Healthy Eating Recipes - How To Make Your Recipes Healthier

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Healthy Eating Recipes - How To Make Your Recipes Healthier
By Trevor John

You’ve probably got hundreds of recipes in your collection but maybe not all of them are as healthy as you’d like them to be. Which is likely a shame as there’s a good chance that some of those recipes are amongst your favorites.

How do you go about changing your favorite recipes into ones that are healthy for you? Even those old family favorites that have been passed down through the generations.

1. Reduce the amount of fat, sugar and salt in your recipes.
You’ll be pleasantly surprised just how much you can reduce the level of fat, sugar and salt in your recipes without affecting the taste. If you’ve cut back too much, it’s always possible to add a little bit more salt at the table. You can reduce the amount of fat by using a non stick pan and an oil spray rather than slurping oil into the pan. You can also use a slotted spoon to skim off any excess fat as the recipe cooks. Cutting down on sugar will depend on what you’re cooking, but it’s generally safe to try initially cutting sugar down by a quarter - I doubt you’ll notice the difference.

Salt is necessary in recipes for bread as otherwise the yeast won’t be able to do it’s job. In other recipes, such as crock pots and stews, you should easily be able to reduce the salt you use by half with very little effect on the final taste. You may even find that with an imaginative use of sauces, you can eliminate salt from some of your recipes entirely.

Remember that some of the ingredients you use may contain salt, sugar or fat. Read the labels and substitute as necessary. But don’t just blindly add a low fat option without checking that the manufacturer hasn’t simply substituted sugar for fat.

2. Make Healthy Substitutions

As well as examining labels, look for ways to increase the nutrition in the food you eat. Whole wheat pasta, brown rice, whole grain cereals. All of these are easy substitutes and will likely enhance the taste of the dish you are cooking - they have less of the original product removed in the manufacturing process, which leaves more taste available for you.

3. If possible, delete an unhealthy ingredient

Many recipes react well to variations (you may even find alternatives listed at the end of the recipe). Substitute frosted ingredients for un-frosted ones to cut down on sugar, for instance. Be careful with adding nuts to a dish as they are high in fat (although the fat is usually considered “good” fat, so don’t cut them out entirely). Let your family and guests add their own toppings such a mayonnaise and sauces. Consider substituting lower salt, fat and sugar versions of these sauces. And don’t squeeze that maple syrup quite as hard the next time you eat a stack of pancakes!

Once you start converting your recipes, you’ll become more imaginative and will have a good idea on what is working and what isn’t Keep a notebook handy so that you can remember the successes and adjust the times when the changes you made weren’t as successful as you’d have liked.

Treat your children and family to a batch of specially designed healthy recipes that are easy to make and have all been taste tested.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trevor_John
http://EzineArticles.com/?Healthy-Eating-Recipes—How-To-Make-Your-Recipes-Healthier&id=608183

Healthy Cooking Tips For Your Family

Healthy Cooking Tips For Your Family
By Susanne Myers

Do you sometimes feel like cooking, especially cooking “healthy” foods, is a chore? - Not to mention expensive. Or do you get frustrated at the end of the week when you have to throw away unused, rotten vegetables that you purchased to make a healthy salad and never found the time to put it all together.

Most households are just trying to stay above water. With our already over booked schedules, it seems impossible to add another task. Trying to shop and prepare healthy meals is not on our number one priority list.

But the truth is there is a little voice inside our heads that always makes us feel guilty about our eating habits. The fact is everyone really does want to eat healthier because we really want to be healthier.

Because of recent scientific evidence supporting the importance of a healthy diet for longevity and health, our priorities need revising. It is a fact that Americans have a hectic stressful lifestyle.

There may be little time available for healthy cooking. But again, the warning is clear - we must eat healthy in order to live lives free from the risk of chronic devastating disease. Eating healthier starts in our own kitchens. Cooking healthy nutritious meals at home is possible.

Healthy cooking will actually make our lives less stressful. The more we learn concerning nutrition, the more important it becomes to incorporate healthy choices into our lives.

Cooking healthy meals does not have to take up a lot of time and energy. With just a little and planning, cooking healthy nutrient rich meals will become second nature. Cooking healthy meals is the easiest way to keep track of the nutrients that your family is eating.

Rachel Ray has become a celebrity with her “30 Minute Meals” TV show. It is more than possible to get a good nutritious meal on the table for your family in under an hour. It would take you that long to get the kids together into the car to go to the neighborhood fast food joint. So put on your apron (don’t have one?) and get to the kitchen, it is time to cook healthy.

Here are five quick ways to prepare healthy meals.

1)Include fruits and vegetables in your meal plans.

Fruits require no cooking skills but can be
prepared as deserts or added to salads.

Baked vegetables are delicious and nutritious and easy to prepare.

2) Use more chicken and fish, beans and nuts in your cooking.
Bake, steam, grill, or broil meats instead of frying or sautéing.

3) Reduce fats, use Olive Oil rather than saturated fats, trans fats.

4) Avoid products that have high sodium and excessive sugar content.

You will also save money by preparing meals at home. For those individuals who are concerned about their cooking skill, there is no need to worry. If you can turn on an oven or a microwave, you can prepare healthy meals.

Anyone can learn to cook healthy meals. There are no magic formulas or complicated diagrams required. Shopping healthier will result in healthy cooking which result in a healthier family.

For more information about healthy cooking for vegetable haters visit http://www.healthymenumailer.com/articles/healthy-cooking-for-vegetable-haters.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susanne_Myers
http://EzineArticles.com/?Healthy-Cooking-Tips-For-Your-Family&id=435216