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Eating at home could be healthier all-around, rather than eating in a sit-down restaurant, getting takeout or studying the drive-thru. Whenever you cook at home, you are in control of the ingredients and can produce a well-balanced meal.
Writer Hannah Campbell says home cooking could be deceiving sometimes. Campbell reveals some common cooking practices that may add unnecessary calories for your diet on Health.com:
- Too much oil C Typically, you simply require a single tablespoon of oil to coat a pan, but that single tablespoon can also add about 120 calories for your meal. Campbell suggests lightly steaming your ingredients (vegetables or proteins) to prepare them fully before adding these to a pan with oil.
- Supersized servings C Weighing or measuring every ingredient takes time. Oftentimes we guesstimate serving sizes and when those measurements aren’t accurate, you may be adding calories and fat to some meal. Campbell states that until you are a specialist on measurements, use tools to help.
- Taking the recipe literally C Many recipes are written to achieve the maximum flavor. This usually translates into using a significant amount of fat and calories. Try researching healthy alternatives to common, high-calorie ingredients. Campbell provides the illustration of swapping avocado puree for butter.
- Snacking while cooking C Cooking while hungry could be dangerous. It’s not hard to add up the calories by not paying focus on how much you’re snacking. Campbell suggests drinking water, snacking on raw vegetables or chewing gum when you cook allowing you to have the mouth area occupied.
- Keeping food around CCampbell says to avoid temptation of second and third helpings after consuming meals, place your leftover food away as quickly as possible.
“It all comes down to watching your food intake,” says Dr. Jennifer DeBruler, an interior medical physician with Advocate Medical Group in Libertyville, Ill.? “Using an excessive amount of fat and?sugar while cooking and snacking are common ways you might be adding unneeded calories to your diet.”
Dr. DeBruler suggests tracking your food intake closely including all of the ingredients you use to create a meal.
