Trying to find healthier ways to cook will make a big difference in terms of your caloric intake and your cholesterol levels. Here are a few tips to help you. Baby steps to a healthier lifestyle make the transition easy!
No, you don’t have to steam everything and have tasteless food but here are some ideas to help you learn ways to switch around your favourite dishes so that they’re more figure and heart friendly.
Bake instead of Fry
Wherever possible, bake foods that typically call for frying. Use pans that allow grease to escape. For example, cook burgers on a broiler pan that lets the meat sit above the grease. Burgers are juicy enough to not need to cook in their own grease.
Bake breaded chicken breasts and chicken wings instead of frying or deep frying. A bit of healthy oil or cooking spray on the food can help the flavour taste similar to fried without having the same amount of calories or release of trans fatty acids.
Choose Healthier Oils
When you choose to fry, choose healthier oils to use. Coconut oil is fast becoming a very popular choice for healthier eating because it has so many health benefits and because it has a higher melting point which means trans fatty acids don’t get released and food gets fried to a golden brown because the oil doesn’t burn. A pat of coconut oil is also great in the oven on top of some meat or vegetables. Coconut oil is figure friendly.
Olive oil is another healthy choice and olive oil is an anti inflammatory food so great for heart health as well as for your skin and it contains many healthy benefits.
Cook a Rainbow
The more colourful your food, the better the chances you’re eating something healthy. Aim to get several colours on your plate at every meal and fill the plate with larger servings of vegetables while also reducing your meat and starch serving. Vegetables fill you up, are great for your digestive system and provide healthy free radical fighting antioxidants.
