How to Make Your Meals Healthier

Most people want to cook delicious yet nutritious meals that are quick and easy. However, you might feel it is an impossible feat when faced with cooking dishes for yourself or your loved ones.

If you’re tired of bland flavors or calorie-laden dishes, you might need to embrace different cooking tactics and recipes. Find out how to make your meals healthier.

Add Less Oil

Extra virgin olive oil and canola oil are ideal options to use in moderation when cooking, as they can help you create a healthy heart. However, excess consumption can add calories to your meals and pounds onto your waistline, increasing pressure on your heart.

For this reason, you might need to use less oil in your meals. There is an average of 120 calories in one tablespoon of the above oils, limiting how much you use when cooking dishes for the clan. Invest in a high-quality frying pan to use less oil, such as the below options:

• Cast-iron
• Non-stick stovetop
• Enamel-coated

You also could reduce your reliance on oil by roasting meat and vegetables over pan-frying them.

Swap Salt for Other Flavors

According to the American Heart Association, adults shouldn’t consume more than 2,300mg of salt per day, equivalent to one teaspoon. As staying within the guidelines might feel difficult, you must look for ways to swap salt for other flavors in your dishes.

For example, you could add a squeeze of lemon or lime onto fish or poultry, or you could chop some fresh herbs. Also, read the nutritional panel on canned goods to take greater control of your sodium intake.

Pan Fry Salmon

Besides looking for ways to reduce your calories and salt intake, you must avoid environmental contamination in your food. For example, if you love eating salmon skin to enjoy the many benefits of the fish, such as omega-3 fatty acids, you should pan-fry it to sear it at a high temperature. It will lock in its delicious flavor and lower its environmental contamination.

Skip the Yolk

It might shock you to learn that egg white has 0 grams of fat and 16 calories, while the yolk has 5 grams of fat and 54 calories. For this reason, you should take out the yolk and use two egg whites in its place when a recipe asks for a whole egg. 

Skim Soups and Stews

Many people turn to soup, stews, and broths when looking for a delicious yet nutritious meal, giving them a warm, cozy feeling inside. However, it might be a shock to learn that they tend to develop a skin on the top, which is hardened fat. By skimming off the skin, you could shave off hundreds of calories.

Switch Your Cheese

Cheese might be full of calcium and protein, but too much of it can play havoc with your waistline. Lower your calorie consumption by swapping an ounce of cheese with reduced-fat cheese, or look for an option with less than five grams of fat per ounce.