If your eating habits are like most people and you are looking for the simplest healthy eating advice, it would be to eat more vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
If you’re more serious about healthy eating, one of the best things to do is to cook more at home. Restaurant food is almost always high in calories and sodium, whereas when you cook at home you control the ingredients. Plus, you get to make what you like! Here are 10 tips to make home cooked meals healthier.
- Plan for it
Throwing a meal together without thinking about your health can trap you in unhealthy cooking habits. For some people meal planning means writing down a detailed menu, while for others it may look more like jottings on a scratch paper—sandwich night, soup night, pasta, stir-fry. Whatever your preference, having a plan sets you up for healthy cooking because it gives you time to think about and decide on healthy ingredients.
- Make fruits and vegetables a priority
Very few people eat the recommended quantities of fruits and vegetables. More than 80 percent of people don’t enough of these. Fruits and vegetables are rich in inflammation-fighting antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber. It’s recommended to eat 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 to 3 cups of vegetables every day.
When thinking about cooking, make vegetables the star of your meals. Grab a bowl of fruit in morning or a big salad for lunch or stuff spaghetti with mixed veggies at dinner. Try to make half your meal of fruits and veggies. Snacks are a great way to sneak in extra healthy food, like baby carrots, apple slices, dried fruit or vegetable soup.
- Eat a variety of protein
Meat is the best source of protein. A serving of protein is 3 ounces cooked or 4 ounces raw, about the size of a deck of cards. Eat fair amounts of meat, fish and poultry, while fill up the rest of your plate with healthy vegetables and whole grains. And it doesn’t have to be meat. Secondary protein sources include lentils and legumes, and you can make delicious soups with them.
- Go with whole grains
Pick whole grains over refined grains at least 50 percent of the time. Whole grains like brown rice and whole wheat cereals have their bran intact and thus have more fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and other nutrients. Try quinoa, whole wheat pasta, oats, and barley as side dishes, sprinkled on salads and in soups.
- Add healthy fats
Recent research shows that fat is not all bad. It is filling and also helps absorb nutrients, vitamins A, D, E and K. And, it tastes good! Choose unsaturated fats like olive oil, avocados, nuts, more often over saturated fats such as butter.
- Beware of added sugar and salt
Most people eat more than the recommended amount of added sugars and sodium or salt. Consistently excessive consumption of these creates risk for health like high blood pressure or heart disease.
Minimize consumption of white sugar, brown sugar, honey and maple syrup. Check ingredient labels on products and use sweeteners sparingly when cooking.
Sodium is found mostly in processed foods, so you’re likely to eat less with home cooking. Cook with fresh whole foods as much as possible, and use herbs, spices and vinegar to add flavor and minimize salt.
- Cook with global flavors
Some of the healthiest foods from around the world, like Mediterranean or traditional Japanese or Chinese, are rich in vegetables and grains and exclude processed foods. Using spices, like curry powder, and herbs, like basil, help flavor your food without adding salt. As a bonus, foods like Thai curries and Greek salads are not only healthy, they’re also delicious and not too hard to make!
- Mind the portions
Even healthy foods, when consumed in large amounts, can be too much of a good thing. Being mindful of healthy portions before you fix your plate can restrain you from eating more than you intended.
- Treat yourself!
Yes, treat yourself. Just because you’re cooking and eating healthier does not mean you should not enjoy what you eat, including dessert. Treat yourself to chocolate after dinner or a cookie as a snack. Dark chocolate is good, but if you don’t like it, there are plenty of other desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth. Be mindful of portions because most desserts don’t add nutrients to your diet.
- Be attentive and enjoy
Mindful eating can be overwhelming if you’re used to eating on the go. Being mindful doesn’t mean siting down and savoring every bite leisurely. Mindful eating in today’s life may just be about making more conscientious food decisions. With practice it will become second nature. Enjoying what you eat is important to feeling satisfied and decreasing stress about your diet.
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