If you’re choosing to cook at home, you’re already well on your way to healthier eating habits. If you want to make a change to yours and your family’s eating habits, follow these kitchen hacks to set yourself up for healthy eating.
Buy Healthier Oils
Oil is one of the most common ingredients used in the kitchen, so purchasing a healthier oil will ensure you eat better and don’t consume as many calories. Avoid oils such as sunflower, corn and peanut oil. Instead, turn to olive, vegetable or avocado oil. The state of your pan has a lot to do with how much oil you use. A good pan that doesn’t stick has many benefits, including cutting down on the amount of oil used to cook food in. If you’re looking for a great pan that can cook anything, it’s hard to not love cast iron which is known for its non-stick surface. This way, you only need a light coat of oil before each use.
Don’t Season Using Measurements
We all have different tastes and sometimes recipes have way too much sugar or salt added into the mixture. Too much salt can cause increased blood pressure and also increases the risk of heart failure, kidney disease and other life threatening conditions. We already consume a lot of salt in many of the pre-packaged foods we eat, therefore only adding what we need is better than adding too much. Season according to taste, as this is a better measurement and will prevent over-seasoning. Seasoning with your fingers rather than a shaker is also more accurate.
Get an Air Fryer
If you enjoy crispy foods, buying an air fryer can cut the calories in some meals by half (or even more). Air fryers do the same job as an oven or chip pan, without the need for oils. Instead, as the name suggests, air fryers use air to crisp up and cook foods. Not only can this cook many of your favorite foods, including chicken wings, chips and baked potatoes, the air fryer will reduce the calories in the meal. An air fryer helps so much with healthy eating.
Choose Wholegrain Products
Swapping out your carbs for wholegrain products is a much better choice. You can find wholegrain versions of pasta, pizza dough, tortillas, buns, bread and crackers. Not only do they taste similar, they provide more fiber into your diet, which can help you live longer, lose weight and improves bowel health.
Buy Frozen Fruits and Vegetables For Healthy Eating
If you’re guilty of buying fruit and veg that gets wasted, choosing frozen means you will always have everything you need at home and you don’t need to worry about your food getting moldy. Frozen fruit and veg contain the same amount of nutrients (if not more if they’re frozen immediately) and provide an easy way to add greens to any meal. Frozen fruit provides an easy way to make wonderful, quick smoothies in the morning before work, offering an easy hack for an effortlessly healthy breakfast.
Get a Digital Scale
If you are serious about eating healthier, you may want to look at your portion control. A digital scale allows you to get an accurate portion size, helping to count calories and cut down. Many of us eat larger portion sizes than we need but with the help of a scale, we can slowly cut down this size until we feel fuller on smaller portions.
Cooking your own food and having the right ingredients at hand will help with healthier eating. These kitchen hacks can help you slim down and eat healthier.