Making healthy habits appears high on many of our priority lists. But aside from swapping the lift for the stairs and ditching the cigarettes for a vape from an online vape shop UK, just a few simple tweaks in the way you cook can have a transformative effect on your general health.
If you’re keen to adjust your habits in the kitchen, try these top tips and revolutionise your health for good.
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Cut Down on Salt
While most recipes will tell you to add salt, you often end up eating more than you need, especially if the dish contains other salt-heavy ingredients such as soy sauce.
A diet high in salt can cause high blood pressure, so swap out the salt for pepper or other herbs and spices to make your food less bland. If you do add salt during the cooking process, remove it from the table when you serve up so you’re not tempted to add more.
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Bulk Up With Beans
Getting enough protein is crucial, but meat isn’t the only way to get more of this macronutrient into your diet. You can bulk out your meals with the plant-based protein hit you get from legumes such as black beans, kidney beans, and lentils.
Not only do they contain much less saturated fat than red meat, but they’re also cheaper and more environmentally friendly, so consider swapping meat out for these nutritional powerhouses from time to time.
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Cook in Liquids Instead of Oil
While olive oil does have some health benefits, it can add a significant number of extra calories to your dishes when you use it in large quantities to fry your food.
Instead of frying in oil, try cooking your food with other liquids such as water, stock, wine, or lemon juice.
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Switch to Wholegrains
It’s a complete myth that carbohydrates are bad for your health. The problem is, too many carbohydrates are ultra-processed and refined, with added sugar and salt. Instead of opting for white bread, pasta, and rice, try wholegrain alternatives.
Where possible, mix things up by serving dishes such as curries and chilli con carne with quinoa or couscous instead of rice. That way, you’ll enjoy a more varied diet.
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Buy Ingredients in Advance
It sounds simple, but buying ingredients in advance and sticking to a meal plan can be an excellent way to stay healthy. If you leave purchasing your meals to the day you plan on eating them, it can become all too tempting to opt for a takeaway or something less healthy instead.
Make a weekly shopping plan and do bigger shops weekly and fortnightly rather than a smaller shop once a day.
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Cook With Flavours from Across the Globe
The best diet is a varied diet, and you can enjoy a healthier more varied diet by borrowing flavours from across the globe.
Many spices such as turmeric, which is commonly used in South Asian cooking, actually have health benefits that can improve your overall wellbeing. Take a nod from Japanese and Mediterranean cuisine, both of which are among the healthiest in the world.
