Fahmida Hashem :
Why don’t we cook more often? Many of us are just too busy-and too tired to face the kitchen after a long day of work.
Others don’t cook because they see food as the enemy, and are afraid they’ll eat what they’ve made-maybe even all of what they’ve made.
Another cause for kitchen avoidance is the fear of making mistakes. Some people see the food they make as an extension of themselves, so they worry about being judged by the outcome. Ordering in takes a load of pressure off the perfectionist’s back-you can blame a lousy dinner on the restaurant it came from, instead of on yourself.
If you feel like you’re losing the fight against food-scarfing chips and cookies when you should be munching on carrots-maybe it’s time you learned the rules of eating and healthy cooking. Learning to feel more comfortable in the kitchen can help you feel closer to your food-and closer to a healthy lifestyle.
Some of us hope that, by steering clear of the kitchen, we can keep the numbers on the scale from creeping slowly upwards. But when it comes to what we eat, ignorance is not bliss. And avoiding the issue won’t keep us from getting fat. In fact, studies show that we’re more apt to eat too much, too fast when we don’t keep an eye on what goes into our mouths. And how can we make sure our meals are healthy and low-calorie if we don’t know how they were prepared?
Many of us are disconnected from food because we’re disconnected from our bodies. Cooking helps us tune in to how food smells and looks (real food – not its fake, processed equivalent), as well as to the whole process of feeding ourselves; a process in which food is energy and nourishment-not the enemy. If your biggest food issue is speed eating (which often leads to overeating), cooking can help you slow you down and connect with your senses.
Food and cooking have emotional associations, and paying attention to how you feel as you cook you gets in touch with feelings you have about the past that relate to food.
The process of cooking can help you understand why you feel the way you do about food.
Ready to get started? Here are 4 healthy cooking tricks that can help you be just as comfortable in the kitchen as you are on the couch.
Stock your kitchen-Healthy cooking starts with filling your cupboards. Keep these basics on hand, and you’ll be able to whip up delicious meals in less than the time it takes for pizza to be delivered. Good set of pots and pans, vegetable steamer/rice cooker, soup-pot, food processor, grill, good utensils, Basic healthy cooking ingredients, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables ,yogurt, cheese, eggs, low-fat cuts of meat such as chicken breast, rice (brown, red, mixed rice varieties),pasta (preferably whole grain),whole grain bread and/pita, garlic, onion, olive oil, vinegar, herbs and spices (fresh, if possible).
Plan ahead, simplify dinner time prep by making as much as possible ahead of time. Clean and chop vegetables, peel and chop potatoes and store in cold water in the fridge, cut chicken breast into strips or bite-sized pieces for fry, make vegetable or chicken cube to use as a base for curry, cut up fruit for quick snacks. (According to research in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, it’s just as nutritious as fruit cut directly before eating)
To save on fat and calories, use low-fat plain yogurt in place of sauce or mayonnaise, and buy low-fat cheese and milk instead of full-fat versions, add flavor to vegetables with low-fat cheese, nuts, salad dressing or margarine with no trans- fat; then add herbs and spices.
Just keep it simple! Using just these basic healthy cooking tools, ingredients and pre-made foods, you can make any of the healthy meals in minutes.
One of the best ways to watch what you eat is to make it yourself. (Fahmida Hashem is a nutritionist)
Why don’t we cook more often? Many of us are just too busy-and too tired to face the kitchen after a long day of work.
Others don’t cook because they see food as the enemy, and are afraid they’ll eat what they’ve made-maybe even all of what they’ve made.
Another cause for kitchen avoidance is the fear of making mistakes. Some people see the food they make as an extension of themselves, so they worry about being judged by the outcome. Ordering in takes a load of pressure off the perfectionist’s back-you can blame a lousy dinner on the restaurant it came from, instead of on yourself.
If you feel like you’re losing the fight against food-scarfing chips and cookies when you should be munching on carrots-maybe it’s time you learned the rules of eating and healthy cooking. Learning to feel more comfortable in the kitchen can help you feel closer to your food-and closer to a healthy lifestyle.
Some of us hope that, by steering clear of the kitchen, we can keep the numbers on the scale from creeping slowly upwards. But when it comes to what we eat, ignorance is not bliss. And avoiding the issue won’t keep us from getting fat. In fact, studies show that we’re more apt to eat too much, too fast when we don’t keep an eye on what goes into our mouths. And how can we make sure our meals are healthy and low-calorie if we don’t know how they were prepared?
Many of us are disconnected from food because we’re disconnected from our bodies. Cooking helps us tune in to how food smells and looks (real food – not its fake, processed equivalent), as well as to the whole process of feeding ourselves; a process in which food is energy and nourishment-not the enemy. If your biggest food issue is speed eating (which often leads to overeating), cooking can help you slow you down and connect with your senses.
Food and cooking have emotional associations, and paying attention to how you feel as you cook you gets in touch with feelings you have about the past that relate to food.
The process of cooking can help you understand why you feel the way you do about food.
Ready to get started? Here are 4 healthy cooking tricks that can help you be just as comfortable in the kitchen as you are on the couch.
Stock your kitchen-Healthy cooking starts with filling your cupboards. Keep these basics on hand, and you’ll be able to whip up delicious meals in less than the time it takes for pizza to be delivered. Good set of pots and pans, vegetable steamer/rice cooker, soup-pot, food processor, grill, good utensils, Basic healthy cooking ingredients, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables ,yogurt, cheese, eggs, low-fat cuts of meat such as chicken breast, rice (brown, red, mixed rice varieties),pasta (preferably whole grain),whole grain bread and/pita, garlic, onion, olive oil, vinegar, herbs and spices (fresh, if possible).
Plan ahead, simplify dinner time prep by making as much as possible ahead of time. Clean and chop vegetables, peel and chop potatoes and store in cold water in the fridge, cut chicken breast into strips or bite-sized pieces for fry, make vegetable or chicken cube to use as a base for curry, cut up fruit for quick snacks. (According to research in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, it’s just as nutritious as fruit cut directly before eating)
To save on fat and calories, use low-fat plain yogurt in place of sauce or mayonnaise, and buy low-fat cheese and milk instead of full-fat versions, add flavor to vegetables with low-fat cheese, nuts, salad dressing or margarine with no trans- fat; then add herbs and spices.
Just keep it simple! Using just these basic healthy cooking tools, ingredients and pre-made foods, you can make any of the healthy meals in minutes.
One of the best ways to watch what you eat is to make it yourself. (Fahmida Hashem is a nutritionist)
