What healthy cooking tips do you need for better health?
- Be mindful of what you buy
- Try to use fewer fats and oils
- Find alternatives to frying
- Lessen salt intake
- Incorporate more fruits and vegetables
Proper nutrition is an important part of your health. It is associated with a stronger immune system, lower risk of non-communicable diseases, and longer life. On the contrary, malnutrition can cause threats to your health. This Nutrition Month, as we are all shifting towards living with the COVID-19 virus, there is a call for improving people’s nutrition. In your own ways, you can find methods to provide better nutrition for yourself and your family. Here are some healthy cooking tips to help you.
Be Mindful Of What You Buy
Healthy cooking starts with the ingredients you use. Pay attention to the things you buy and use in your cooking. But what does a healthy grocery list contain?
Try to incorporate lean cuts of meat, fish, and also poultry into your list. Substitute low-fat and nonfat versions for dairy products too. Don’t forget to add more fruits and vegetables to your cart. You can choose frozen ones, so you can stock up your freezer. When choosing carbohydrates, pick whole grains or higher fiber varieties, which can help you feel fuller for longer.
Try your best to avoid purchasing foods only based on the packaging. Learn to read nutrition labels and ingredient lists too.
Try To Use Fewer Fats And Oils
Consuming too much of the wrong type of fats can raise your bad cholesterol and increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. As much as possible, try to avoid saturated fats, which can be found in the following:
- Fatty meats
- Full-fat dairy
- Butter
- Coconut oil
- Palm oil
- Hard margarine
When you’re cooking, try to replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats, such as the following:
- Olive oil
- Canola oil
- Peanut oil
Find Alternatives To Frying
Frying food requires you to use a large amount of oil. To lessen your use of unhealthy oils and fats, you can also switch to air frying! An air fryer circulates hot air around your food, making it crispy and delicious. Rather than cups of oil, you can use 1 tablespoon of oil for cooking and produce similar results to traditionally fried foods.
Other alternatives to frying are broiling, baking, steaming, or grilling foods. For these, you can use a multi-cooker, turbo broiler, oven, steamer, or griller! If you’re interested in these appliances, they’re available at Hanabishi. Here are some recommendations:
- Air Fryer: Hanabishi 7L Air Fryer HAFRYER70SSM
- Air Fryer Oven: Hanabishi Air Fryer 30L HAFEO30SS
- Multi Cooker: Hanabishi 13 in1 Multi-Cooker Griller HMCGRILL50
- Turbo Broiler: Hanabishi Turbo Broiler HTB130
- Oven: Hanabishi Electric Oven HEO48RED-1
- Steamer: Hanabishi Food Steamer HFS55
- Griller: Hanabishi Smokeless Infrared Griller HLRV-INFGRILL725
Lessen Salt Intake
Most people consume too much salt, commonly around twice the recommended maximum level. Reducing your salt intake is important because it helps reduce blood pressure and lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and coronary heart attack. Adults should aim to have a salt intake of fewer than 5 grams per day.
To reduce your salt intake, don’t just immediately add salt to your cooking. Instead, taste it first. Find other alternatives for enhancing the flavoring of your food. For example, if you’re cooking vegetables, add olive oil, vinegar, or lemon juice instead of salt. You can also use herbs and spices for flavor too. Below are some recommendations:
- Oregano: Great for pizza, omelets, and salad dressings
- Peppermint: Add to salads, sauces, smoothies, and grain bowls
- Basil: Incorporate in pizza and grilled meats
- Parsley: Sprinkle on soups, pasta, and salads
- Rosemary: Use in marinating grilled meats
- Cilantro: Enhance flavor of curries, beans, tacos, and dips
Incorporate More Fruits And Vegetables
Lastly, try to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet! These contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and plant chemicals that are beneficial for your health. Fortunately, there are many kinds of fruits and veggies, and also methods to add them to your diet!
It’s common to cook vegetables, but some can be eaten raw to maximize the nutrients. If you’re cooking, avoid overdoing it, so you can retain as many nutrients as possible. You can also use fruit and vegetables in smoothies, too! It’s good to invest in a good juice blender, so you can make various types of shakes. If you’re interested, you can check out the Hanabishi Juice Blender HJB100.
Key Takeaway
This nutrition month, try to reflect on your cooking and eating habits because the food you eat can impact your health. Hopefully, with these healthy cooking tips, you have an idea of how to make small changes in your cooking routine. You can achieve better nutrition for yourself and your family!
If you’re interested in budget-friendly but quality cooking appliances, you can find them here at Hanabishi! If you can’t find stocks in the store, you can shop online at the Hanabishi store at the Lazada Mall.
