How to prepare food more healthily:
- Trim off all visible fats from meats, poultry and fish before cooking.
- Remove chicken skin before cooking.
- Use healthier cooking methods than frying such as steaming, cooking stews without oils, microwaving, baking and broiling ;(steaming is preferred as it preserves most vitamins)
- Drain out cooked meat from its water before using adding it to the stew.
- If the recipe states using vegetable oils during cooking make sure they are cholesterol free and add them in very limited amounts while cooking (1-2 teaspoons). Examples are canola and sunflower oil.
- If the recipe states using butter and margarine use only trans fat-free margarine in limited amounts.
- Substitute whole eggs for egg whites: every 1 whole egg in a recipe equals 2 egg whites.
- For desserts, substitute white sugar with fructose sugar.(Same quantities )
- Use frozen vegetables and meats if fresh ones are not available.
- If you have to use canned vegetables, make sure you drain them out of the canned water and wash them thoroughly with potable water to remove all excess salts.
- When browning vegetables, put them in a hot pan then spray with oil, rather than adding the oil first to the pan.
- Substitute concentrated tomato sauce with fresh tomato or tomato juices.
- Add herbs, spices, and flavorings to the food such as rosemary to green peas, cauliflower and zucchini and oregano and basil to tomatoes.
- When cooking with white or creamy sauces, avoid butter and full fat milk or full fat cream, choose instead low fat cream or yogurt, skimmed milk and vegetable oil.
- When adding cheese to a recipe: avoid full fat yellow cheeses, prefer the fat-free or low fat versions such as cottage cheese.
- When preparing pasta or rice: do not add any oil or butter. Steam the rice or boil the pasta alone.