Achieving optimal health is a right choice. Nutrition plays an important part in attaining peak health. The type of food you eat is crucial as is your lifestyle. Not all foods are created equal. Some may be tasty but surprisingly low in nutrients. Using the correct method of cooking and the right set of pots and pans will also affect the nutrient value of the food. Do not worry, it is not necessary to enroll in expensive cooking classes to achieve this. By just following a few simple rules, cooking healthy food is within the reach of everyone, making a big difference to the state of your health.
Cooking can be a creative art and a pleasure with the right cookware.
Steaming food is a very healthy way to cook, making use of steam from boiling water. It is a cooking technique frequently used by the Chinese and Japanese. It is not oily as oil is not used, unlike frying. Less nutrients are lost as the food is not in contact with the boiling water, but with the flavor, vivid colors and nutrients retained in the food and sauce. Steaming can be used on vegetables, seafood and meat dishes. The ubiquitous steam fish Chinese style, preserves and retains the good fats as well as the water-soluble B vitamins.
Boiling is more suitable for soups whereby the water containing the leached nutrients from the food, is drunk. Boiling vegetables soup will result in 40 percent of B vitamins and 70 percent of vitamin C leaching into the nutritious, boiling soup water.
Frying food, whether shallow or deep-fry, or even stir-fry, involves high heat. This results in free radicals forming, and free radicals damage the cells and DNA, causing diseases such as cancer, heart disease or premature aging. Cooking at high temperature also increases nutrients loss. Using a pan with quick and even heat distribution, ensures quicker cooking of food, thus minimizing nutrients loss.
Stewing is just slow simmering and this method is able to retain nutrients better due to its lower temperature compared to frying. Tougher cuts of meat are more suitable for stewing, with the connective tissues and fibers in the food slowly breaking down, rendering it easier to digest and absorb.
What food should you eat for health’s sake?
You should eat the rainbow! Reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues and everything in between. These colorful foods are rich in antioxidants that will protect you from diseases. Eating raw fruits, vegetables and nuts also provide us with digestive enzymes, aiding in our digestive process and thus more efficient absorption of nutrients. Being high in fibers, these foods also help our body to remove toxic waste and excess cholesterol. Eating all types of grains, different colored vegetables and fruits, the various types of oily fish, will ensure a diet fill with all the necessary nutrients for everyday good health that can last a lifetime.