Cooking Light, Cooking Right

Every one aims to have a fit body, which enables them to enjoy all the good aspects of life. But the highest demand of a healthy body is eating nourishing foods, to benefit the whole body system. Now is the best time to make your cooking styles healthier using the latest kitchen tools and nourishing food products to keep yourself and your family members hale and hearty. Let us look at how you can make a change in an alphabetical order (mostly).

A

Air Fryer

When foods are fried, they absorb a lot of fat. Even if the food is a low fat item, it ends up with a high fat content when fried. When consumed, it increases the blood cholesterol level. Now you have an alternative. The revolutionary airfryer uses a combination of air, heat, and the oil already in the food to fry everything to crispy perfection – fries, chicken and other food in just minutes – without the oil and the guilt! The theory is that, the food is healthy since it uses up to 80% less fat than a conventional fryer for the best-tasting food – without the oil. Its fully-adjustable temperature control allows you to pre-set the best cooking temperature for your food.

B

Brown rice

The process that produces brown rice removes only the outermost layer, the hull, of the rice kernel and is the least damaging to its nutritional value. The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fibre and essential fatty acids. It contains more fibre, minerals and also acts as an antioxidant. Brown rice is also great for weight loss and solves many problems associated with the digestive system due to its high fibre content.

Baking

For baking, food is placed in a pan or dish surrounded by the hot, dry air of your oven. The taste and nutrients are preserved in baking. Just remember to use unsaturated spread instead of butter, wholegrain flour instead of white flour when baking bread and fruit and vegetables instead of sugar when baking cakes to add fibre and sweetness. You can also be creative by adding sweet vegetables like carrots, beetroots or fruit such as apples, berries or pineapples, to reduce adding so much sugar.

Butter (Low fat)

Since the common butter is high in saturated fat which is bad for health, now there is low fat butter. This butter substitute generally contains plant sterols and stanols, which are effective in stopping the absorption of cholesterol in the blood.

That said, choose butter over margarine although they serve the same purpose. Butter has been a dietary staple for centuries. It is made by churning the fatty portion of cow’s milk until it turns into the final product… butter. Margarine is a highly processed food that was invented to replace butter. The primary ingredient is vegetable oil along with emulsifiers, colourants and various artificial ingredients. Vegetable oil is liquid at room temperature. This is why margarine is often hydrogenated, which gives it a harder consistency and extends shelf life. Hydrogenation also turns some of the vegetable oils into trans fats.

C

Cooking Oils

According to American Heart Association, all fats are not bad. In fact, replacement of bad fats, like saturated and trans fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, is better for our hearts. Olive oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, canola oil, mustard oil and coconut oil are considered healthy oils. Use oil rich in monounsaturated fats—the kind that helps to reduce “unhealthy” LDL cholesterol and boost “healthy” HDL cholesterol. New research suggests that virgin (and extra-virgin) olive oils—those produced purely by mechanically pressing the oil from olives, with no chemical processing—have an edge: antioxidants called polyphenols can destroy free radicals before they can oxidise LDL (oxidation makes LDL even more damaging to arteries).

F

Fish (Deep sea fish)

Though all types of fish provide good amounts of nourishment, some kinds of sea fish are mostly preferred for their immense health benefits. Sardines, tuna, herrings, mackerels and salmon are few popular sea fish, which are consumed both in fresh and tinned forms. These fishes contain Omega 3 fatty acids, which is highly beneficial for cardiac health and also keep the blood vessels free from any obstruction. Omega 3 is also good for the eyes and the skin. The essential minerals present in these sea fishes improve the overall body system and even protect from cancer. Children need adequate amount of sea fish regularly to enhance their cognitive powers.

G

Grilling

Grilling is said to be healthier than frying. Grilled meats have a reduced fat content. This is because the fat drips off as the food cooks. It results in healthier meals and makes it easier to manage a low fat diet. Grilled foods also have lower calorie content than fried foods. This helps in weight management and keeping fit. Reduced fat intake helps to lower bad cholesterol levels in the blood. It also ensures that you get more value out of your food. Since shorter cooking time is involved when you grill it results in minimal loss of moisture and vitamins from vegetables. This ensures that as much of the nutritional content is retained in the food when cooked.

J

Juicer

Juicing is a process which extracts water and nutrients from produce and discards the indigestible fibre. Without all the fibre, your digestive system doesn’t have to work as hard to break down the food and absorb the nutrients. In fact, it makes the nutrients more readily available to the body in much larger quantities than if you were to eat the fruits and vegetables whole. This is especially helpful if you have a sensitive digestive system or illness that inhibits your body from processing fibre. If you miss on the fibre, you can add some of the pulp back into the juice or use it in cooking. If you’re not big into fruits and vegetables, it’s a good way to get them in through juicing.

L

Lean meat

Red meats are not said to be much favourable for health. Alternatively, choose lean meat for its low fat content, but still rich in protein. Mainly chicken and skinned turkeys are considered as lean meats. The poultry lean meat forms are also rich in several vitamins and minerals that act as active antioxidants as well. Better if you can get free-range chicken.

M

Milk (low fat)

Milk and dairy foods are an important part of a healthy, balanced diet. Milk is the greatest contributor of saturated fat in our diets and is very high in fat. According the Heart Foundation of Australia, swapping to low fat dairy could make a big difference. In fact, switching from full cream to skim milk in your morning coffee or in cooking can remove up to a kilo of saturated fat from your diet in one year!

N

Nuts

Generally, all types of nuts are favourites with people of all ages, due to their crunchy taste. Nuts have high content of proteins, vitamins and useful minerals. Almonds, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, walnuts and pistachios are the most healthy and tasty ones, which can be eaten both in raw form and also added when you prepare your dishes. Most of these nuts contain good cholesterol, which help in maintaining cardiac health.

O

Oats

Oat is a great nutritious cereal that is generally used as a healthy breakfast, for both children and adults. Oatmeal is highly rich in many useful nutrients, which improves the immunity of the body. The presence of fibre acts as a powerful laxative food which helps the digestive system. It lowers the level of blood pressure and harmful cholesterol, as well as believed to be effective in reducing the blood sugar. Oats have been found to be a powerful antioxidant and also to increase the appetite. It gives a nice dash to your cooking as well.

Olive oil

Olive is an extremely nutritious fruit, which is the main source of olive oil. This oil is mainly used in the Mediterranean region, due to the high availability of olives in this area. The regular intake of extra virgin olive oil can prevent heart disease, cancer and fights ageing signs of the body. Its immense benefits are also extended in improving the immune system and in the treatment of various other physical ailments.

P

Poaching

Basically foods are partially immersed in a liquid and cooked on low heat. Thus, the nutritious foods like eggs, sea fish, poultry and juicy fruits are cooked by submerging in liquids, like water, milk, mild wine and any vegetable or meat stock. As no oil is needed here and also the nourishment of the foodstuff is not destroyed by overheating, poaching is considered to be the ideal form of cooking, especially for patients and aged people.

R

Rice Cooker/Pressure Cooker

Long preparation time can be a real challenge when preparing food and to eat healthy. A Pressure Cooker offers a solution that helps to save time while preserving taste. The pressure cooker can tenderise food in mere minutes with a variety of cooking settings for fast and delicious results. Cooking rice ahead of time and keeping it fresh without losing its nutritional value and tatse is now easy with a pressure cooker as well.

S

Steam Cooker/Steaming

Many health experts claim that steaming food is a far healthier way of cooking it than conventional methods. Steaming works by continuously boiling water, which gives off steam and cooks the vegetables either in a steamer or in a colander above a boiling saucepan. When food is steamed there is no need for oil, something regularly used when frying or oven cooking. This means there is immediately a lower fat content. You can also normally set a timer on steamer machines, ensuring the food cooks for only the required time. According to several studies, steaming results in far less damage to nutrients when steamed, leaving the food with a higher vitamin content when eaten. Many vegetables, which have cancer-fighting components, are destroyed when over-cooked. By steaming them at low temperatures and using only a small amount of water their amazing compounds are retained.

Y

Yogurt

Yogurt is considered as the healthiest dairy product, as it is void of natural cream or fats present in the milk. It is mainly produced by the bacterial fermentation of milk, after heating the milk till 85° C, enabling the milk proteins to denature, so that they can join with the friendly bacteria used in this process. Yogurt is rich in protein, vitamins and important minerals, like Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium. Hence, it is highly beneficial for easy and smooth digestion, and thus treats all bowel problems effectively. Yogurt also enhances the immunity power of the body and actually fights stomach and urinary infections. The high quantity of Calcium in this food product helps in preventing osteoporosis, if consumed regularly. Another benefit of yogurt is the reduction of the blood pressure and it also helps in weight loss, by filling up the stomach without any calorie increase.