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We eat certain foods because they taste good or because we love them without wondering if the food is healthy or not. For example, many people enjoy foods like pizza, burgers, fries and other foods and do not like broccoli and other nutritious vegetables.
Why? Perhaps because of the taste contrast that we are not used to, and the lack of knowledge about cooking healthy foods like vegetables. However, if we know that healthy eating is
Nowadays, the information is available (almost) everywhere thanks to the Internet, so taking advantage of these cooking resources is mandatory. But sometimes we need to be guided “in real life” so various cooking courses and programs appears more and more.
Cooking coaches and cookery schools flourish everywhere. Whether you plan a career as a gourmet chef or just want to get better healthy cooking habit, there will always be a place to learn and experiment with healthy cooking practices.
The following tips will guide you through healthy cooking habits which will result in nutritious foods that will please all family members.
1. Buy healthy foods
Ok, it is quite obvious, but this is really the first point to healthy cooking. We must understand that eating healthy food means that we have to buy and cook it by ourselves. Food distributors tend to lure our taste buds with quick, tasty and satisfying food, using artificial additives. Buying the less processed ingredients allow us better control of what we eat and enjoy.
When you buy food in grocery stores, you must ensure that you have read the packaging to see what kinds of nutrients it contains. Make sure that if the food contains additives such as emulsifiers, food acids and food colorings, their concentration is not high.
The other thing you can do is ensure that you always remember to buy healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Tip: begin your shopping with fruits and vegetables as you will spend more time choosing them. If you begin with another department in the grocery store, you will certainly put lots of average quality stuff in your basket and then skip the vegetables as you will approach your budget’s limit. So by beginning with fruits and vegetables, then meat and fish, And the end you will see that all the fatty, salty or sugar stuff is not very necessary.
2. Decide the best way to cook certain foods
After the purchase of healthy foods, you should also make sure to use a healthy method of cooking for their preparation. The best methods of food preparation include baking, boiling, steaming and grilling. You should avoid fried foods as much as possible because it generates an excessive amount of fat, especially when cooking meat. If you need to fry food, make sure you use good oils like olive oil, vegetable oil, corn oil, palm oil and canola oil. You can cook meals in a healthy way by using creams and sauces such as tomato sauce. When using cream milk, you can do it from low fat or skim milk. You can also use soy milk as a substitute for milk.
3. Choose lean meats
When it comes to preparing meat, you must make sure that you first buy only the types of lean meat, which contain only very low amounts of saturated fat. The best meats to choose are fish and chicken.
If you like red meat and don’t know what to choose for your meal, ask your butcher which part will suit your need. You can also buy ground beef that is eighty-five percent lean.
When preparing meat for healthy cooking, make sure you turn off the excess fat.
4. Use marinades when cooking lean meat
When cooking lean meat, you can use marinades as they will prevent the meat from drying out and add flavor to the meat. Marinades also break down the tough connective tissue in meat, making it tender. You can buy marinades in stores or make them at home using ingredients like herbs, spices and red wine or balsamic vinegar. Yogurt is a good marinade for chicken and you can mix it with lemon juice, pepper, salt and other spices. Read this post about making your own marinades for grilling.
5. Sauteed vegetables
If you are tired of preparing vegetables that taste bland, you can better prepare them by sauteing. You can do this using a little vegetable oil or chicken broth instead of oil, and sprinkle aromatic herbs on them. You can add a spicy taste for new vegetables with a little chopped chives sprinkled on them. Make sure to read this post about using your aromatic herbs for cooking.
6. Roasting vegetables
Another healthy cooking method for vegetables is to roast them, especially root vegetables. You can also prepare vegetables like farm squash and cauliflower that way, simply by cutting them into chunks and then roasted in an oven at 220°c. You should remove them when they become tender.
What healthy food do you like to prepare? What cooking method do you prefer?
7. Taking Healthy Cooking Courses
Many cooking training programs offer focused culinary lessons around the concept of healthy cooking. These cooking classes allow the beginner to familiarize themselves with the various ingredients and possibilities to prepare whole healthy meals. The more skilled cooks will certainly find advanced culinary courses that will suit their needs. Some programs are based on subscription with weekly or monthly cookery courses, as others can be “one shot” cooking sessions with a cooking coach or even an awarded chef!
