Eating healthy should always be a priority. Healthy eating can be accomplished by simply changing eating habits and changing the methods you use to cook. There is no need to cook bland or boring dishes, many options are available. Understanding the flavors your dishes use means eating well and feeling well.
Leaner Cuts of Meat
Choosing leaner cuts of meat, such as low fat chicken and fish, will help you on your path to healthy cooking. When selecting red meats for instance, chose meats that do not contain high amounts of fat like sirloin and round cuts. Make sure you also check and buy only meat that has low marbling. Any visible fat should also be trimmed off prior to cooking. When buying ground beef make sure that it is as much as ninety-five percent lean when establishing healthy cooking habits.
Solving the problem of lean meat drying out is easy, simply include in your healthy cooking of these lean meats marinades that do more than flavor foods. Acidic liquids can easily decompose the connective tissue of the meat, so be sure to add some acidic ingredients, like vinegar, in your quest for healthy cooking. Many low fat marinades are available to choose from, but do not overlook the opportunity to prepare the marinade yourself. Twenty minutes of marinating should be sufficient for average sized meat cuts, but in general longer marinade times add flavor and tenderness.
The age-old Indian cooking technique of using a yogurt marinade is wonderful for chicken and lamb. Leave this marinade on for eight hours or even overnight for a wonderful flavor. The acid in the yogurt will tenderize the meat.
Vegetables
Healthy cooking does not mean eating only bland vegetables. One excellent healthy cooking technique is sautéing your vegetables. Use tiny quantities of chicken or vegetable broth as a substitute for oil, along with a few herbs and chopped chives. This healthy cooking technique gives vegetables a new, zesty flavor. Another alternative is using roasted vegetables. The best choices for roasting are root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and carrots.
Do Not Forget Dessert
Healthy cooking does not mean having to do without your dessert. Fruits are always a welcome addition to healthy cooking. Wonderful as a side dish, mixed berries with a topping of fat free vanilla yogurt will make your taste buds happy, while keeping you healthy as well. Another good option, sautéed bananas, is an unbelievably sweet treat will make you wonder if you are still on a diet. Remember, it is important to live healthy, but at the same time with some knowledge of healthy cooking and changes in your diet, you can have better, healthier meals that will not have you craving those unhealthy foods you have been trying so hard to give up. Jon Griffin has been playing music since he was 7 years old. He is also an avid cook and expert in beer, brewing and other beverages. He owns salsablanca.com and jongriffin.com as well as other sites like learningaboutstuff.com
He went to Grove School of Music where he studied songwriting and composing and arranging (yes it was fun doing a big band chart every week!).
