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Cooking at home is a brilliant way to boost your health and enhance your diet, provided that you choose the right ingredients and cooking techniques. If you’re a novice chef, and you’re on a mission to embrace healthy eating, here’s a beginner’s guide to healthy cooking.
Start with simple, nutritious ingredients
If you’re starting from scratch with no experience in cooking, it’s best to begin by creating dishes that showcase simple, nutritious and delicious ingredients. Think about the foods you love to eat and search for straightforward, healthy recipes online like an easy recipe to grill fish at home or basic, fresh vegetable pasta dishes. Choose foods that are packed with nutrients and goodness, such as vegetables, fruit, lean meat, fish, pulses, whole grains and seeds, and look for recipes based on the ingredients you have.
Learn about different cooking methods
The foods you select play a significant role in determining how nutritious a meal is, but it’s also important to consider the cooking methods you use. There are all kinds of ways to prepare and cook food, including roasting, baking, grilling, frying, deep-frying, steaming and boiling. If you’re looking to reduce your calorie intake and limit your consumption of saturated fats, it’s best to opt for grilling, baking, steaming, boiling and roasting rather than frying and deep-frying.
Add fruit and vegetables
One of the best ways to make the meals you cook at home more nutritious and flavorful is to add fruit and vegetables. If you’re making a tomato-based pasta sauce, for example, be liberal with your tomatoes and add peppers, zucchini, onions or shallots, mushrooms and celery.
If you’re looking for a simple, quick and healthy dessert, sprinkle chopped berries or banana, apple, pear, mango or plums onto a bowl of Greek yogurt. You can also increase your intake of fruit and vegetables by adding a side. If you’re eating chicken or fish, for example, you could grill a selection of vegetables or add a vibrant, zingy, fresh chopped salad with tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, onion, carrot and corn.
Opt for whole grains
Whole-grain foods are high in fiber and they usually contain less sugar and saturated fat than other grains, which is great for heart health. Try to opt for whole grains wherever possible. Swap white bread, cereals, rice and pasta for brown, whole-grain versions.
Keep an eye on portion sizes
One of the main reasons people struggle to lose weight when changing their diet is that they consume too much food. If you’re trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, it’s beneficial to keep an eye on portion sizes. Often, the servings you get when you eat out are far bigger than recommended portion sizes. Avoid trying to recreate restaurant meals at home. Stick to recipe guidelines and if you want to bulk up your dishes, add vegetables as a side.
Cooking at home is a brilliant way to take control of your diet and try to enhance nutrition. If you’re a newbie, there are lots of ways to follow a healthy eating plan and learn along the way. Start with simple, nutritious ingredients and search for easy recipes. Learn about different cooking methods and opt for whole grains. Add nutritious sides to boost your intake of fruit and vegetables and keep a close on portion sizes.