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12 Small Diet Changes that’ll Give Your Health a Makeover!


Today we are more aware than ever of the enormous impact that nutrition has on our health, both good and bad. This effect is particularly evident when more and more people are sick every year with diseases related to poor nutrition and suffer from various physical phenomena that interfere with normal life. However, some people find it difficult to give up foods they love because of their taste and lack of desire to try healthy foods for fear they won’t satisfy them.

 

In order to make foods healthier, without compromising on their taste, simply try the next 12 tricks for healthy cooking that will not only improve your health, but also allows you to enjoy your favorite foods without feeling like your giving up on a lot, something that can make you go back to unhealthy eating.

healthy foods

1. Explore and experiment with different cooking methods

Many household foods are prepared by frying in oil, which not only causes weight gain but also releases free radicals that damage the body. To avoid this, try other cooking methods that highlight the wonderful flavors of different foods without harming your health. Grilling or baking with a little oil brings out the natural sweetness of vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, carrots, and even cauliflower. Today there are so many different tools available for cooking foods without oil, such as grilling meat and fish that actually highlight their wonderful taste sometimes lost in frying. Steaming is also a wonderful method for making tasty and healthy dishes.

2. Replace eggs in meat dishes with tomato paste

There are many meat dishes that require eggs to "glue" the ingredients together so that the dish doesn’t fall apart during cooking. Eggs have many health benefits, but it is important to eat them in moderation and not to use them in every dish you make. To combine ingredients without compromising the taste of foods and to prevent them from falling apart, use tomato paste instead of eggs. Not only will the results be the same as if you used eggs, you’ll also gain the extra delicious taste of tomatoes that can turn any piece of meat into a real delicacy.

healthy foods

3. Replace the eggs in baked goods with applesauce

As we said before, eggs are the glue that holds ingredients together, and it’s the same in baked goods. We’re often tempted to eat pastries, sometimes even on a daily basis, however, it really isn’t healthy to eat so many eggs. The way to bypass over-eating eggs is by replacing them with applesauce, which has the same effect as eggs when used in baking. The taste of the baked goods will not be different from the ones you’ve prepared so far and you’ll enjoy your favorite desserts without paying the health price for it.

4. Replace some of the eggs in recipes with bananas

Many people aren’t willing to make the full switch from eggs to applesauce for fear that it will spoil the taste of baked goods. If you don’t want to give up eggs in all your baked goods, only replace some of them with a mashed banana. This is a well-known method for making healthier pastries and desserts as the delicate taste of bananas won’t affect their taste, especially when combined with eggs. What is certain is that the caloric value of baked goods made with eggs and bananas is lower than that of the regular versions and the fat content is lower than that of a regular dessert, so you gain twice as much!

healthy foods

5. Use herbs to add flavor

How many of us rely on butter, cream, and stock to add flavor to different foods? Unfortunately, these ingredients are full of fat and some of them are also with various synthetic ingredients which are definitely bad for our health. Try to cut them out by using different spices and herbs instead. There are many wonderful seasoning blends that can be used for culinary experiments in the kitchen, allowing you to enjoy foods with unique new flavors and without the addition of fat or artificial ingredients that can harm you.

6. Bake with avocado instead of butter

Butter is a favorite ingredient in many baked goods, but it is recommended to consume it in moderation. A way to do that is to use avocado instead - just substitute your butter with avocado at a  1: 1 ratio, or, for every 100 grams of butter in a recipe, just use the same amount of avocado. The healthy fats in the avocado will contribute a great deal to your body without harming you, and avocados are very versatile so it can be used both for sweet and salty pastries!

healthy foods

7. Give Tofu another chance

Many people who attempt making something using tofu often don’t try it again, usually because they don’t like the taste. The cause of this is incorrect preparation which makes tofu’s texture and its taste unattractive. However, we recommend giving tofu another chance. Tofu is neutral in flavor and absorbs whatever tastes are around it, making it an excellent raw material for a variety of foods. Try it as a substitute for cheese in salads or as an alternative to meat in different dishes and you can cut calories and consume healthy and essential proteins for the body. Remember not to overdo it with the tofu, as it also contains hormone-like ingredients that can affect your body. eat tofu once or twice a week and your diet will start to get healthier.

 

8. Add garlic and roasted onion to different dishes for added flavor

Garlic and onions are packed with ingredients that help fight various diseases and also contribute to heart health, so it is recommended to incorporate them into your daily diet. You can use them as a substitute for salt in different dishes to take advantage of their taste and add a healthy dose to your foods.

healthy foods

9. Use legumes to make soups and stews instead of meat

Many people like satisfying meat stews, especially on cold winter days. These stews are tasty but are often filled with fatty meat that can lead to narrowing of the arteries and various heart problems. It is recommended to substitute the meat with legumes or lentils, such as black beans, white beans, peas and many others. Not only will the dishes be especially tasty, but these ingredients will contribute to the feeling of satiety over time and their high fiber content will cleanse your digestive system and contribute to your overall health.

10. Trim your meat and poultry

Chicken and beef are wonderful in different traditional dishes as well as regular meals during the day, but they contain fats that can be harmful if consumed in large quantities. To eat healthier versions of meat dishes, remove the fat from beef and the skin from poultry, since these parts contain a lot of fat that can harm you and the less of them will do you good. Prepare the various dishes as usual and you will be amazed at how the taste hardly changes making sure you don’t have to compromise on the quality of your meals.

healthy foods

11. Minimize the use of salt

Many people now think that only people with health problems should reduce sodium intake, but that's not true! Many foods and snacks today are full of salts to emphasize their taste, so we all consume large amounts of sodium without even realizing it. Excessive consumption of sodium causes high blood pressure and various health problems, so it is recommended to minimize its consumption as much as possible. Try to use healthier salts such as Himalayan salt and Celtic salt that contribute to lowering sodium levels in the blood.

12. Cool root vegetables before eating them

Potatoes are a particularly favorite vegetable that many people eat several times a week, if not on a daily basis. Despite their wonderful taste, potatoes and other root vegetables have a high glycemic index, meaning they cause an increase in blood sugar levels. It is important to maintain a balance of sugar levels to prevent diabetes and other related diseases, and this can be easily done by cooling off these vegetables. After you cook potatoes and other root vegetables, put them in the refrigerator for 24 hours before you eat them. The cooling causes a decrease in the glycemic index of these foods so that they can be eaten without fear of a large increase in blood sugar levels.

image source: bookchen

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