FitSugar

Healthy Cooking Tip: Start With Cold Water

FitSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:00:32 -0700

Hot water boils faster, so to save time in the kitchen, you might be tempted to cook your pasta with hot tap water. This time-saving trick is bad for your health. The problem is lead.

Hot water is much more likely to leach the heavy metal from your plumbing pipes. Using lead to solder pipes wasn't banned until 1986, and unfortunately brass plumbing parts might contain a bit of lead as well. Plumbing parts legally considered lead-free today may contain up to eight percent lead. This means your chances of having lead-free plumbing are slim.

Why does it matter? Well, too much lead in the body can cause serious damage to the brain, kidneys, nervous system, and red blood cells (it's especially bad for pregnant women and children). So the EPA recommends that you do not use water taken from the hot tap for cooking or drinking, and especially not for making baby formula. If you need hot water, draw water from the cold tap and heat it on the stove. Anytime a faucet hasn't been used for at least six hours, "flush" all the water that has been sitting in the pipes. This could take anywhere from five seconds to two minutes. When the water stops getting colder, it is "flushed." I live in a state that is currently experiencing a drought, so I use this water for houseplants and potted plants on the deck.

Healthy Cooking Tip: Olive Oil Shelf Life

FitSugar — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:00:02 -0700

Being the cornerstone of the Mediterranean-style diet, olive oil tastes great and offers a wide variety of health benefits. But that bottle that has been in your pantry for two years - not so much. As olive oil ages, it loses its nutritional potency. Researchers found that when stored for over six months, the antioxidants in olive oil decrease by about 40 percent. If you don't use much of the oil, buy smaller bottles to keep it antioxidant rich. Olive oil should be stored in a cool, dark space to help prevent oxidation, which not only compromises the taste of the oil but the nutritional benefits as well.

How long have you had your bottle of olive oil?

Healthy Cooking Tip: Slow Cooker and Steaming

FitSugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800

To me, falling temperatures at sunset mean cooked veggies for dinner. Raw carrots just don't cut it when it is sweater weather inside my house. But don't just boil your vegetables, because how you prepare your produce affects its nutritional quality. Two simple methods help preserve vital nutrients: steaming and slow cooking.

Steaming helps veggies retain nutrients better than other methods, especially when compared to boiling. The vitamins and minerals are leached out into the hot water when you throw your veggies into boiling water, but steaming preserves more of the nutrients. The slow cooker is not only convenient, but cooking foods at lower temperatures may help preserve nutrients that can be lost when food is cooked rapidly at high heat, like grilling. Plus it is great to load the slow cooker with a bunch of veggies and lean protein.

This reminds me, I need to find some new recipes for my slow cooker. Got any you want to share?

Source

Healthy Cooking Tip: Boil Potatoes Whole

FitSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0700

Potatoes, reviled during the low-carb days of yore, are once again showing up on many American plates.

Labor Day means potato salad, and potato salad means boiling potatoes. I just read in the Berkeley Wellness Letter that you should boil your potatoes unpeeled and whole, which is easy to do if you buy the small red-skinned variety. Potatoes are a great source of potassium, especially the skin, which is why you should always eat the skin. But when cut for boiling, potatoes lose 50 percent of this valuable mineral as it leaches out into the water.

Save the potassium - boil your potatoes whole.

Source

Healthy Cooking Made Easy: Pacific Broth

FitSugar — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 02:00:00 -0800

Since Thanksgiving is almost here, I'm sure you're all thinking about the delicious food you'll be making. If you're like me, I know you have a lot to prepare, so whatever makes things easier is always a plus. That's why I love the broths made by Pacific. You can find them at most health food stores, and I've seen them in the health food section of regular grocery stores too. They come in 32 oz. aseptic containers like these that hold four cups of broth, but they also sell smaller containers in packs of four if you only need a cup or two.

The organic vegetable broth is my favorite, but they also make beef broth, low sodium chicken broth, free range chicken broth and mushroom broth. They are gluten-free, casein free, yeast free, and all are fat free (except for the beef broth, which is lowfat).

In the veggie broth, when you look at the ingredients, all you'll see are carrots tomatoes, celery, onions, garlic, leeks, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, and sea salt. It's all natural and as close to homemade as you can get, without going through the trouble of making it yourself.

You can use broth in tons of recipes, so instead of using water in your soups, casseroles, rice or stuffing, use broth for a richer, more delicious taste. I've tried many different brands of broth, and Pacific broths definitely have the best flavor in my opinion.

Fit's Tips: If you check out the Pacific website, they have a whole list of wonderful recipes you can try out that use their broths.

Healthy Cooking Tips From Cat Cora

FitSugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 03:00:00 -0700

Food Network personality Cat Cora, and author of the book Cooking From the Hip, has given eDiets these healthy cooking tips:

Buy Seasonal, Fresh Ingredients. Cat says using fresh ingredients is one of the best ways to ensure your meals will be healthy and taste great. She frequently visits her local farmers' markets to find foods to include in her recipes, especially fruits and vegetables at the peak of their season.
Use Organic Products. Do organic products really make a difference? According to Cat, the answer is YES! She advises using sustainable organic products as often as possible.
Add Flavor Without Adding Fat. According to Cat, another key to healthy cooking is to make sure you find ways to add flavor to your meals without increasing the fat content. She says there are plenty of flavorful seasonings that contain little or no fat, including citrus products, herbs, spices and vinegar.
Grill, Braise or Roast Meats. You can grill, braise or roast meats instead of frying them to save calories. Cat says using recipes for braised meats can be particularly healthy, because these dishes usually require a very lean cut of meat.
Substitute Healthier Ingredients. Cat reminds people not to be afraid to substitute healthier ingredients in their recipes. For instance, she says you can use yogurt instead of sour cream in sauces or olive oil instead of butter.

Tips to Make Any Dish Healthier

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:30:00 -0800

If you like to cook, you may have a hard time doing it in a healthy way.

Luckily, Cooking Light has shared some great tips for making dishes more nutritious and still tasty.

For all recipes:

Study the recipe. Closely examine the original to see where changes can be made. "You can't just wing it, no matter how familiar you are with the recipe," says Test Kitchens Professional Kathryn Conrad. "Look at each ingredient to see where you can take away, add, or substitute."
Reference lightened versions of similar recipes before starting.
Limit sodium. Try the recipe with half the recommended sodium.
Reduce portion sizes. When plating, start with a smaller amount and see if that satisfies you.
Give yourself some slack. "We try different versions of the same recipe three or four times," says Test Kitchens Professional Jan Moon. "Recipes are a science; you may need a few attempts to get it just right."

For toppings:

Choose a flavorful cheese. "Use a variety with more flavor, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano," says Assistant Food Editor Kathy Kitchens Downie, R.D. "The stronger the flavor, the less you have to use."
Sprinkle cheese, chocolate, or nuts on top rather than mixing into batters. As toppings, they deliver concentrated flavor.
Reduce sugar-crumb toppings. Half the amount is often enough.
Substitute panko, extra crisp Japanese breadcrumbs, for ordinary bread or cracker crumbs. Doing so can reduce the crust's fat, calories, and sodium by half.

There's more healthy cooking tips, so read more

For baked goods:

Think beyond fat-free. Sometimes no-fat foods don't satisfy. "To account for this, we often use a blend of reduced-fat and fat-free varieties," says Vanessa Johnson, Test Kitchens director.
Use egg substitute in recipes that call for more than one egg. A quarter cup equals one egg, cutting 5 grams of fat and 213 milligrams of cholesterol from your recipe.
Increase low-calorie ingredients. For example, add extra vegetables to casseroles and fruits to breads, muffins, or snack cakes. This will increase the yield of your recipe without adding fat.
Finely chop nuts, bacon, olives, and other high-fat or high-sodium ingredients. They will distribute more evenly, allowing you to use less without sacrificing taste.

For meats and vegetables:

Opt for leaner meats, such as center-cut or loin meats and skinless, white-meat poultry. "For example, a slice of center-cut bacon has slightly less sodium and fat than regular cured bacon," Downie says. In some cases, pork can be a leaner option than chicken.
Add zing with citrus. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice can help brighten the flavors of veggies and meats without added sodium.

For sautéing:

Use nonstick pans and cooking spray in place of oil or butter.
When you need oil, use canola, which has nearly half the saturated fat and more healthful, unsaturated fat than other oils.

For soups and stews:

Opt for low-sodium broths and no-salt-added tomatoes; always rinse canned beans in a strainer under cold water, which cuts sodium by up to 40 percent.
Puree vegetables to add body. For example, mash some of the beans in a chili or the potatoes in a chowder.
Trade 1 percent milk for whole, or half-and-half for heavy cream, in creamy soups.

Check out CNN.com for the full article.

Healthy Meals Made Easy: Plan Ahead and Pre-Cut

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 10:15:00 -0800

You are busy all day long, it is a part of these modern times. You're at school or work full-time. You have meetings and a workout to fit in - so who has time to prepare a healthy meal?

Here's a tip I learned from my gramma. You've got to plan ahead and do as much prep work as possible so when it comes to actually making the meal, you've got a head start.

Get yourself some clear re-usable plastic containers. Take an hour out of your Sunday to cut up peppers, onions, celery, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, potatoes or anything else you like to use in your recipes. Put them all in separate containers and they'll be ready when you need them. All that chopping can be daunting at 7:30 pm on Tuesday night when you are starving!!!!

I do the same thing with fresh fruits. Cut up pears and apples and sprinkle them with fresh lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. Pre-wash grapes, blueberries and strawberries. Make sure you pat them dry with a paper towel so they don't get squishy. Cut up fresh pineapple, melon, and mango too.

Keep all the containers stacked neatly in the fridge. Now you'll have fresh fruits and vegetables on hand to snack on alone or use when you cook.

Padma Cooks at Home to Stay Fit

FitSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

Thanks to a full season of Top Chef's indulgent cuisine, the reality hostess admits she's likely to go up a couple dress sizes during filming. Still, Padma Lakshmi doesn't let the extra pounds take a toll on her healthy fitness perspective, and shares with Glamour how a positive attitude and a realistic take on eating help her shed the weight.

For one, Padma reveals that when Top Chef contestants aren't whipping up something decadent for her to taste, she's likely to be cooking something healthy at home. Padma knows that cooking in her own kitchen can be a healthy way to control her caloric intake, and while takeout can seem a more convenient alternative, Padma reminds us that, "it can actually take longer to order delivery or go pick up takeout than it does to cook." In addition, the foodie loves the physicality of cooking, noting that "[instead] of watching TV, waiting for your food to come, you’re actually moving [when you cook]. My aunt had the best arms in the world, and she never stepped inside a gym.”

Check out Glamour to get the rest of Padma's realistic weight loss and healthy eating tips.

Healthy Eating Tip: Add Chopped Veggies to Your Cooked Grains

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0700

Whole grains are so healthy for you because they contain the bran, germ, and endosperm that naturally occur in the grain seed. That means they're full of fiber, protein, and other essential nutrients.

To make whole grains even healthier, while at the same time adding a little more flavor, color, and exciting texture, add chopped veggies while they're cooking. Add carrots and zucchini to your rice, or peas and broccoli to your quinoa. Add the veggies when the grains have about five to 10 minutes cooking time left, so the veggies are tender but not mushy. Use the cooked grain in your favorite dishes and it's a great way to consume more veggies.