Dieting or eating healthy, doesn’t have to mean missing out on the foods we love. We’ve put together 5 cooking hacks you can use to modify your favourite recipes to make them healthier and from experience, just as tasty.
1. Start from scratch
Don’t waste your time on the latest fad diet or cutting out food groups, more often than not you won’t stick to them for long and the results won’t last, as soon as you return to normal way of life, so will your results. Instead, introduce healthy eating habits, prep your meals in advance and educate yourself on cooking healthier meals and cook from scratch to transform your favorite recipes into healthier versions.
Remember: being healthier does NOT have to mean less flavor or boring meals. Keep an open mind to try new flavors. Enjoy the process while trying fresh ingredients and create dishes that do not need high sugar, fats or salt to taste.
2. Opt for ‘leaner meats’ and use more herbs and spices
Most people consume too much ‘saturated fat.’ Fats add flavor and your body NEEDS it, so reducing fat intake all together is not the answer. Instead opt for ‘naturally’ lower in fat meats and through using herbs and spices, you can get the flavor you want.
For example, instead of just going for your standard choice of meat, opt for the lean option, most supermarkets or butchers will have leaner meat or less than 5% (or 10%) fat on the shelf. Marinade overnight in seasonings to get the most flavour or use herbs such as thyme, garlic, paprika, jerk or rosemary when cooking.
This approach can also be adopted with desserts too. For example opt for naturally lower in sugar fruit such as berries, peach or honeydew melon and add a pinch of Saigon cinnamon to compensate.
Fill your kitchen with herbs and spices, set aside the salt and that way, you will have a solid formula for a healthier and tastier diet.
3. Replace this with that
Switch up the ingredients you use or substitute basic ingredients and immediately increase your level of healthy cooking. Below are some examples of easy alternatives to reduce fat, salt and sugar with just one small change;
Thick cream or half cream = half fat free cream
1 egg = 2 egg whites
Garlic salt = garlic powder / granules
Syrup = fruit puree
Ground beef = extra lean meat or ground chicken or ground turkey
White rice = wild rice, pearl barley or bulgur wheat
4. Learn new cooking techniques
Be careful with the fryer! High consumption of fried foods has been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Instead use a griddle pan, grill, steam or bake your food. If you do chose to fry, use lower calorie cooking sprays such as ‘fry-light’ and ensure you properly preheat your pan, placing cold ingredients in a cold pan can dry out your food when cooking.
5. Get the right tools
Nonstick skillet: does your recipe include vegetables sauteed in oil? With a good nonstick skillet, you can usually saute without adding oil.
Steamer: steamed fish, chicken or seafood on top of a layer of herbs or vegetables to add moisture, tasty results without adding oil.
Cooking shears: fundamental to trim fat from meat, cut nuts for sauces and dressings, or chop fresh herbs quickly.
With your new knowledge and some essential tools and cooking hacks, you can make any recipe and make it your own way, healthy and delicious.
Got a healthy recipe or cooking hack to share? Leave a comment below or email us if you would like to have your recipe featured in our next article.
