Though you take a lot of care while cooking your food at home, you may always have a little doubt in your mind like “is it really good for my health?” There are many rules to follow while cooking a healthy meal. Like it should not be deep fried, it should not be heated in high flame for long time duration and much more. Knowing these rules would help you to cook nutrition-rich, healthy food every single time.
1. Cooking in Low flame for longer time duration
There are two things that need to be kept in mind while cooking on low flame for an extended time period. One, we should not use more water. Two, vegetables should not be chopped into small pieces. When you use more water to cook your foods, all the nutrients will settle in the water and it will be wasted. Some people do not have the habit of closing the vessel opening with a cover or plate while cooking. When you let the steam escape, vegetables loses its water content.
Use less water to cook vegetables so that the nutrients in it are kept intact. If you cook the food on low flame, always ensure you are cooking the vegetables for the right time duration. Cooking the foods in the low flame is not so bad as long as you do not overdo the timing part.
2. Grilled cooking
Grilled cooking demands less oil. Additionally, it reduces the fat content of the food naturally. Grilled foods always taste better. But, having grilled foods on a daily basis is not good for your health. When you cook meat, vegetables, and fruits in this method, it reduces the quality of the food. You can have grilled foods once or twice a month but never on a daily basis.
3. Microwave
Microwave as the name suggests, it uses microwaves to heat the foods. Foods prepared by this method are not good for your health. Additionally, it reduces the quality of the foods. When vegetables, fruits, and grains are microwaved, it loses its nutrients. A microwave oven can be used at times of emergency, but it should never be put to regular use.
4. Deep frying
Deep fried foods will have high-fat content. Some people reuse oils. When you reuse the oils, it increases the level of bad cholesterol in it. Foods cooked by this method are not healthy. So, it can only be had under unavoidable circumstances. It is not the best practice to have deep fried foods regularly as well.
5. Slow cooking
It might sound strange but slow cooking is not the best practice. This method involves cooking the ingredients of a recipe separately and then recooking it again all together. When we cook all ingredients together we can get maximum nutrition, calories, and benefits out of it. But, slow cooking takes a lot of time. Also when you cook the ingredients separately, they lose their nutritional value and also loses its quality. This cooking method also fails to reproduce the exact taste of the ingredients.
6. Barbecue
Barbecued foods should not be had regularly. It is the best method to cook meats. While using this method to cook foods regularly, you will miss a lot of nutrients in your foods. Additionally, when you expose the foods to direct flame, it can trigger cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens) in your foods.
7. Boiling Foods
Boiling foods is good practice. When you boil foods, you do not lose its nutrients. Because you use this method while preparing curries, gravies, and soups. These foods are taken along with its water content. When you use water to cook foods, all the masalas, and spices gets mixed with the vegetables, fruits, and meats completely. Additionally, boiling foods will kill the microbes and germs present it. But, you should not overcook vegetables in water. Doing so you will lose its nutrient contents.
8. Steam Cooking
Steam cooking is the best way to cook foods. Many healthy foods across the world are steam cooked. These foods are easily digestible, and it can be consumed by people of all age groups. This method of cooking doesn’t make vegetables, fruits, and other ingredients lose their nutrients. Additionally, consuming steam cooked foods prevents, obesity, heart diseases, diabetes, and many other health problems.