Tips For Healthy, Low-calorie Cooking
Achieving a healthy and balanced diet that allows us to take care of our health and figure, at first glance, seems like a difficult task. However, many nutritionists have proven that it is possible to achieve it, as long as we are consistent with the efforts. Do you want to learn how to make healthy and low-calorie foods?
So don’t miss this article with very easy and delicious tips.
Why is it important to prepare healthy foods?
It is necessary to know how to cook to get the most out of food, because we need to eat. So it’s up to us to do it in the healthiest way possible. Preparing healthy foods is not just about the ingredients we use, it’s also about how we cook them.
It is important to know the healthiest way to prepare each food, based on the idea that there are certain nutrients, such as vitamins, for example, which are very delicate and require great care so that they are not destroyed, both during preparation. like at the time of cooking.
Tips for preparing healthy and low-calorie foods
Cut down on sugar but don’t give up on sweets
At this point, we all know that refined sugar offers no benefits, but we also know that the brain needs sugar to function properly because it’s its source of energy. However, to reduce calories in sweets, you can do the following:
- Sweeten desserts with healthier alternatives such as birch sugar, maple syrup, stevia, coconut sugar or whole cane sugar.
- Avoid juices with added sugar and opt for natural soft drinks or smoothies prepared on ice or with unsweetened vegetable milk.
Reduce fats but don’t give up on flavor
Reducing calories does not mean eliminating fat, because they are necessary for our body. However, it is clear that we should choose the “good fats” in moderate amounts.
- Avoid deep-frying and gradually switch to lighter alternatives, such as cooking fries in the oven or microwave.
- Switch from traditional mayonnaise to yogurt sauces, low-fat homemade mayonnaise or any hummus recipe.
- Try adding the oil at the end when cooking grilled vegetables, as some like zucchini or eggplant absorb a lot and become heavy. On the other hand, if they are cooked in a good non-stick pan with a little extra virgin olive oil, after roasting, they will be even tastier and healthier.
- Choose the leanest pieces of meat, remove the visible pieces of fat and, when cooking, choose to prepare the food on the grill or cook it in non-fat broths.
Exchange red meat for chicken breast
Reduce the amount of red meat in your diet and in your recipes. This is also a good option for staying healthy. You can reduce your red meat consumption by increasing your use of lean, boneless chicken or turkey breast. This will eliminate some calories and a lot of fat from your daily meals.
Avoid already packaged food
Packaged foods are loaded with sugar, sodium and unhealthy fats for preservation. Also, the portions can be too much for your body. Try to limit the use of these products and replace them with fresh, homemade foods whenever possible.
Learn Methods for Preparing Healthy Foods
In general, cooking techniques that provide less fat to foods are more suitable. We can quote for example:
- food cooked in water, steamed or poached,
- braised,
- made on the plate or in the oven
- cooked with the papillote technique , which consists of wrapping the food in paper so that it is cooked in its own steam.
Eat moderately fried foods, breaded, stews and stews. On the other hand, degreasing meat before cooking improves its preservation and nutritional quality.
There is a Healthy Eating Guide that, in addition to helping you to better select foods, allows you to choose the right amounts or provide sample menus. It also offers a chapter on how to cook food, respecting schedules and explaining safer and healthier cooking techniques.
