you will be at your best!
6. Incorporate more fruits and vegetables for healthy cooking. Most people do not consume enough fruit and vegetable. Try to incorporate 5 to 13 servings of fruit per day to your cooking. Choose fruits and vegetables from different varieties to meet your needs. Making fruit smoothies can be an excellent solution to treat yourself with regular healthy food instead of snacking heavy chocolate bars when you’re hungry.
7. Avoid putting too much salt in your cuisine. It is reported that the excessive use of salt or salty foods can cause high blood pressure, heartburn, osteoporosis, gastric ulcers, among other diseases. So the next time you plan a meal or a cooking session, use salt in moderation to avoid illness and stay healthy.
8. Prepare meals when you have time. Take one or two hours during the weekend or early in the week to prepare meals for the upcoming week. Cut vegetables and store them in airtight containers,properly labeled. You’ll be glad you prepared stew, soup, or broth you can freeze and reuse later. When you need it, you’ll feel like a celebrity chef for whom all the ingredients are ready!
9. Buy unprocessed foods for your kitchen. Choose whole grains instead of processed grains. Whole grains like brown rice and bulgur have kept their property intact and thus provide more fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and other nutrients.
10. Get books about healthy cooking and find good informational sources. When we begin something, it’s better to have some guidelines. It’s true in many aspects of life. If you need more help, you can research the topic you need to know more about. You can begin by checking our Top 10 Healthy Cookbook resource page, as it is blended with best-selling reference books about healthy cooking in simple way. A good cookbook is the perfect companion since it will provide you with inspirations and guides for your day to day routines. The Internet is a very useful source, but if you are unsure, you can also consult a dietician.
