Love your heart

Who says healthy and yummy can’t go together? By incorporating smart changes in your cooking habits, you can bring you fat intake down without killing flavours. And what better time to start than World Heart Day, which is tomorrow. We tell you how to go about it.

Who says healthy and yummy can’t go together? By incorporating smart changes in your cooking habits, you can bring you fat intake down without killing flavours. And what better time to start than World Heart Day, which is tomorrow. We tell you how to go about it:

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Oil judiciously:

Introduce olive oil, canola or rice bran, safflower or soybean oil in your diet. Cut down on ghee. Use a non-stick pan and little oil, so that the food doesn’t stick. Allow homemade soups to cool before serving so that the fat forms a layer on the top, which you can remove.

Cooking techniques:

Overcooking any dish can kill its nutrients. Stick to processes such as steaming, pressure cooking, microwaving and stir-frying. All these are low fat cooking techniques that seal the flavours and save the nutrients. If you want your dish to be aromatic and flavoursome, use fresh herbs and spices and make sure all the ingredients are superior in quality.

Cut down salt and sugar:

If you can taste salt in your food, there is probably more than required. If you want flavour in your food without an extra spoonful of salt, use herbs, pepper, spices and even lemon juice. Instead of sugar, use natural sweeteners like agave nectar, Stevia, Fructose and Maple syrup.

Trim the meat:

Before cooking any kind of meat, trim its fat and get rid of the skin. Instead of frying it in oil, bake, microwave, grill or poach it.

Pick healthy ingredients:

Choose whole grains such as oatmeal and whole corn in place of refined flours and grains. Ditch packaged mixes, as they are high in sodium and make you prone to heart disease. Go for homemade flavourings. Use low-fat natural yogurt instead of sour cream.

-Inputs by Chef Vikas Mudgal