Expert Tips for Cooking Healthier Cuisine

• Start with nutrient-rich foods. Base your recipes on colorful vegetables, fresh fruits, lean meats, and whole grains.
• Use nonstick pans. Nonstick cookware will require you to cook with less oil or butter.
• Invest in a quality food processor. A blender or food processor is essential for adding vegetables to sauces. They’re also great for making smoothies out of fruit and ground flaxseed.
• Brown your food with an oil sprayer. A little bit of olive or canola oil is all you need to crisp up many recipes. Using a sprayer will dramatically reduce the amount of oil (and fat) that ends up in your dish.
• Grill, bake, or roast your foods. Basically, avoid frying your foods at all cost. Grilling and roasting your vegetables will not only make them healthier, but it’s also better for bringing out the flavor of the vegetables.
• Make healthy substitutions. Using low-fat sour cream in your recipes, for example, is a great way to cut calories without sacrificing taste. You can opt for low-fat varieties of cream cheeses and yogurts as well.
• Experiment with spices and herbs. Practice flavoring your foods with something other than salt. Fresh garlic, onion, peppers, basil, and oregano are all versatile flavors that won’t raise your blood pressure.

When you’re learning to cook healthier foods, you can start from scratch, or look online for variations of your old family favorites. A few smart substitutions and quality ingredients can go along way toward cutting your fat and calories without skimping on taste.