Saturday, December 3, 2011

Nutritious and Healthy Home Cooking Tips

For people who have been watching their diet, healthy eating is not just picking the right kind of food but also cooking them in the right way. Yes, we tend to stay away from fast food and instead cooking at home by ourselves, therefore, in doing this, take time to read the following paragraph can help you get the most of your healthy food choice, especially for those who are counting all those calories to keep fit.

Add more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in your recipes. Go for organic fruits and vegetables as much as possible, they are not just free from poisonous pesticide but also contain more antioxidants than the non-organically grown ones. Replace or get rid of those high-calories, high-fat ingredients, it is one of the healthy cooking tips you can never go wrong if you want to have healthy diet. In some recipes, you can actually choose to omit the optional ingredients that contribute to the higher calorie content of the food.

Choose cooking oil. Chinese cooks usually use peanut oil, which has a high smoke point and a pleasant nutty flavor, for both stir-frying and deep-frying. For a healthier version, try to use Canola oil and olive oil, which are high in healthy monounsaturated fat and low in unhealthy saturated fat, it is believed that monounsaturated fats help lower the bad cholesterol that can lead to heart disease or stroke. Asian sesame oil is unsuitable as stir-fry oil because of its strong flavor and unstableness when heated, and it is used primarily as a seasoning that is added to stir-fry at the end of cooking.

Choose a healthy method for preparation. Appropriate cooking method always helps to preserve nutrients of the food. Grilling, broiling+ steaming, and braising are good ways to do this.

Lower the salt in your food. Instead of relying on salt for extra flavor, increase the amount of herbs and spices in the dish. Spices such as curry powder, five-spice powder, and chili powder are salt-free while have loads of flavor. And if you are using canned vegetables that contain salt, remember to rinse them thoroughly under cold running water to remove some of the sodium before cooking.

Choose right kind of food and start with these practical and healthy cooking tips, you can absolutely make a big difference in your diet and your health.

Hao Luo is the author of Chinese Recipes, which is the only website offering detailed and specific Chinese food cooking pictures. If you interested in Chinese cooking, click here: Easy Chinese Recipes.