Cooking Tricks For Healthier Meals

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Much of the humanity has a love-hate relationship with food, no matter what kind it is. We love donuts, but can’t stand Brussels sprouts, we chug on soda while water bores us, and we can’t bare to even look at spinach, but simply adore chocolate chip-mint ice cream.  The truth is, like with all other bodily needs and processes, we shouldn’t be so emotionally charged when it comes to consuming food, be it any form of greens or salacious piece of chocolate cake.

In order to keep a healthy diet, we need to understand what exactly our body needs and how we can cater to those needs, without overdoing it. That is why we sometimes need hacks to make our life easier when it comes to cooking, and here are just some tricks for cooking healthier meals, recommended by HuffPost Healthy Living.

When you swap frying for baking, you can be sure that your calorie intake will go down, and significantly. True, the food will probably be a bit drier than when it is swimming in oil (no matter what oil you use, if you are deep frying something, calories just pile up), but you can fix this by marinating whatever you want to put in your oven. Pay attention to the temperature, so that the heat doesn’t burn the meat/veggies and enjoy your baked goodies.

Different spices really make a difference when it comes to cooking, especially if you opt for the steaming cooking method. People usually don’t appreciate how much of a difference a pinch of oregano or thyme can make in basically any dish. Whether you’re just experimenting in the kitchen or planning a cooking vacation, don’t be afraid to think outside of the box – cayenne pepper, turmeric, tarragon, nutmeg all can be wonderful for giving your dishes a new kick that can change the whole feel of it. A warm recommendation when it comes to tricks for cooking healthier meals is also to try out using fresh herbs like mint, rosemary and other green fellows in your food because nothing can really replace their freshness and aroma. If you love super spicy food, go all in with chilies, jalapeños etc. because capsaicin that makes the peppers and chilies spicy actually improves digestion and helps dissolve fats faster.

If you ever tried roasted garlic, then you know how wonderfully filling it can be. People can sometimes be skeptical when it comes to roasting garlicwithout peeling it, but pretty much everyone changes their mind quickly when they try this out for the first time. The whole roasted garlic head gives so much flavor and texture to any meal that you will only need a bit of salt and the taste will be mouthwatering. What’s more, the creaminess of the baked, and then mashed garlic can easily replace heavy cream or any other kind of sauce, and this means cutting down the calories by a third.

If you are a fan of meat, then you are a fan of marinades. If you are trying to eat healthier, try sticking to leaner meat like chicken breast, turkey and fish, and for each of these, marinades will make all the difference. You can’t go wrong choosing either soy sauce or any other hot sauces, balsamic vinegars, mustard, and pesto. The most obvious benefit is that your meat will become juicier and more tenderer (marinade is a must when it comes to turkey), not to mention the explosion of flavor that will make you so happy. Experiment, make your own recipes for marinades, and don’t be afraid to mix sweet and spicy, citrusy and strong pesto, your palate will be very grateful.

Steering clear of eggs isn’t something that is recommended by nutritional experts anymore, because recent studies showed that eggs are not in fact connected with high cholesterol levels. However, if you want to make your meals more vegetable based, this can be easily done by tomato paste instead of eggs. This might look unusual, but the paste will be able to bind your dish just as well as eggs and the paste will give it a different, more flavored aroma and a gorgeous red color.

The truth is, in cooking, there is always room for improvising and tweaking things to your taste and ingredients, and as long as you strive to cook more healthily, there are numerous options are tricks that will help you do just that.