What to Look For in a Healthy Recipe
Basics of a Healthy Recipe
It seems like the to-do list is becoming longer and longer and there are fewer hours in the day to get things done. The grocery store is filled with processed foods that take a short amount of time to prepare; however, there is very little nutrition to these foods.
The word “healthy” can be very subjective. It will mean different things to different people. Children for example have different nutritional needs than an athlete, or a person who is trying to lose weight or even a person who does little to no exercise. Eating “healthy” means it has the right amounts of nutrients for you. Eating healthy does not mean that you can never eat your favorite foods; however there are foods that are healthier than others. When you choose the healthier foods more than the unhealthy foods, it becomes important to improving your health. Fruits and vegetables are a good example of healthy choices. Fruits and vegetable are high in fiber, help lower the bad cholesterol, can help to prevent heart disease, and are high in anti-oxidants. There are many recipes that offer servings of fresh fruit and vegetables.
There is a wealth of websites and cookbooks that offer healthy recipe. Many recipes now come with nutritional information. There are some guidelines you can follow to determine if a recipe is healthy. Following these guidelines will help you and your family to make smarter choices with the foods they eat. When looking for recipes for appetizers and side dishes, look for recipes that have less than one hundred and fifty calories per serving, less than five grams total fat per serving, less than two grams saturated fat per serving, less than five hundred milligrams sodium per serving, and less than fifty milligrams cholesterol per serving. When looking for main courses or entrees, look for recipes that have less than six hundred calories per serving, less than twenty grams total fat per serving, less than five grams saturated fat per serving, less than one thousand milligrams sodium per serving, and less than one hundred milligrams cholesterol per serving. On those occasions when the meal is special or the family is wanting dessert with the meal, look for desserts that have less than one hundred and seventy-five calories per serving, less than five grams total fat per serving, less than two grams saturated fat per serving, less than five hundred milligrams sodium per serving, and less than fifty milligrams cholesterol per serving.
There are three things you can look at when determining if a recipe is healthy. One, look at what the healthy ingredients are in the recipe. Two, look at what the unhealthy ingredients are in the recipe and leave them out. Third, look at the cooking methods used in the recipe.
Fresh and frozen fruit, vegetables, olive oil, grape seed oil, nuts, legumes, whole grain breads, whole grain pasta, lean meats such as chicken, pork and fish are considered healthy ingredients. Look for recipes that have multiple ingredients that are healthy. There are many ingredients that appear to be healthy, but actually the ingredient is unhealthy. Unhealthy ingredients are considered to be sugar, saturated and trans fats, white refined flour, foods made with refined flour, and processed foods. Processed foods are foods such as mayonnaise because of its high fat content, processed cheese, and processed meats such as sausage, bacon, and hot dogs. These foods should not be used very often.
Sometimes ingredients in recipes seem healthy, but because of some of the ingredients the recipe is not healthy. Spaghetti and meatballs is a good example of a meal that appears to be healthy. The biggest ingredient in this recipe that makes it unhealthy is the pasta because it is made from refined white flour. Another ingredient that would make this recipe unhealthy is the meatballs because it is loaded with saturated fat. An easy way to make this recipe healthy is to change the pasta to whole grain pasta and change the meat to super lean ground beef or even substitute the ground beef for chicken or even for ground turkey. The sauce is pretty healthy. The tomatoes in the sauce contribute many vitamins and lycopene. If you find a recipe that has ingredients that are unhealthy, substitute them for healthier options.
Just as the important as the ingredients is how the food is cooked. One of the worst ways to cook food is to deep fry because in order to get oil hot enough to deep fry foods, you would need to use some of the unhealthy oils. Foods that are deep fried will absorb the oil it is cooked in and will contain more calories and fat than the same food baked in and oven. Some cooking methods that are healthier alternatives are pan frying, sautéing, boiling, grilling, baking, and roasting. These cooking methods used less oils and fats than deep frying. If a recipe calls for a cooking method that is unhealthy, change it for cooking method that is healthier.
Quick and Easy Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Many people do not have time in the morning to make a healthy breakfast. Cereal can be an easy, quick, healthy breakfast, but it depends on the cereal you pick. There are many cereals are made with refined grains and no fiber, cereals made with whole grains and a high amount of fiber, cereals that are full of sugar, and cereals that have very little sugar. Experts say that cereal can add a lot of good stuff to your diet or it can add a lot of bad stuff to your diet. It is important to choose a breakfast cereal that has at least one serving of whole grains. Research has suggested that the more whole grains are eaten; the chance of getting diabetes or heart disease goes down. It is also important to find a cereal that is high in fiber. Most Americans do not get the recommended amount of fiber a day.
Finding a breakfast cereal that is good for you and still tastes good is tricky. A good cereal will be low in sugar and have not saturated and trans fats. There are some cereals out there that appear to be healthy, but they actually contain partially hydrogenated oils. Partially hydrogenated oils are the trans fats. When looking for a healthy breakfast cereal, look through the list of ingredients and make sure there are no partially hydrogenated oils. Cereals that have dried fruit in them also have added nutrition. However, be careful because the natural sugar in the dried fruit is also counted in with the total amount of sugars for a serving of the cereal. Looking at the ingredients can also help you to determine if the sugars are refined and added or come naturally from dried fruit. The U.S. Government’s Dietary Reference Intake suggests that added sugars should be less than twenty-five percent of the total calories. To see if your cereal is within this range, you can calculate the amount of calories from sugar. First, multiply the grams of sugar per serving by four. Divide this number by the total number of calories per serving. Finally, multiply this number by one hundred to get the percentage of calories from sugar. There are four calories for every gram of sugar.
Choosing a breakfast cereal that is high in fiber and made of whole grains can possibly reduce the rate of weight gain. Make sure the cereal is also low in refined grains and refined sugars. Eating refined foods can have the opposite effect of whole grains.
Portion Control
Another way to keep your recipes healthy is portion control. Portion control is being aware of what a serving size is and the amount of calories in that serving. Portion control is important for healthy eating. The Greek philosopher has said that eating healthy is the happy medium between two extremes, excess and deficiency. Controlling your portions is important when eating healthy. Portion sizes can be estimated when using objects as a reference point. For example, a healthy serving of protein should not be larger than your palm. A healthy serving of carbohydrates can be measured by a fistful. One fistful of pasta is a healthy serving.
Knowing this it is important when making recipes. Portions have gotten larger over the years. Research has found that people are unintentionally eating more when the portions are larger. There are many times when you can use portion control. You can use portion control when you are eating out, eating at home, eating in front of the TV, eating a snack before dinner, eating out of large packages, and when food is easily accessed. One of the best ways to eat the correct portions at a restaurant is to ask your waiter for a “to-go” box at the beginning of the meal when it is brought to your table. Another easy way is to split your meal with a friend. Many restaurants are serving meals that can feed more than one person. When you are at home, knowing how many serving are in a recipe can help you to eat the correct portions. If the recipe says it serves four people and you are only cooking for one or two people, scale back the recipe so it makes just enough for the one or two people you are cooking for. Another good tip is to not keep the serving dishes where they are readily accessible. Keeping the serving dishes away from the table will cut back on the temptation for going back for seconds and thirds. If you feel hungry between meals, it is okay to eat a healthy snack such as a piece of fruit or a small salad. This will help you to keep the portions in check at meal time and you won’t over eat. A lot of foods today come in big packages. Dividing up the food into smaller bags will help so you do not over eat. Also not eating from the package can help. Take out a serving of the food and put it in a small bowl. This will keep the portions in check and you won’t over eat. Lastly, when food is easily accessible, make it healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. Keep the tempting foods on a shelf in the cupboard or in the freezer, and put the healthy options where you can get to them easier.
How to Get a Complete Meal on the Go
Healthy recipes will have healthy foods in them. Make sure the calorie intake is reasonable. If the recipe does call for an ingredient that is not healthy, substitute it for a healthier one. Also knowing portions can help a person to not over eat. If the recipe serves more than the number of people eating, scale it back so it will make just enough food. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Keep it healthy by choosing breakfast cereals that are high in fiber, made with whole grains, and low in sugars and fat. However, sometimes there won’t be time to cook a healthy recipe. That is when a good meal replacement supplement comes in.
Meal replacements are a good source of protein and amino acids to help support lean muscle. A good meal replacement will have the important whey proteins to help with the development of lean muscle. A good meal replacement will also have a moderate amount of carbohydrates to keep the body fueled. Carbohydrates are what give the body energy. It is important to keep the body fueled so you will have the energy to make it through the day. Fiber is another important aspect to a good meal replacement. Fiber is what keeps a person full between meals. It has been recommended that adults eat around thirty grams of fiber a day. A good meal replacement will be a good source for fiber.
Vitamins are also important when choosing a meal replacement. The foods we eat are great sources for the vitamins and minerals our body needs to function. When we don’t get these vitamins and minerals our bodies can become unhealthy. Finding a good meal replacement that contains these vitamins and minerals will help keep the body going. Some of the important vitamins and minerals are Vitamins A, C, D, B-complex, E, Calcium, Iron, Phosphorus, Riboflavin, Chloride, Molybdenum, and Magnesium.
Meal replacements are a good source of protein, amino acids, carbohydrates, fiber, and the essential vitamins and minerals our body needs to stay healthy.
