Nobody likes being sick at home. Especially, with this pandemic Covid-19 scaring the hearts of people, we need to be a little extra cautious about what we eat and also choose foods that are rich in nutrition and vitamins. Healthy diets are essential to support our immune systems. Proper nutrition reduces the likelihood of developing other health issues, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer too! Not just for us adults, but for babies also, a healthy diet means exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months. This means lactating mothers need nutritious and safe foods to produce breastmilk. For toddlers, a balanced healthy diet improves growth and development.
It all boils down to FOOD…
Use the right methods while cooking to make food healthier. Here are some tips you can follow to stay healthy at home during the COVID-19 lockdown. You could also reach out to healthy cooking classes near you if you’re a beginner at cooking.
Low-Fat Cooking Tips
- If oil is a necessary ingredient in your food, try using cooking sprays or apply a small amount with a pastry brush.
- Cook in liquids such as stock, wine, lemon juice, fruit juice, vinegar, or water instead of oil.
- Replace cream in sauces or soups with low-fat yoghurt or milk, evaporated skim milk or cornstarch.
- Put veggies in a hot pan first then spray the oil while browning. With this process, vegetables absorb less oil during cooking.
- An alternative to browning veggies by just pan-frying is cooking them first in the microwave and then crisp them under the grill for 1-2 minutes.
- Replace sour creams, butter, and creamy sauces with pesto, chutneys, and vinegar.
Healthy Cooking Methods
- Switch to steaming, baking, grilling, boiling or microwave instead of frying/deep frying
- Modify or simply eliminate recipes that include butter or animal fat sauté
- Avoid added oils, use non-stick cookware instead
- Don’t add salt to food as it is cooking
- Remove chicken/meat skins and trim away the fat
- Include more vegetables and legumes in your diet
- Eat more fish, which is high in protein, low in fats, and rich in omega-3 fatty acids
These were just a few amongst the many tips to switch to healthy cooking at home. Join one of the best healthy cooking classes in Mumbai to be an expert!
