We live in a health-conscious time. Healthy food advertisements, fitness ads, and vitamin supplements are rife all over popular media. Eating healthy is promoted, and science continuously develops and discovers ways to make food healthy. However, eating healthy always begins in our kitchen. The effort to eat healthily always begins in our homes, and it’s one of the best decisions to make.
A common misconception surrounding healthy eating is that you have to give up delicious food as they are usually sugar or salt-filled delicacies. Moderation is always the key, however, and you can continue eating your favorite cuisine provided it’s done so in moderation. You can easily create healthy alternatives to your favorite food as well.
There are multiple methods to make your meals healthier, and that’s what we’re going to look at today. Below are simple ways you can make sure that the food that comes out of your encourages the health and safety of your family.
Try Air Frying Instead
Everybody loves fried food. Homemade fried food are among the easiest and most popular food you can make, and they have a certain sense of nostalgia to them as well. However, we all know the dangers of using too much oil, as it contains a lot of calories that can end up clogging our arteries. A healthier option is to air fry instead of traditional frying as it can cut the calories by up to 70%, and is considerably less fatty.
Cook with Different Colored Food
A varied and diverse diet is one of the most efficient ways to make sure that you are fulfilling your nutritional needs. A simple trick to make sure that you meet the variety needed is to use different colored ingredients. Vegetables come in different colors, and it’s an easy way to tell which ones have different nutrients. Not only are they healthy, but it can also entice your young ones to start eating.
Limit Your Portions
When cooking for the family, it’s much more convenient to cook in large batches to make sure everyone gets their fill. However, this also means that it’s easy to overeat, as there will always be more food left. To avoid overeating, you need to portion your cooking properly, as it can prevent your family from eating too much. It may sound like a simplistic solution, but it’s an efficient way to avoid the dangers of overeating and maintain proper weight.
Control Your Sugars and Salts
Sugar is addicting. It’s one of the most commonly abused seasonings, and should definitely be one of the ingredients you need to control in your cooking. There are healthy sweetening alternatives to sugar, and they are a better option, especially if you need to watch your sugar intake.
Overusing salt is dangerous as well, especially for those with kidney or heart problems. Most processed food contain inordinate amounts of salt (as it can help with preservation), and as such, should be avoided. When cooking at home, try to use less salt. You can use a wide variety of herbs and spices to make up for the lack of salt, and it can make your food taste better as well.
Make Sure Your Kitchen is Clean
Of course, all these efforts will be put to waste if your working area in itself is not clean. Make sure that your countertop is made with bacteria-resistant materials. Granite countertops and other of similar make are great since they’re non-porous, making sure that no germs or bacteria remain in the tiny crevices not seen by the naked eye. Make it a point to clean your kitchen utensils properly as well, and you can use hot water to kill any germs.
Eating healthy is an integral part of our overall well-being, and it begins at home. The above are only some examples to help you get started.
