Healthy Cooking: 4 Tips to Balance Taste and Nutrition in a Meal

Written By: Vivian Benjamin

Healthy Cooking
Poor diet has always been one of the factors leading to the development of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and many more. Poor dietary consumption can be due to many reasons for instance; sickness, timing, disability, habit, cravings, lack of education or guidance and many more.



There are non-modifiable and modifiable factors, as to why an individual chooses to eat unhealthily. You are the only person with the power to change the modifiable reasons to help you cook and eat healthily at home.



Takeaways and eating out have always been associated with an increase in weight and poor diet quality, which increases the growing rate of chronic illnesses. This is due to the 2 factors predominantly the ingredients used and how the food is prepared or cooked.



Several studies also show that eating out of home has been linked to lower intakes of Vitamin C, calcium and iron. Many supermarkets also sell food that is pre-prepared or processed, which is easier to consume on the go or to be brought back home to be eaten.



As a result, the traditional way of cooking at home steadily declined over the years. Many people think that cooking at home might be a waste of time and energy when you can get everything in a supermarket. In this article, I’m going to share with you the 4 barriers to healthy cooking, 4 types of healthy cooking and 4 easy tips on how you can maintain taste and nutrition in a meal. 




First, let’s discuss the 4 main challenges to cooking healthily.

1. Habits
This is one of the biggest barriers anyone can face to cooking healthily. When you grow up in an environment that does not always practice home cooking, you tend to stick to that habit for all your life. Nevertheless, it will be very difficult to change habits if you are not mentally wilful.



2. Time
Have you ever thought that 24 hours is not enough to do anything in life? When you wake up late in the morning due to not listening to your alarm, you tend to rush out without proper breakfast. Then, you grab food to eat on the go and work throughout your lunch hour.


Do you even have time to cook healthily? You can if you manage your time properly. If you creatively time yourself for each task in life, and have a little time to adapt to any changes, you have the power to control time for your convenience.  (Check out my article on time management)




3. Social situations
It is difficult to eat healthily when you meet your friends or when you go to social parties. If you are a social person you tend to get invited to parties and celebrations. In addition to that, if you are a nice person you would have trouble saying “no” thus; succumbing to unhealthy dietary consumptions.



4. Food cravings
Besides habit, food cravings are a major drawback to unhealthy cooking. If you tend to let emotions take control of your appetite and cravings you would have trouble eating healthily. 





4 Types of Healthy Cooking

Now that you know what draws you back from cooking healthily, you would want to know how you can counter those challenges to cook healthily, with the time you have and also find a way to maintain the taste and nutrients in a meal. I’m going to share with you how you can retain the nutrients in the food while cooking.

1. Steaming
Steaming is a type of cooking method, which uses steam to cook food. According to several studies steaming vegetables helps retain the nutrients and colour of a fresh product. However, the taste of the food can be bland but you can add herbs and spices to enhance your taste buds. Check out my shark fish kozhukkatta dumplings.




2. Stir-frying
Stir-frying is a great way to toss in a variety of vegetables or protein ingredients to create a hearty and healthy meal. Not only has it enhanced the taste of a certain meal this type of cooking only needs 10 minutes to cook. However, do make sure you use healthy cooking oil like olive or coconut oil.



Studies have demonstrated that cooking for a short time without adding water prevents the loss of water-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin B. Moreover, another study shows that the addition of healthy fats such as olive or coconut oil improves the absorption of antioxidants and fat-soluble vitamins. Check out my 10 minute indian style capsicum and corn dish.





3. Boiling
Boiling is a water type cooking. When you boil a food the temperature must be 100 degrees Celsius. Boiling maintains the food’s natural flavour and makes the food more palatable to be consumed. However, boiling can reduce the water-soluble vitamins in a food. Therefore, when you boil make sure you use the water with which you are boiling the food. Check out my yam and sweet potato porridge.

 
 
4. Roasting
Does a Sunday roast or roast dinner bring joy to your mind? It is certainly one of my favourite foods. Roasting is a type of dry cooking that enables you to toss or stuff in most vegetables or protein ingredients like stir-frying. Unlike stir frying which you cook in a pot or pan, roasting is cooked in the oven.


Roasting not only intensifies the flavour of the food but also tenderizes the vegetable's textures. While this type of cooking uses a very high temperature you may be concerned about losing the food’s nutrients however, according to research the vegetables still retain some of their nutrients when it is roasted. 




4 Tips to Cook Healthily     
So, you know what stops you from cooking healthily then you explored how you can cook healthily while still preserving the taste and nutrients in the food. Now, let me share with you some bonus tips on how you can practice healthy cooking.

1. Prepare meals and freeze them

It is understandable that when you are working you won’t have enough time to cook healthily. However, batch cooking is becoming renowned for its benefits to maintaining taste and nutrients in food. So, why not try cooking meals and freezing them?


During your off day, the first thing you can do in the morning is to cook your food and freeze it. Plan and cook a big batch so it could be sufficient for the rest of the week. Aside from that, you could also chop some fruits and place them in a container to be frozen.


You may question what is the difference between preparing this yourself at home or buying it at a supermarket when there are frozen fruits and meals being sold everywhere in the modern world. The answer is simple – you know WHAT you are putting in the food you prepare with tender care and HOW you prepare them. 



2. Ferment your foods

Fermented food dates back to the ancient civilization as far as 6000 B.C. and has been passed down to the next generations. It is a process where microorganism breaks down sugar into alcohol or organic acids. During ancient times, it was used for preservation but studies have shown it provides benefits for the human body, especially for your gut health.



If prepared safely, fermented food can be kept inside the refrigerator for 3-18 months. As a result, if you don’t have enough food for the week or if you are too packed with schedules you could always consume fermented food.




3. Organize your kitchen

When you are busy, clearly you won’t have enough time to clean and tidy your home. However, most people don’t realize that only when things are organized, you don’t have to waste time looking for anything. Sometimes, it is also best to label cabinets in the kitchen to make life easier to find something.




4. Invest in kitchen products to help you cook healthily
Healthy cooking does not only rely on the methods or ingredients but also the kitchen products to aid you in the process. Therefore, investing in good quality kitchen products is crucial in nourishing your body even when you are strapped for time.


For instance, this air fryer is great for healthily preparing food without the use of oil, consequently making your meals low in fat. Furthermore, if you would like assistance in preparing your meal in advance, this food processor has multifunctional use that can aid you in chopping, blending, shredding, and reversible slicing.


Storing your cooked food safely is also vital in cooking healthily when you are packed with work. These large glass storage jars with airtight silicone seals are a great tool to store your food, especially food that needs to be fermented. Who said healthy eating is only about food?  

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All in All
Poor diet quality can be fixed by cooking healthy food. However, there are many challenges faced by an individual to practice healthy cooking at home. Nutrition Takes has simplified these barriers that you may face and also shared about how you can cook healthily without spending hours in your kitchen while maintaining the taste, texture and nutrients in your food.



Share in the comments section what you think about the knowledge you gained by reading this article. Alternatively, if you have any other insights do feel free to share. If you still have difficulties to practice healthy cooking why not chat with me? I’m available to be contacted via chat form, email or social media, whichever way you feel comfortable.








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References
1. Michelle C et al (2022); Barriers to Creating Healthier Home Food Environments: Process
    Evaluation Results from Two Home Food Environment Intervention Studies; Family
    Community Health; 45(4): 247-256.
2. Rosa K et al (2020); Cooking without thinking: How understanding cooking as a practice
    can shed new light on inequalities in healthy eating; Appetite; 147: 104503.
3. Desiree H et al (2020); Acquisition of Cooking Skills and Associations with Healthy Eating
    in Swiss Adults; Journal of Nutrition Education and Behaviour; 52(5): 483-491.