| Cooking a good nutritious meal does not have to | | | | overboard. Also, if your recipe book requires you to |
| result in torture for your taste buds. In fact, aside | | | | brown some veggies, try dunking them into the pan |
| from it being pretty easy to prepare, adhering to | | | | first before spraying oil. This will help lessen the |
| experts' cooking tips and tricks can turn you into | | | | amount of fat absorbed by your ingredients. Some |
| cook extraordinaire. All you have to do is know which | | | | heathy cooking experts recommend that you use |
| types of food you should choose and find out how | | | | subsitute liquids for oil, like water, stock, fruit juices, |
| many meal varities you can make out of them. Even | | | | so you won't strip your ingredients of their vitamins |
| your favorite cooking recipes can be modified to | | | | and you won't run the risk of having excess fat. And |
| their healthier alternatives without compromising on | | | | if you're really serious about a healthy diet, use |
| taste and texture. Just figure out where to cut on | | | | vinegars and salsas, instead of creams and butter, |
| calories and fat so it won't turn out a gourmet | | | | when you serve fish or meat dishes. Should the |
| disaster. Of course, cooking healthy food does not | | | | Veggies Stay Raw? This is a trikcy question. While |
| really ental having to start from scratch. Why, you | | | | there are schools of thought that say vitamins and |
| can even use convenience store fare and transform | | | | minerals are best preserved when vegetables are |
| them into semi-homemade masterpieces by just | | | | served raw, there are some that also contend that |
| adding healthy pinches of ingredients here and there. | | | | certain nutrients only surface when they are cooked. |
| Healthy cooking also does not mean that everything | | | | For instance, the anti-cancer and anti-heart illness |
| has to be raw and involve only vegetables. Healthy | | | | antioxidant called lycopene is present mostly in |
| means the meals carry a balance of vitamins, minerals | | | | cooked tomatoes and ketchup. When cooking |
| and antioxidants, no matter how they are prepared. | | | | vegetables, just make sure they don't stay boiling or |
| So whenever you think healthy cooking simply means | | | | frying too long to keep the minerals locked inside. |
| chopping up a few things and tossing them together, | | | | Vegetables contain vitamins that are also soluble in |
| you are wrong. Keep Fat Low To spare yourself | | | | water, it is not advised that you use too much of |
| from the so-called hidden fats, or fats that aren't | | | | this liquid. As with anything else in this world, things |
| easily visible, it's best to use reduced-fat dairy goods | | | | work when done in moderation. The secret the |
| and lean meats for ingredients. The good dietary fats | | | | healthy cooking is knowing what you want to take |
| usually come from unrefined products, such as fish, | | | | out and what you want to preserve. It doesn't really |
| olives, nuts, soy, avocado and seeds. Such kinds of | | | | take rocket science to learn all these, but it does |
| fat also come with other necessary nutrients so it's | | | | require some amount of research and patience. After |
| okay to crazy with them. When cooking, use a | | | | all, your body is your temple. You must love it by |
| non-stick pan to minimise your oil usage. If you really | | | | giving it a delicious and healthy reward.Khieng 'Ken' |
| need to use oil, use monosaturated oils applied with | | | | Chho is author and owner of Online Cooking |
| pastry brushes or cooking sprays so you don't go | | | | Resources. |