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Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category

Eating healthy on a budget is not that difficult - it just takes some planning! Many people think that eating healthy means that you have to spend extra time cooking night after night coming up with fancy meals - but that is far from the truth! In fact, healthy meals can often be made very quickly and inexpensively.

Compared with dining out, cooking a healthy meal at home each night is not only better for your family but will save you money. When you eat out you really don’t know what ingredients are going into the food you are ordering and even if it looks healthy there could be many additives in there that simply are not good for you. The only way to really know what you are feeding your family is to make it yourself.

You don’t have to be a gourmet cook to get your family eating healthy on a budget. Some of the best and most healthy meals are actually quite economical! Foods such as pasta, rice and bean based meals with added vegetables and protein can be put together rather quickly without breaking your budget.

Why is it so important to cook healthy meals? Because eating healthy meals will make you healthier too. Did you know that by eating healthy you can significantly reduce your risk of suffering several severe diseases like obesity, heart attack or diabetes? Now, if you know certain basic rules, it is fairly easy to cook healthy. Here are four golden rules how to prepare and cook healthy meals:

Store fresh foods correctly and not too long Use preparation methods that avoid loss of nutrients Cut down on fat Add as little sugar as possible and try some alternatives instead

Rule #1: Store fresh foods correctly and not too long  

Many vegetables lose vitamins within days, and meat quickly develops bacteria. Ideally, only buy what you need for the day. Vegetables are best stored in the veggie compartment of your fridge, or in a cool dark place like a cellar. Cover them to avoid moisture loss. Meat can be kept in the fridge for a few days, but cook minced meat always the day you buy it as it goes off extremely quick.

Rule #2: Use preparation methods that avoid loss of nutrients   

We all want to live longer and better but we don’t always want to give up the things we love that may be bad for us. You can have it all and still live a healthy lifestyle with a few changes to your diet and way of preparing foods.

Most of us get too much sodium or salt in our diets. The more salt you use, the more you have to add over the long run in order to get the same taste. Now, you don’t have to give up salt, but you can substitute other spices to give you flavor without the disadvantages of salt. A number of salt substitutes also exist that can take the place of salt. If you like to experiment with cooking, you will find a number of spices and herbs that most people don’t even know exist.

Consider changing the oils you may be cooking in. Vegetable oils are healthier than shortening for cooking. Olive oil is one of the best oils you can work with concerning a healthy diet. Adding vegetables to your diet can help you to ensure are getting the fiber you need. If you are looking to reduce your calorie intake, vegetables will make you fell fuller without the calories that another food may give you.

Healthy cooking for special diets do not need to be a chore. The key is to remember important issues for each diet, and to creatively change your recipes to meet those needs.

Vegetarian cooking is not difficult. The goal here is to remember that varying degrees of exclusion of animal products from your preferred diet sometimes makes it difficult to lay hands on certain proteins. Most plants, legumes, and grains contain at least some amino acids that make the complete proteins found in animal products. Mixing and matching foods is a great way to be sure that vegetarians get all amino acids. Your job is made easier by the fact that most vegetarians are not vegans, which means that many include some variant of animal products into their diets.

These proteins are excellent supplements to a vegetarian dish of their favor. Textured vegetable protein (TVP), and soy proteins such as those found in tofu and Boca also make vegetarian cooking much easier. Most of these proteins do not have much flavor of their own, so they will blend in nicely with whatever dish you are cooking. When it comes to vegetables and grains, just remember the basics: the more colorful the vegetable, the more nutrients it has, and whole grains make better nutrition than their bleached counterparts. Legumes are excellent resources, but be sure to cook them well as legumes are often difficult to digest for most people.

Frugal, healthy cooking is not only a great way to give you the energy you need for a successful homestead, it also gives a boost to your budget. Cutting back on food expenses is the easiest way to save money and get out of debt. But limiting yourself to boxed macaroni or other cheap foods isn’t the wisest of choices. A lot of cheap food has been highly processed. It’s full of chemicals and low on nutrition.

It may seem like a good deal at the time, but such choices are costly in the long run. Deprived of the proper nutrients it needs, your body becomes less resistant to disease. Also, studies have shown that highly processed food is a significant contributor to obesity. If you have a weight problem, it may not be because you over eat. Rather, you are eating the wrong types of food.

Does High Quality Mean High Cost?

The good news is, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to obtain high quality food. But you do have to make a time commitment. Things like brown rice, beans and grains are not “instant foods.” They take time to prepare. But once you taste the difference, I’m sure you’ll agree, these delicious foods are worth the extra time.