{"id":33885,"date":"2021-09-20T17:01:53","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T06:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.airtasker.com\/blog\/?p=33885"},"modified":"2024-03-11T19:32:01","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T08:32:01","slug":"healthy-cooking-for-beginners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.airtasker.com\/blog\/healthy-cooking-for-beginners\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Easy tips for healthy cooking (made for beginners!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you want to learn how to cook healthy, delicious meals for yourself and your family? Perhaps you\u2019re sick of all those lunch box diets, or you want to do more than just get your vegan favourites delivered<\/a>. The good news is that healthy cooking, even for beginners, is easier than you think!<\/p>\n

And if you think that \u201chealthy\u201d cooking is limited to vegetarian and vegan fare or food that lacks flavour, you might be surprised with what you can create with healthy, nutritious options.<\/p>\n

So get your chopping boards, wooden spoons, and taste buds ready; here are the top tips for beginner-friendly healthy cooking!<\/p>\n

1. Stock your pantry with whole foods\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What makes food \u201cwhole\u201d? Simple: the less processed it is, and the closer it is to its \u201cnatural\u201d form, the better. That means more fruits and veggies, less packaged goods, more brown rice\/bread instead of their refined counterparts, and as few unpronounceable ingredients as possible. Ditch the hot dogs, bacon, and salami – not only are they full of preservatives, but they\u2019re also full of saturated fat, too.<\/p>\n

\"asparagus\"
Source: Louis Hansel via Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. Shop local and seasonal\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Whether you\u2019re simply shopping for your household\u2019s daily veggie content, or exploring vegan cooking for beginners, it always pays to shop local and seasonal. Why? Because seasonal, locally-farmed fruits and veggies don\u2019t need to travel far, the crops are harvested in peak condition, and you get more nutrients out of them. Plus, you get to support your local farmers!<\/p>\n

3. Ditch the generic vegetable oil\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Oil isn\u2019t all bad – just make sure you cook with heart-healthy ones, like avocado, coconut, and olive oil. Avocado oil, in particular, is flavour-neutral, making it great for just about any recipe.<\/p>\n

4. Explore seasoning and spices\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Generally, it’s perfectly fine to add a dash or so of salt to your meals (nutritionists recommend less than one teaspoon per day). But if you’re really conscious of your sodium intake, you can always experiment on all sorts of seasoning to get the same burst of flavour without going overboard on salt.<\/p>\n

Stock your pantry with spices like garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and fresh or dried herbs such as basil and oregano. You can also ditch your regular soy sauce and use coconut aminos instead as an alternative.<\/p>\n

5. Cut down on sugar\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

That goes for table sugar (white and brown)! The same goes for maple syrup, which adds a whopping 12 grams of added sugar in a single tablespoon<\/a> – easily half the recommended 25 grams of the maximum daily intake recommended by the World Health Organization<\/a>. Instead of slathering your banana pancakes in syrup, why not add a side of fresh fruits instead?<\/p>\n

And as a temporary fix, the American Heart Association<\/a> also recommends non-nutritive sweeteners (like Stevia, monk fruit extracts, and coconut sugar) over refined sugars.<\/p>\n

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Source: Louis Hansel via Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

6. Make healthy swaps\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It doesn\u2019t have to be drastic! You can do the following simple hacks:<\/p>\n