Just after vacation is over, you could be counting how many kilos you put on. Well! It is the same for people around the globe. Christmas and New Year call for hearty meals that may not always be healthy. Restaurant meals may not be a great boon on society, as they are stale at times.
Moreover, many people have gorged on whole turkeys. So, by the end of January, most livers would have turned sluggish.
Do not worry yet, as you still have the entire year ahead to make up for it. Cooking at home is suitable for both your health and your purse. Additionally, you have total control over the ingredients. To add to it, cooking at home helps you experiment and come up with tasty meals with wholesome ingredients.
Here, you will know a few ways to cook healthy and better meals at home.
5 secrets to cooking healthier
Use less or better fats
All fats are not equal. You may be having a clue about that. Saturated fats are known as the uglier lot and trans fats. You mostly get them from animal fats, like meat, poultry, yolks, and dairy foods. Trans fats are hydrogenated fats that are harmful to your body.
These are primarily found in processed foods. Therefore, you should limit their usage, at least in home-cooked food.
Use lots of unsaturated fats at home. They include canola oil, groundnut oil, and peanut butter. Flaxseed oil is even healthier. If you are a non-vegetarian, you can also eat food cooked in fish oils.
They contain Omega-3 fatty acids. Now, it may not be entirely possible to follow the above stringently. So, you can use fewer fats, all together.
Invest in some kitchen gadgets
Most kitchens have basic stuff, like utensils, measuring jars, and various pots and pans. However, some additional gadgets or tools can help you cook better. You should take their assistance.
Some of the healthiest devices that you can go for include Spiralizers, air fryers, vegetable stammers, and a useful coffee maker. These can help your health in more ways than one.
Spiralizers are your vegetable’s best friends. You can feed your children healthy meals by cutting them into interesting shapes like shoestrings and noodles. This help people who are gluten-allergic and cannot have pasta. You can have these vegetables tossed in some light sauce and savor the flavor without indulgence.
Air fryers are also a hot favorite today, as they can cook your fries without the fats. Now, you can toss zucchinis and lady’s fingers inside and eat them fresh. Additionally, if you love your momos or steamed vegetables, then it’s nothing like it.
It is known that coffee helps shed kilos, minus the sugars. So, you should have one in your kitchen to aid in weight loss. It also saves you from heading to the local cafe.
And thirdly, you have so many options like a frappe, cappuccino, and espresso. You can even get fresh beans that are organically produced. So, that is a considerable advantage of investing in one.
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Keep time aside for marination
If you want to have healthy meals at home, you should prep them before putting them in the skillet. Whether you use wet or dry marination, the purpose is to tenderize the meats, poultry, and fish.
It also imparts flavor to the food. If you prep the food well, you will be spending less time tossing it in the skillet. That also means that you would need fewer oils to fry it.
It is known that too much boiling and blanching can also lead to the tenderization of meats and fish. Additionally, much of the ingredients also tend to move into the water. So, you are left with just the fleshy part.
Apart from this benefit, marinades also reduce the carcinogenic compounds in foods, ready within minutes. Too much heating leads to the production of carcinogens. Salts, acids, seasoning, and herbs also have therapeutic effects on the body.
Reduce sugar intake
Sugar is one of the fundamental reasons behind diabetes, the no.1 killer globally. But apart from just direct consumption of sugar, you could be ingesting sugars from other sources. Corn flakes, sodas, and sugary ready-made drinks are the culprits that you need to keep away from the kitchen.
You can also use honey and stevia leaf powder instead of sugar in your meals and drinks. Stevia leaves tend to enhance the flavor of green teas. So, have more of them. Replace sugars in ice creams with ingredients like maple syrup. It also adds to the taste.
Choose healthy cooking methods
You should make steaming and poaching your best friends in the kitchen. They tend to preserve the nutrients better than any other cooking process. But if you are cooking non-vegetarian, roasting and grilling also make sense. They tend to bring the flavors of the meats out.
Try out these healthy cooking tips for your home. They will give you a fit body that ages gracefully. Your kids will also grow up to be slim, happy, and bright, as fast food is detrimental to their health as well.
