Healthy cooking or healthy eating doesn't mean denial. Changes that we
implement towards a healthier lifestyle will impact our health, the way
we feel and perhaps extend our life.
Cooking is a personal experience and we can implement different
methods for the same meal. For example, if we want to make mashed
potatoes, we could boil the potatoes, or we could steam them, we could
peel the skin, buy instant mixes, etc.
The choices we make will modify and transform the quality and the nutritional value of the food you put
on your table.
So here are a few tips that you can easily implement in your kitchen.
Healthy Cooking for a healthier lifestyle, you may want change what
you cook as well as how you cook.
Depending on the method you choose, you may be
depleting the nutrients out of your food. You could be preparing a meal
with the right nutritious ingredients but after you are done cooking,
you may end up with a dish that has no nutritional value.
When heat is applied, many vitamins and minerals are burnt away.
The higher the temperature and the longer you cook it, the fewer
nutrients you will have in your meal.
It is important then not to over cook your meals, try to cook your meals in the shortest time
possible and with the minimum amount of water possible.
However, dry cooking methods such as roasting and baking are perhaps the worst
method, as they require a longer cooking time.
Microwave, frying, boiling and saute are some of the methods that you need to
consider before you cook.
Steaming and stir-frying are better choices, as they will allow the natural nutrition to remain in your food.
It is also important to consider the oxidation that occurs in vegetables once they are cut,
as oxidation will neutralize the vitamins. For this reason, try not to cut or chop your vegetables way
ahead of time.
Seasonings:
You may also want to think about the seasonings that you add to your
foods when cooking.
Consider adding unrefined sea salt to your meals instead of the
commonly available commercial table salt, which is a highly refined
product containing 99.5% sodium chloride with almost no trace minerals
left.
Unrefined sea salt taste wonderful and depending on the method of
processing, it contains 0.5 to 3% trace minerals in addition to sodium
chloride and small quantities of other elements found naturally in the
ocean.
You also need to remember that too much salt can cause
hypertension, excessive fluid retention and other complications.
You could also add a lot of spices and herbs instead if you need to add
more taste to your meals.
Try adding fresh lemon juice or lime juice to add a little extra taste.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). It is used to enhance flavor and some
people are extremely sensitive to it.
It is believed to cause headaches, muscle tightening.
Baking powders contain aluminum.
Cooking utensils -Quality cookware and utensils that do not interact
with food are also important to consider.
Natural materials such as earthenware, ceramic, glass and metals such as stainless steel, cast-iron or enamel
coated steel are recommended.
Avoid aluminum, plastic, Teflon and other synthetic materials.
Nonstick cookware such as Teflon will emit toxic fumes when heated to a high temperature.
Inhaling these toxic fumes can lead to respiratory disease, weakening of the immune system, cancer,
depression, asthma and other health problems.
More Things to Consider: Choose quality vegetable oils. Avoid
hydrogenated oils and fats, refined margarines and oils, animal oils and fats and shortenings.
Hydrogenated oils are manufactured oils. Studies have found that they
attack the arteries with a risk of heart disease, the kidneys, liver,
spleen, intestine and gallbladder.
Avoid Aspartame. MSG and Aspartame are both considered excitotoxins.
Studies have found that Aspartame is the cause for many medical problems, such as headaches, hyperactivity in children, seizure
disorders and memory loss.
Both Aspartame and MSG and other similar substances cause harm to the brain and nervous system.
Try using less white flour and introduce more fiber by adding bran and
soy flour and wheat germ to your bread recipes.
Avoid white processed sugar. The living vitality is not
there.
Organically grown unprocessed living sugar can be found at health food
stores.
Avoid artificial sweeteners, they are manufactured chemicals. Use
raw organic honey, fresh organic fruit juices or organic raw evaporated
sugarcane juice.
Balance your diet with fresh fruits and vegetables versus frozen or
canned.
Choose 100% organic fresh produce that is free from chemical
fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. Have a salad every day.
Make your own salad dressing.
Here is the one I make for my daily salads:
In the food processor chop garlic, ginger, onion, jalapeño pepper
and parsley.
Add fresh squeezed lime juice (from 4 or 5 limes) or lemon
juice, extra virgin oil, and unrefined sea salt, that's it, and it is
delicious. You could also add honey for a little extra flavor.
As far as the amount for each ingredient, I would say, 5 cloves of garlic, a
1/2" piece of ginger, 1/2 onion, 1 jalapeño pepper, a handful of
parsley and 4-5 limes.
Add oil and salt to taste. Yields about a pint.
Storing foods depletes their vitamin and mineral content.
So remember not to keep leftovers in the fridge for more than a couple of
days.
Instead, try freezing your leftovers right away, as soon as your
food has cooled.
And last but not least, cook with a light heart and avoid meals
prepared by people who are sick, angry or they have an unhappy attitude
when cooking.
by: Izzy Morgan
About The Author
Izzy Morgan offers Health Articles on
Nutrition and other health topics at her website http://www.ForHealthTips.com
(Family Features) According to the National Pork Board's "Healthy Habits 2011" survey, while 60 percent of dieters have made a health-related resolution, sticking to that goal will be harder than quitting smoking or even winning the lottery.
Luckily, finding nutritious foods, like pork, which taste great and can help you feel fuller longer, is a delicious recipe for long-term diet success. However, the survey also showed that seven out of ten people are not aware that incorporating lean pork into their diet can decrease distracting thoughts about food.
"One of the keys to weight management is managing hunger," said Dr. Heather Leidy, currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri.
"There is a growing body of evidence that suggests increasing the amount of lean protein, like pork, in your diet can help decrease distracting thoughts about food to help you achieve long-term healthy eating goals."
Here are a handful of tips to help you control your appetite:
Choose cuts of pork that come from the loin - including chops and roasts - and 96 percent lean ground pork, which are the leanest cuts of pork available.
Think about meal frequency. A recent study, published in the journal "Obesity," suggests that sitting down to eat a real meal three times a day may be a better strategy for weight loss than grazing on several smaller "mini-meals."
In addition to protein, look for foods high in fiber like fruits, vegetables and whole grains to help keep you fuller.
Eating Healthy for Two
(Family Features)
What you eat not only affects you, it could affect your unborn child.
Of the four million women who give birth in the US each year, some 3,000 babies are born with neural tube defects, which include certain birth defects of the brain and spinal cord.
Folic acid is a critical element needed for proper spinal cord development during the first three weeks of pregnancy.
Because this is often before a woman even knows she's pregnant, it's important for women of child-bearing age to follow a healthy lifestyle and to include folic acid as part of her diet.
The Grain Foods Foundation would like to remind all women of child-bearing age of the important role folic acid plays in preventing birth defects.
Enriched breads - and many other grains such as rice, tortillas, pasta and cereal - are important sources of folic acid.
White flour is enriched with three major B vitamins (niacin, thiamin and riboflavin), as well as iron, and is fortified with the B vitamin folic acid.
Enriched flour contains two times as much folic acid as its whole grain counterpart - making enriched grains the largest source of folic acid in the diets of most Americans. Whole grain products, with the exception of some breakfast cereals, are not fortified with folic acid.
Since the FDA required fortification of enriched grains, the number of babies born in the United States with neural-tube birth defects, which include certain birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, has declined by 26 percent.
Grain foods are a delicious and nutrient-dense component of a healthy diet and have been shown to help with weight maintenance.
In fact, people who consume a medium-to-high percentage of carbohydrates in their diet have a reduced risk for obesity.
This is important for women of child-bearing age as obese women who are pregnant have a significantly higher risk of needing a Cesarean section delivery, delivering too early, developing pre-eclampsia, and having an exceptionally large baby.
They also face double the risk of stillbirth and neonatal death.
For a balanced diet, the USDA recommends at least six one-ounce servings of grains daily.
Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain is a grain product.
Bread, pasta, oatmeal and even tortillas and pretzels are examples of grain foods.
The following recipe is a simple way to start incorporating enriched breads into a healthy diet.
For more nutritional information and delicious recipes, visit www.GoWithTheGrain.org.
Recipe for Breakfast Fruit Turnovers
Ingredients
2 slices enriched white bread, crusts removed
2 tablespoons chopped dried apples
1 tablespoon dried cranberries
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Vanilla yogurt for garnish, optional
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Roll out bread with a rolling pin until flattened to about 1/16 of an inch.
Stir together apples and cranberries. Brush some of the butter on the edges of the bread. Mound one half of the dried fruit mixture just right of center in the middle of each piece of bread. Fold over the bread to form a triangle and enclose the filling. Pinch the edges of the bread together firmly to seal.
Arrange in one layer on a small baking sheet and brush the top of each turnover with the remaining butter. Bake the turnovers in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until pale golden.
Top each turnover with a spoonful of vanilla yogurt, if desired.
Serves 1
Notes, Tips & Suggestions Developed by Sara Moulton for the Grain F
