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Cooking can be tough
without worrying how many calories you have to count to make sure you're
eating healthy. With all the different types of fats and butter, eating
well can be a challenge. There are several things to keep in mind when
cooking healthier and it all starts with re-evaluating your recipes. With
chefs yelling “pork fat rules” from the mountaintops, how do you make your
recipes better for you? Here are some tips to re-evaluate your recipes so
they help your body, not harm it.
Choose Your Fats Wisely
and Make Them Count
Many recipes have
different types of oils or fats within them to help the recipe taste
better. Learning what fats are good vs. bad can help to prepare healthier
dishes for you. Using processed oils like canola or vegetable will make for
empty fat grams and calories that are not necessary to your dishes. When
cooking, try using extra virgin olive oil. This oil is not only thought to
aid in fighting heart disease, but it is also high in vitamin E. This will
make your nails, hair, skin healthier. Extra virgin olive oil also helps
with taste. Starting your dish off with vegetable oil or canola oil doesn’t
add anything to the flavor of your dish, by adding a little extra virgin
olive oil you will have twice the taste of your usual oil.
Making a salad can become
a great way to have a light and very healthy lunch or snack, but once you
add your toppings and heavy dressing, the health factor has gone out the
window. Instead of adding copious amounts of empty calories, try adding
avocado or nuts with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic
vinegar. This will make your salad light and the avocado will give you good
fats instead of empty bad ones. If your having a fat in your dish make it
do double duty by being good for you.
Cut the Calories
Every Time You Can
Having a sweet tooth can
leave you combing through your recipes for something to satisfy your need
for sugar, problem is, most recipes give you ingredients with high fat
content. Most recipes assume that you will be using the regular versions of
the ingredients, but with so many different versions of these same
ingredients with less fat, it is possible to conquer your sweet tooth in a
healthy way.
Cheesecake is a great
dessert that many avoid when trying to be healthy, but you don’t have to.
This is one example of how you can cut the calories and still enjoy this
delectable dessert. Since the recipe calls for cream cheese, try a fat-free
or if you must have your fat, use the one third less fat. Instead of regular sour
cream, use fat-free. This will change your cheesecake for the better. The
guaranteed end product will be just as decadent with a much healthier
touch. If you’re worried about the flavor, add pumpkin or an extract to
enhance the flavor. You can cut the fat in almost any recipe you make if
you are looking for more flavor enhancers use fresh herbs for savory dishes
and fresh fruit or chocolate for sweet dishes.
Cut
the Recipe to Fit Your Appetite
Have you ever baked
cookies for the holiday season and ended up with so many cookies you had no
choice but to eat them all? Or so you thought? Sometimes you come
across a recipe that you know you won’t eat all of it but make it anyway.
This is where you have to exercise portion control. There is
definitely a problem with the portion control amongst the restaurant
industry, but just because you eat big at a restaurant doesn’t mean you have
to eat big at home.
When making a dish, scale down the amount of food
you will consume. You don’t need to make two cups of rice for yourself,
try one instead. Scaling down on portions will give you more control
over what you eat and how to eat less. Now, everyone is different and
eats more or less depending on many factors, but you know when you’re eating
too much. Try cutting the recipes you make in half and I’m sure you’ll
find that you are completely full without the extra portion you would have
made.
In the end, when you’re looking at your recipes, think of them as beginning
formula that you can change. Cooking is never set in stone whether it
is baking or tonight’s dinner, create and re-evaluate your recipes so they
suit your healthy lifestyle.
Patricia Virella is a freelance food writer and the owner of
Comida, Catering by Patricia. When she’s not throwing fabulous parties with
friends, she enjoys spending time with her fiancé.
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