Switch to Healthy Cooking

Do you want to cook and eat healthier? It's quite simple to substitute a few ingredients in your favorite recipes to make them much healthier and just as tasty.

Steps

 * 1)  Have a look at your favorite recipes and circle all the high fat, cholesterol, processed sugar ingredients (such as red meat, cheese, butter, oil, sugar, etc)
 * 2)  Start by substituting butter, fats and oil with a small amount of olive or rice bran oil. These oils improve your good (HDL) cholesterol. Other healthy fats are dry-roasted nuts and avocado.
 * 3)  Know that sugar and sweeteners can be used in smaller amounts, or better yet, substitute pureed fruit such as applesauce or dried plums (prunes). Honey can be used in small amounts but is still a high calorie food.
 * 4)  Try using nuts, beans (all types) and soy products as substitutes for meat ingredients. For example textured vegetable protein (TVP) can easily be rehydrated with boiling water and added to pasta sauce for a quick bolognaise.
 * 5)  Follow this rule of thumb. An easy rule of thumb is to fill half your plate with fruit or vegetables, one fourth with a protein (beans, nuts, fish, dairy, lean meat), one fourth with complex carbohydrates (unprocessed grains, potatoes, pasta, etc).
 * 6) Test some new recipes with vegetables, grains or legumes as the main ingredient. Have your family vote on their favorites. Give vegetables a central place on your table and on your plate. Meat no longer needs to be the main dish.