When many people hear the word ‘healthy’ in regards to cooking, they conjure up images of overcooked Brussels sprouts, cookies that taste like cardboard or other unappealing concoctions designed to deliver nutrients, but not taste or pleasure. This is a sure-fire recipe for short-term compliance at best.
However, this is not how we define healthy cooking, as eating should not only give us physical sustenance, but also bring us mental and emotional pleasure as well. With that in mind, this post will provide you some tips to make your eating experience as enjoyable and as healthy as possible.
#1 Cook with unprocessed organic food
This is the single most important trick and it cannot be underestimated. Organic produce have been shown to have more nutrients, fewer harmful pesticides, herbicides and other harmful chemicals, are better for the environment and they taste better than conventionally grown produce. Furthermore, unprocessed foods (i.e., foods as close to their natural state as possible) contain more of the things our bodies need to metabolize them (i.e., fiber, vitamins, minerals, water, etc.) and less of the things that can cause us problems (i.e., sugar, white flour, artificial preservatives, additives and/or colors, etc.).
Said more simply, unprocessed organic foods are better for you, they taste better and you will enjoy cooking with them, which brings us to tip #2.
#2 Learn how to cook
You are going to be starting with great ingredients, so you should learn how to make it into a great meal. Cooking technique will be the difference between eating just to eat and enjoying a meal. You don’t have to become a chef to enjoy great food, but having some tried and true techniques in your back pocket will make it eating less of an experiment and more of an experience.
Take some cooking classes – most health food stores have them, as do many area restaurants and technical schools – or experiment with friends. Getting together with friends to share recipes and experiment with cooking techniques can be great fun and add to your overall enjoyment of food. At the Natural Path Health Center, they often offer cooking classes.
#3 Use the best ingredients you can afford
This is a subset of tip #1. It’s a simple fact that really good, wholesome food is more satisfying than cheap food and satisfying on a deeper level. It’s also more expensive. Therefore this tip, properly applied, should have the dual effect of making you eat less while also helping you to feel better after you eat. Good sea salt seasons more effectively and has a deeper flavor than cheap table salt, so you’ll use less salt and enjoy more flavor. Using organic unsalted butter and extra-virgin olive oil will add depth and flavor to your food far beyond what is to be expected from less expensive substitutes.
Cheap food is like anything else that’s cheap – you get used to it, you don’t expect any better for yourself, and because it isn’t satisfying, you end up using more and more of it – which you can justify because it didn’t cost that much. This can pack on pounds, but it can also create a mental message that you are not worth great things, including food – it’s a vicious cycle. Pay what it costs for really good food and enjoy it in moderation with the occasional celebratory binge thrown in. That formula is a thousand years old and still works today.
#4 Don’t follow miracle diets
Here’s the secret: there are no secrets. There’s no single magical combination of ingredients, techniques or supplements that will allow everyone to stay slim and healthy over the long haul. If you eat a balanced diet of high-quality food, get regular exercise and don’t fret yourself into an early grave, you may not look like someone out of the pages of a magazine, but you will be healthy. The effects of drastically varying your diet and/or excluding a food group can range from short term delusions of grandeur to long term serious health problems. If you think you have specific food intolerances or have problems losing weight, please look at our Optimal Body Balance Program, where we identify and address the underlying reasons that prevent you from losing weight; you can also contact the Natural Path Health Center.
#5 Don’t buy the fry-daddy
Deep fried food is not good for you – everybody knows that. What’s worse is deep frying foods over and over again in the same oil, which is most often the case. This breaks down and damages the oil, increases the oil absorption by the food and makes it toxic to your body. This is very destructive to your health. Don’t despair, if doughnuts are your vice, like anything else, enjoy them on special occasions and savor the moment.
In summary, the best way to cook healthy is to make more out of less. Invest in yourself and your health by spending what it costs to buy the best you can afford and enjoy it. Steam food if you like to; it’s great for texture and color – but don’t worry that a good stew or rich casserole every now and then is going to do you in. The main thing is to approach food in the spirit of enjoyment and reverence and eat what satisfies you – but only until it does.