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8 Essential Cooking Tips for Healthier Eating

 

 

Written by Hanlie Botha

Registered Dietician | B.Dietetics(UP)
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Absolute Motion | Coaching | Energy | Fitness off the bike | Fitness on the bike | Nutrition | Performance Management

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29 September 2023

On the journey for a healthier lifestyle and better athletic performance, what happens in the kitchen is just as important as what takes place during your interval sessions. Our in-house registered Dietician Hanlie Botha, with her wealth of expertise, has shared valuable cooking tips that can help improve healthy eating when off the bike.

In this blog post, we explore 8 essential cooking tips that will help you create delicious, nutritious meals that support your well-being.

1. Steam or microwave your vegetables. 

And don’t worry! They can still be tasty when prepared this way (without adding butter or margarine):

  1. Place the washed vegetables in a steamer with a dash of water, sprinkle over vegetable stock or seasoning of your choice and steam until al dente
  2. Cook the vegetables in water, when the veggies are done – drizzle with lemon juice and serve.

2. Prepare your stirfry without oil.

  1.  When browning the meat, chicken or vegetables use soya sauce, beef-, chicken-, or vegetable stock and add water, wine, sherry, fruit juice, vegetable juice, and/or mushrooms for extra liquid.
  2. A non- stick frying pan is very useful.

3. Choose a better alternative to high-fat pastry for pies and quiches:

  1. Phyllo pastry is a convenient, easy to use low-fat option
  2. Brush the phyllo pastry with a mixture of egg white and milk instead of using oil
  3. Try mixing mashed potato or cooked rice with a little egg white ( approx 1 cup potato or rice to one egg white) – to create a base. Bake the base for 10 minutes in a moderate oven before adding the filling

4. Pick replacements for regular salad dressings and mayonnaise:

  1. Balsamic vinegar
  2. Lemon juice and herbs
  3. Make a dressing combining tomato or vegetable juice, vinegar, herbs and sugar
  4. Make mayo: use 2/3 fat-free plain yogurt, 1/3 low-fat mayo, mustard, and honey

5. Make home-made pizzas…YUM!

  1. Buy ready-made pizza bases – spread with tomato and onion puree mix and fresh herbs
  2. Use the following ingredients: lean ham, pineapple, banana, chopped chicken breast, seafood, anchovies, garlic, mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, peppers, chillies
  3. Add no mozzarella or gouda cheese – a sprinkle of feta can be used instead.

6. Try a fat free white sauce and make it yourself!

  1. Heat 1 cup of skimmed milk, and remove it from the heat just before it comes to a boil. Separately mix about 2 -3 tsp cornflour in a ¼ cup of cold milk to form a paste. Stirring constantly, add some of the cold paste to the hot milk, and bring the mixture to a boil. Keep adding the paste until you achieve the desired consistency. Add flavouring such as herbs, mustard powder, stock powder, spices, etc.

7. Brown your onions without added fat:

  1. Toss the chopped onions into a pan (preferably a non-stick pan) without any liquids and allow to cook until they are just starting to stick and go brown, stirring every now and then. Now add a little water, sherry, stock or wine, and hey…brown onions!

8. Make Creamy Sauces healthy with these simple replacements for cream:

  1. Low fat evaporated milk
  2. Low fat buttermilk
  3. Fat free plain yogurt
  4. Low fat lite coconut milk
  5. Make sure to only add yogurt or buttermilk just before serving, as curdling may take place if the sauce is boiled!!

Cooking for health doesn’t have to be complicated. With these tips from Hanlie Botha, you can make simple yet effective changes to your cooking routine. 

By embracing whole ingredients, mindful seasoning, and smart cooking methods, you’ll be on your way to creating delicious, nutritious meals that support your well-being. 

Remember, every small step in the kitchen can lead to a healthier you. Start today and savor the benefits of better eating!

Hanlie Botha

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