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Cooking healthy at home

January 22, 2021

Ordering takeout or going through a fast food drive-thru might seem easier and less time-consuming than making home-cooked meals. But resisting that temptation and choosing to make your own meals at home can benefit your health.

Making home-cooked meals can be a family experience. Since fruits and vegetables should make up more than half of your plate, your family can help with chopping up vegetables and fruits. Prepare stir-fries that include plenty of vegetables and smaller amounts of protein foods. Peppers, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, kale and carrots work well in stir-fries. They are also packed with nutrition. Add more vegetables to casseroles and soups to get the recommended 4-5 cups of fruits and vegetables each day.

Include more protein that comes from plants in place of animal-based protein. Edamame, pinto beans, black beans, lentils and nuts work well in salads. Add a variety of beans such as black, pinto, kidney or butter beans to soups. Use an Instant Pot to cook dried beans ahead and freeze for later use.

When baking, substitute half the flour with a whole-grain flour to add more nutrition to recipes. Sugar can be cut by one-third to one-half in most recipes. Instead of using sugar, sweeten baked goods with fruit purees such as peach, pear or mango. Use applesauce, cranberries, pumpkin, bananas and zucchini in place of oil in breads, cakes and brownies. Substitute oil for solid fats and cut back by one-third to one-half. Salt can often be eliminated in many recipes except yeast breads or be reduced by 50%.

When cooking at home, you control the amount of daily salt, sugar and fat in your diet. Use low-fat cooking methods. Baking, broiling, grilling, roasting and steaming are all healthy forms of cooking. Instead of sautéing vegetables in oil, cook in a small amount of salt-free broth. Use nonstick cookware or nonstick spray instead of butter or oil in pans. When choosing meats, pick very lean cuts of beef and pork. “Loin” and “round” are usually the leaner cuts of meat. Take the skin off poultry before cooking. Eat fish regularly. It is high in omega-3s, which are polyunsaturated fats that helps your body function. Use skim, evaporated skim milk and reduced-fat cheese in recipes instead of higher fat dairy products. You can also cut down on the amount of cheese and meat in recipes to help reduce fat intake.

Be creative with the use of with seasonings in your meals. Add flavor to foods with herbs, spices, garlic, onions, peppers and lemon or lime juice.

If you are interested in learning more about cooking healthy at home, Columbus Community Hospital dietitians are hosting virtual healthy cooking classes. Contact Joan Plummer at 402-562-4462 for more information.

Information provided by Joan Plummer, dietitian and diabetes educator at Columbus Community Hospital.