15 Tips for Preparing Healthier Meals

There is a myth that eating healthy is expensive; the truth is that you can not afford the luxury of eating an unhealthy diet. Science has shown that poor diet increases your risk of major diseases like Coronary Heart Disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. The following 15 tips is just a sample of how easy it is to make small changes that can lead to a healthier diet and a healthier you.

1. Use heart healthy oils. Researchers have found diets high in olive and nut oils lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease and strokes.
2. Think organic. The President’s council on Cancer is now recommending we eat organic foods. As many as 300 contaminants have been discovered in the blood of the ummbilical cord of new born babies.
3. Eat grass-fed beef. It contains 50% less saturated fat and is high in omega 3 fatty acids. Cattle were never meant to eat grains so they do not digest them well.
4. Keep frozen fruits and vegetables on hand. Not only are they convenient, frozen fruit and vegetables often contain more of the important vitamins and minerals than the ones found in the produce section of your supermarket.
5. Shop at your local Farmer’s Market. Prepare vegetables as soon as you get home for the week ahead and store in airtight containers in your refrigerator.
6. In recipes that call for white flour substitute whole wheat flour for some of the white. Whole wheat flour uses all three parts of the grain, white flour only uses the endosperm. When the bran and the germ are removed this removes 80% of the fiber, nutrients and antioxidants. 
7. Replace salt with herbs, spices, lemon and lime juice.
8. At least twice a week use your favorite beans in place of meat as the entree.
9. Use honey to sweeten your favorite smoothie.
10. Use crock pots to prepare your favorite soup, chili or meat dish. Even though you lose some of the foods nutritional value it is still a healthier choice than fast food.
11. Make your own chicken and vegetable broth and have it on hand in your freezer. Commercial brands are usually high in sodium.
12. Add blue berries to your pancakes; they are high in antioxidants, promote brain health, high in fiber and one cup blueberries only contains 81 calories.
13. Add vegetables to your soups.
14. When making your favorite lasagna replace some of the meat with vegetables like spinach or zucchini.
15. Create your own tv dinners from leftovers, there will always be a go to dinner in your freezer.  

Category: Fast Food Banquet, Nutrition