Healthy Cooking
Healthy Cooking Techniques
Healthy cooking doesn’t mean that you have to become a gourmet chef or invest in expensive
cookware. Simply use basic cooking methods to prepare foods in healthy ways.
These cooking techniques offer ways to best capture the flavor and nutrients from your food
without adding excessive amounts of fat or salt. Once you’ve mastered these techniques, use
them often to prepare your favorite dishes.
How you cook you food is just as important as what you eat, when you are trying to adopt healthy eating habits. You can prepare your favourite recipes using basic cooking methods that use less fat than traditional approaches. Even making minor changes to your cooking methods will go a long way to help you achieve your weight management goals. The healthy cooking methods described below are a better option than eating fried food, and retain the nutrients better, as well as the flavour.
1. Baking. Besides breads and desserts, use this method to cook uniform-sized pieces of vegetables, fruit, seafood, poultry or lean meat. Place food in a pan or dish surrounded by the hot, dry air of your oven. You may cook the food covered or uncovered. Baking generallydoesn’t require that you add fat to the food.
2. Braising. This method involves browning the ingredient first in an open or covered pan on top of the stove, and then slowly cooking it with a small quantity of liquid. In some recipes, the cooking liquid is used afterward to form a flavorful, nutrient-rich sauce.
3. Enhancing. Creating meals using spices and herbs is one of the best ways to add color, taste and aroma to foods. Choose fresh herbs that look bright and aren’t wilted. Add them toward the end of cooking. Add dried herbs in the earlier stages of cooking. When substituting dried for fresh, use about one-third the amount.
4. Grilling and broiling. Both of these cooking methods expose fairly thin pieces of food to direct heat. To grill outdoors, place the food on a grill rack above a bed of charcoal embers or gas-heated rocks. For grilling smaller items, use a long-handled grill basket, which prevents pieces from slipping through the rack. To broil indoors, place food on a broiler rack below a heat element. Both methods allow fat to drip away from the food.
5. Poaching. To poach foods, gently simmer ingredients in water or a flavorful liquid such as broth, vinegar or juice until they’re cooked through and tender. The food retains its shape during cooking. For stove-top poaching, choose a covered pan that best fits the size and shape of the food so that you use a minimum amount of liquid. You can also poach foods in foil packets in the oven or on the grill.
6. Roasting. Like baking, but typically at higher temperatures, roasting uses an oven’s dry heat to cook the food. You can roast foods on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan. For poultry, seafood and meat, place a rack inside the roasting pan so that the fat in the ingredients can drip away during cooking.
7. Sauteing. This method quickly cooks relatively small or thin pieces of food. If you choose a good-quality nonstick pan, you can cook food without using fat. Depending on the recipe, use broth, nonstick cooking spray or water in place of oil.
8. Steaming. One of the simplest cooking techniques to master is steaming food in a perforated basket suspended above simmering liquid. If you use a flavorful liquid or add seasonings to the water, you’ll flavor the food as it cooks.
9. Stir-frying. A traditional Asian method, stir-frying quickly cooks small, uniform-sized pieces of food while they’re rapidly stirred in a wok or large nonstick frying pan. You need only a small amount of oil or nonstick cooking spray.
Healthy Food Preparation Tips:
Obesity is a growing problem for adults and children and can lead to chronic disease and death. Use the following tips to help maintain a healthy weight.
- Fruit: Rinse canned fruit with water if canned in heavy syrup. Use fresh produce whenever possible.
- Vegetables: Use herbs, seasonings, or low fat broth/sauce for flavoring vegetables instead of butter or margarine.
- Dairy: Nonfat/skim dairy products are best, low fat (1%) is second best. Avoid 2% and whole milk products for anyone age 2 and older.
- Grain/Bread: Read nutrition labels and measure serving sizes accurately. Prepare without butter or margarine. Whole grains are the best choice.
- Protein: Utilize dried beans, fish, seafood, venison. Trim all visible fat and skin from meat and poultry. Choose lowfat cuts. Choose light poultry meat instead of dark meat and 90%+ lean beef. Limit the number of egg yolks used. Bake or broil instead of frying. One serving is the size of a deck of cards.
- Use more fruits and vegetables.
- Choose more “whole foods” and fewer processed foods.
- Limit sweets, fats, and junk food.
- Choose lower calorie condiments such as mustard or vinegar. Fat free/lowfat salad dressings or light mayo are options as well.
- Limit portion sizes. “Super Sizing” adds weight quickly.
- Remember, beverages can add weight. Limit high calorie beverages such as soda pop.
Avoiding Foodborne Risk is Easy
Harmful bacteria that may be in the soil or water where produce grows may come in contact with the fruits and vegetables and contaminate them. Or, fresh produce may become contaminated after it is harvested, such as during preparation or storage.
Eating contaminated produce (or fruit and vegetable juices made from contaminated produce) can lead to foodborne illness, which can cause serious – and sometimes fatal – infections. However, it’s easy to help protect yourself and your family from illness by following these safe handling tips!
The Dangers of Deep Fried Food
Deep fried foods are one of the most unhealthy types of food you can eat, and should be avoided. Most deep fried food contains saturated fats and trans-fats which contribute to the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In addition, when oil is heated to high temperatures, or is over used, it forms a toxic compund called acrylamide which is a known carcinogen and neurotoxin. Foods such as french fries and potato chips contain high levels of acrylamide. Another reason to avoid deep fried food is that it is high in calories, and can lead to weight gain if eaten regularly. So, to stay healthy, stick to food that is prepared using healthy cooking methods.
Principles of Healthy Cooking
Principles of healthy cooking are based on eating low-fat and low-cholesterol foods, eating sugar and salt in moderation and eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids and whole grains.
- Shop for lean cuts of meat and trim fat before cooking. Avoid pre-basted turkey, which is often injected with saturated coconut oil. Sear meat quickly in a non-stick pan and then lower heat to cook to desired doneness; if heated slowly, the meat will cook in its own fats. Vegetables absorb fat and therefore should never be browned with meat.
- Use non-stick cookware or non-stick cooking sprays to reduce the need for oil and shortening. In most recipes, the fat or oil can be reduced by a third without altering the texture or taste. Cooking with butter and oils high in saturated fat increases fat content and adversely affects health.
- Replace whole milk with low-fat milk in all recipes. Evaporated skim milk can be whipped in a chilled mixing bowl and can be substituted in dishes requiring cream. Also, avoid non-dairy creamers and toppings, which are usually high in calories and saturated palm or coconut oils.
- Bake muffins and quick breads with less saturated fat and fewer calories. The American Heart Association suggests substituting 1/2 cup butter, lard, shortening or oil with one cup of applesauce per one cup serving of these fats.
- Avoid adding high-fat sauces and dressings to your dishes. Most salad dressings are loaded with fat and calories. Use fat-free or low-fat preparations of lemon juice or olive oil. Low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese can be whipped in a blender for a delicious dressing.
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