In a world where fast food dominates most food chains, many people have been looking for ways to maintain a healthier diet. Whether it is to change lifestyle, lose weight or improve health, proper nutrition is not just about what is ingested, but when it is ingested, how much is ingested and how the food that is ingested was prepared. And studies over many years have turned the simple habit of eating into a powerful health tool.
It is essential that everyone has a balanced diet with carbohydrates, fiber, fruits, vegetables, protein, sugars and fats, but everything should be dosed and eaten in the right amount and manner. The most suitable is that each one looks for a nutritionist so that they can receive a special diet, appropriate to the type of routine and tastes of the person.
According to nutritionist Gisela Peres of Rio de Janeiro's Santa Casa de Misericórdia, the first step to a healthier way of eating is to know how to prepare food. For this it is important to plan and set up the weekly menu and a well-designed shopping list not to overpay and waste. In addition, when the menu is set, there is no risk of not preparing and having to buy a ready-made sandwich or eat somewhere on the street. Although that does not mean that all home cooked food is healthy.
It is often the small changes that make a nutritional difference when preparing food. The choice of seasonings, for example, is very important in cooking food.
According to nutritionist Roberta Silva, a specialist in nutritional care, chives and leeks can be used to prepare omelettes, risottos, pie fillings for red, white meat, potatoes and sauces. In soup, you can add parsley, parsley, thyme or bay leaf, for fish, poultry and vegetables add curry. "Usually people do not have the habit of using these spices, but if they try they will see that they are excellent, and that besides flavoring the dishes, the meal is much healthier," explains Roberta.
Here is a list of tips nutritionists gave to change eating habits and maintain a healthier diet:
1. Ready meals
When a food is prepared in an unknown way it is better not to eat it. Ready-made dishes usually contain a lot of sodium and preservatives. Sodium, in addition to retaining fluids, harms the kidneys and raises blood pressure, which can cause complications for those with cardiovascular disease.
2. Seasonings ready
It is much simpler to use seasonings ready for rice, meat or other foods, however, these seasonings contain excess sodium. Always prefer the combination of garlic and onion to braise food and abuse natural seasonings.
3. Soybean oil in cooking, olive oil in finishing
If it is necessary to use oil in the preparation of food, use little and prefer soybean oil, it resists higher temperatures and does not oxidize so easily at medium temperatures. Prefer to use olive oil and canola oil, which has a weaker molecular structure in food finishing.
4. Fatty Dairy Products
Milk, cheese and other derivatives are sources of calcium, but the fat in these foods adds no nutritional value. Replace with skim and semi skim versions. In addition, natural yogurt can be used in place of sour cream in stroganoff, for example. There are a multitude of recipes that use yogurt in a healthy and sophisticated way.
5. Vegetable Stalks
Do not throw away watercress, carrot, beet, collard greens and other vegetables, these stalks contain vitamins, minerals and fiber. Clean, chop and saute with natural spices. All dark green leaves are rich in iron, be sure to enjoy them.
6. Rice without oil and with natural seasonings
To make a delicious and nutritious rice it is not necessary to use neither oil nor ready seasonings. When it is time to brown the garlic and onion, add boiling water, the water does the oil work and the rice is fat free.
7. Beans with vegetables
When cooking the beans, put squash or beetroot pieces together in the pressure cooker. The vegetables crumble and make the beans taste great and much more nutritious. Avoid putting red meat in the preparation, besides being very greasy, the sausages, such as sausage, are usually seasoned with a lot of salt.
8. Cooking Vegetables
Keep the pan closed when cooking vegetables. As the steam remains in the pan, the vitamins remain in the cooking water.Enjoy this water in other preparations, such as cooking sauces, soups, rice and beans. That way you will have more nutritious dishes.
9. Avoid fried foods
Hamburgers, potatoes, breaded steak and nuggets can be baked in the oven. Just put the food in the baking dish and bake it. If the pan is non-stick, no greasing is required. If it is not and the food can stick, grease the baking sheet with a little margarine. "By not eating fried foods, soaked in oil, you will stop consuming a lot of calories and also avoid health problems such as obesity, high cholesterol and the onset of heart disease," explains nutritionist Roberta Silva.
10. Make a habit of making homemade meatballs and hamburgers.
To avoid very fatty meats, use ground chicken breast or lean beef. To call? In meatball dough, a good option is to use fine flaked oats instead of wheat flour, as oats are high in fiber, which helps lower cholesterol and eliminate spare fats from the diet. Meatballs can be cooked in homemade tomato sauce, and hamburgers can be grilled in a non-stick frying pan or baked.
11. Prepare Your Own Tomato Sauce
Just chop the ripe tomatoes, sauté with garlic, onions and whatever else you like, cover with water and cook over low heat until the tomato crumbles. You can add a piece of carrot together, which helps to remove the acidity from the sauce. Once cooked, beat in a blender and ready, just put in jars, close tightly and freeze. That way the sauce will be much healthier, avoiding the use of canned, processed foods that usually contain plenty of sodium and preservatives.
12. Make Natural Fruit Juice
Look for seasonal fruits, as they will always be more tasty and make juices. There is no need to sweeten, as many fruits already have their sweet enough flavor. You can also opt for some tricks that make the juice taste smoother, such as adding mint to the pineapple juice. Use the fruit peels to make tea or juice, because this part of the fruit is rich in fibers that help the intestines to function properly.
13. Replace Desserts with Fruits
Fruits are important sources of vitamins, fiber, water and potassium and their daily consumption is essential for a balanced diet. But their functions only apply correctly if they are not sweetened. It is not recommending eating strawberries, for example, and adding condensed milk. When the urge to eat a sweet comes, eat a fruit, over time the taste gets used to that amount of sugar and the sweet of a fruit becomes as tasty as an ice cream.
14. Dare on taste
Use and abuse spices to give dishes special tastes, but don't use anything artificial. Use herbs in food preparation, enjoy even stalks and dried herbs such as oregano, salvia and rosemary. To make healthy desserts use cinnamon, ginger and vanilla in cooked fruits.
Children's feeding
In addition to tips from nutritionists to improve daily cooking habits, gastro-pediatrician Ana Renata Badan gave tips to improve children's diet:
From the age of eight months it is important to separate the ingredients of baby food for the child to begin to distinguish the flavors, so she gets used to the fact that each food has a different and unique taste and learns what pleases or not to taste.
What if the child does not eat?
It is right to insert all kinds of food early, but if the child is not eating, there are tricks to insert vegetables into the diet. Grate carrots on rice, beat beetroot or spinach in pancake batter, sprinkle crushed flaxseed on beans, or beat vegetables such as kale in the child's juice. But the pediatrician warns "This is for extreme cases".
The ideal is to introduce healthy eating as soon as possible, opt for organic foods, read the label of the products you buy and choose the ones that have less sodium, wholegrain, without sugars or preservatives. And if you can not give the natural juice, there are options on the market that are valid, just know how to choose ?, warns Ana Renata.
Eat Healthy for Under $20 (April 2024)
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