Healthy Cooking

Serving nutritious meals to your family and friends is not just a matter of choosing the ”right” foods to prepare, but also cooking foods in ways that will retain and even enhance their healthful benefits. With a few careful decisions about ingredients and cooking strategies, you can turn your most popular dishes into a real success of taste, appeal and nutritional quality.

Cut back on fat:
The main rule of thumb for healthy cooking is to reduce the use of methods that require excessive fat and calories in food, such as deep frying. Consider, that each tablespoon of oil you use when frying adds approximately 14 grams of fat and 125 calories. Since a healthy adult eating a 2,000-calorie diet should have no more than about 60 grams of fat a day, four tablespoons of oil would supply all the fat needed in a day. Since people get most of their fat from entree proteins, ,sauces and desserts, by utilizing the cooking techniques below you can dramatically reduce your fat intake. These healthy techniques can intensify the taste of foods, and help you to cut back on the fat and calories. For example, switching to roasting which allows some fat in foods to drip away. Stir-frying is another lower fat alternative that allows foods to cook quickly using only a small amount of oil. Also, “steam frying” is a cooking process that reduces overall fat since it involves sautéing food briefly in a small amount of oil, and then adding water, stock or wine to the pan. After cooking the food covered until almost done, uncover and boil off the excess liquid. Not only will the food taste great by using more health-conscious methods, but it will not leave you with the lethargic feeling from over-indulging with a heavier meal. Here are some other ways to cut back the fat.
Use cooking spray or non-stick pans for grilling or stir-frying.
Use cooking oils, such as olive or canola oil, or a combination of oil with butter rather than complete use of butter.
Drain off visible fat while cooking and blot pan-fried foods with paper towels to absorb extra grease.
Allow soups and sauces to chill before reheating and serving so the fat can be skimmed off the top.
Reduce the fat in fresh baked goods by simply substituting applesauce, puréed prunes, mashed bananas or yogurt for up to half of the shortening.
Marinate meat, poultry or fish before grilling or broiling to bring out the maximum flavor potential.
Try fruit or vegetable salsas and fruit chutneys as accompaniments to meat or poultry in place of heavy gravies or sauces.

Spice it up:
As any chef will tell you of the importance of layering flavors. While we all, rely heavily on the power of salt to develop and bring out flavors, it is important to find flavorful ways to reduce the amount of salt in dishes. Thankfully, flavor building ingredients like herbs and spices enhance the aroma, color and taste of dishes without adding salt or fat. The most potent are cloves, allspice and cinnamon, followed by sage, marjoram, tarragon and rosemary.

Herb – Flavor – Use

Basil – Slight mint – Tomatoes, omelets, quiche, hamburgers, chicken
Cinnamon – Slightly spicy and sweet – Fruit, oatmeal, chili, chutney, chocolate, baked goods
Cumin – Slightly bitter and very fragrant – Mexican and Indian cuisine, chili, stews, beef, pork
Garlic – Pungent and bitter – Chicken, vegetables, shrimp, potatoes, breads
Ginger – Sharp, spicy and sweet – Chicken, ham, stir-fry, baked goods
Mustard – Sharp, pungent and spicy – Dips, dressings, meats, pretzels, chili, omelets, baked beans
Oregano – Slightly bitter and aromatic – Italian cuisine, pizza, pasta, tomatoes, beans, meats
Parsley – Crisp and herbal – Pizza, vegetables, meats, almost anything
Rosemary – Christmas-like and piney – Chicken, lamb, pork, veal, dressings
Thyme – Subtle mint and herbal – Cheese, vegetables, fish, sauces, breads

You could benefit in many ways if you would reduce the salt in your favorite dish by half and replace it with a complementary array of herbs or spices. For maximum flavor potential, remember to add fresh herbs and any salt toward the end of cooking, and dried herbs in the earlier stages of cooking. Other ideas for adding color and flavor without salt or fat are citrus zests and juices, flavored vinegars and chili peppers.

Fat Substitutions:
You can replace higher calorie ingredients with healthier ones without sacrificing taste and overall satisfaction. Even if you do not feel completely comfortable substituting all of an ingredient, try substituting half of the higher fat ingredient for its lower fat counterpart.

HIGHER/ LOWER

Sour cream/ Plain low-fat yogurt
Cream cheese/ Low-fat cream cheese
Whole eggs/ Egg substitutes or egg whites
Regular cheese/ Reduced-fat cheese
Vegetable oil/ Applesauce
Ricotta cheese/ Low-fat cottage cheese
Heavy cream/ Evaporated skim milk

Cook by color:
When you consider the most colorful foods available, they will likely be a part of the fruits and vegetables food groups. Not only are fruits and vegetables esthetically pleasing, but they also are versatile, great tasting and provide a host of healthful benefits. In fact, they are among the most nutritious foods you can eat.
In regards to produce, it is important to choose colorful produce. More color signifies a better nutritional quality. Also, richer color indicates a bigger nutritional impact. So, it is important to choose methods of cooking that will retain the flavor, color and nutrients of produce.

The new American Plate
The new American Plate is not a confusing diet of counting calories, fat grams or carbohydrates. It is a way to create meals that lower your risk for cancer and other chronic diseases while managing weight at the same time. The idea is to use sensible cooking methods and less fat, and add more vegetables, fruits and whole grains to recipes to set a better nutritional table.
To understand this concept, picture a dinner plate and divide it in half.
Fill one half with vegetables and divide the other half into two quarters.
Fill one quarter with lean protein, such as fish, skinless poultry, lean beef, beans or tofu.
Fill the other quarter with a grain-based or starchy side dish, preferably a whole grain like brown rice, whole-wheat pasta or a slice of whole-grain bread.
When you look at your entrées, what do you see? Is it like many other meals, the plate features an entrée, which may be meat, poultry or seafood, a sizeable helping of starch, such as potatoes or rice, and a small serving of a vegetables. The portion of meat is usually the star of the plate that most likely consists of light or beige colors. The New American Plate, unlike the traditional plate, is full of color and variety. It holds four items rather than three: two vegetables, one whole grain dish and a 3-ounce serving of meat. Using a combination of plant-foods and plant-based condiments, you can create delightful flavors, aromas and textures that make eating healthy and exciting.

Cooking for kids
The primary focus should be on creating kids’ meals that meet one third of the USDA’s daily recommendations, without the traditional menu mainstays like pizza, hamburgers, chicken fingers and french fries.
The challenge is making kids’ offerings fun and inviting while also being rich in taste and nutrition.
Trans fats should be eliminated and increase choices like yogurt parfaits, grilled chicken or fish, rice pilaf, fruit cups and steamed vegetables.
Although all the healthy techniques listed still apply, the trick of the trade for kids’ dishes is to make them kid-friendly, of course.
First, children love finger foods or items they can eat with their hands. Consider the ever popular chicken fingers. Rather than that, try grilled kabobs of chicken or shrimp with vegetables. Don’t forget a dipping sauce to go with finger food treats. You might want to try making a turkey burger recipe that includes some veggies in the patty and serve it up with baked sweet potato fries rather than deep-fat fried french fries. As for an alternate to traditional pizzas, you can use whole grain flat breads, low fat cheese and turkey or chicken sausage. As for desserts, offer kids dessert specials, such as fruit smoothies or other fruit-inspired desserts. Let your inner child come out and play. With a little creativity and little nutrition know-how, you can make the kids meals a celebration of youth.

Tags: Cooking Tips, Healthy cooking