Everybody loves a good chop. If there’s a way to make our job, hobby, or task easier, faster, simpler, or more effective, we’re all ears. Now that we are all trying to eat healthier, cleaner and more plant-basedThere’s no shortage of homemade tricks to squeeze the most nutrition out of every bite.
Here are some of our favorite ways to make every meal healthier. Keep reading, and for more, do not miss Do you want a slim body forever? Adopt these 8 eating habits.
Make a frozen family meal healthier.
Family-size frozen dinners get a bad rap for being high in sodium. But you can increase their nutritional value to make them much healthier. “My favorite way to add more nutrients to meals while also considering the convenience factor is to use family-size frozen meals that include a protein source, vegetables, and sauce, and add an extra bag of vegetables just to the side.” mix when preparing them. says registered dietitian nutritionist Kiran Campbell, RDN. “This helps dilute the amount of sodium and fat compared to if you had left out the extra vegetables. It adds valuable nutrients and most likely an extra serving of vegetables into your day.”
Combine plant-based sources of iron with vitamin C.
iron is underused by adolescent girls and women through middle age. “If you don’t want to eat meat, which is an excellent source of iron, there are plant-based sources, including fortified breakfast cereals, enriched bread, green leafy vegetables, tofu, beans and lentils,” he says. Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDCEScreator of The Prediabetes Meal Planning Crash Course. “But plant-based iron isn’t well absorbed without vitamin C, so combine fortified cereals with berries, chickpea salad with tomatoes and bell peppers, and green leafy vegetables with lemon juice.”
Add leftover cold pasta and potatoes to a green salad.
Make a green salad even more nutritious by adding cold pasta or potatoes. When cooked pasta and potatoes are allowed to cool, they turn into resistant starch. This type of starch acts as Soluble fiber; resists digestion. In turn, it can reduce appetite and lower blood sugar levels, improving insulin sensitivity. Because it is fermented in the colon, resistant starch is a prebiotic that feeds the good bacteria in the gut and potentially improves immune system health. Learn more about resistant starch by visiting The secret breakfast trick for a flat stomach.
Get more nutrition from a carrot by eating eggs at the same time.
The next time you make a garden salad filled with raw carrots, orange bell peppers, and tomatoes, cut up a hard-boiled egg to toss on top. According to a small study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The phytonutrients in these colorful vegetables are powerful anti-inflammatories. To get the most benefit, be sure to include the egg yolksThey contain the fats that help the intestine absorb those carotenoids.
Mince the garlic and then do this.
The garlic has been studied for its role in preventing colon and stomach cancers. Cracking the garlic activates its natural disease-fighting phytonutrients. Unfortunately, heat instantly deactivates those phytonutrients. To preserve garlic’s powerful health boosters, do the following, says Weisenberger: “Mince it, then let it sit for about 10 minutes before heating. Letting minced or crushed garlic sit for as little as 10 minutes at room temperature gives it a important time for the enzymes to act and preserve their phytonutrients.
Sub oil for pumpkin puree.
pumpkin puree can be used in a wide variety of baked goods in place of cooking oil, and you’ll get the benefit of pumpkin nutrients like vitamins A, B1, B6, and C, folate, fiber, plus pressure-reducing potassium blood and magnesium. Replace ¼ cup of oil with ¼ cup of butternut squash in recipes, since butternut squash has a high water content, it adds a lot of moisture to baked goods, so you’ll still get a super moist texture with less oil,” he says. registered dietitian nutritionist. Maggie Michalczyk, RDNowner of Once upon a pumpkin.
Keep a bowl of sliced almonds on the table.
Put almond chips or slices in an airtight container on the kitchen table for easy access. Pour some over hot or cold cereals, yogurt cottage cheese, green salads, or in smoothies. An ounce of almonds contains 6 grams of protein, plus some heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and fiber.
Round out breakfast with mood-boosting blueberries.
Adding blueberries to your meals is one of the tastiest ways to increase the nutrients you’re getting and their benefits in every bite. “Research shows that blueberries can potentially increase levels of serotonin, the so-called ‘happiness hormone’ in the brain, and can reduce inflammation caused by free radicals,” says Dr Uma NaduDirector of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and author of This is your brain on food. Nadu’s favorite breakfast is a creamy chia pudding, which she makes with almond milk the night before to ease her morning routine. “In the morning, I top it with plain coconut yogurt, crushed hazelnuts, and a handful of blueberries.”
Wither, fill and pour vitamins.
Instead of cooking more vegetablesadd them to foods you’re already eating, suggests Weisenberger: “Stuff a sandwich like a salad between two pieces of bread. Pour canned sauce over eggs. Top spaghetti sauce with mushrooms, onions, and carrots. Stuff salad with potato with broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes and red onions. Put fresh baby spinach in soups just before serving.”
Bake with almond flour instead of wheat flour.
“One of my favorite ways to make more nutritious baked goods with amazing texture is by using almond flourMichalczyk says. “Almond flour is naturally gluten-free and contains a unique combination of protein, fiber and plant-based fats.” Almonds also provide about 50% of the recommended daily value of vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps maintain healthy-looking skin, says Michalczyk.
Build a better grilled cheese sandwich.
You can adulterate a classic melted cheese sandwich placing some healthier additions between the cheese and the bread before grilling. Add apple slices, broccoli florets, tomato slices, or spinach leaves for extra fiber and vitamins A and C. For healthy fats, add avocado slices.
Do not cut fruits and vegetables until the last second.
When you cut fruits and vegetables, you expose more surface area to air, which reduces the nutrient content per minute due to oxidation, says Campbell. It’s best to wait until the last second to cut fruits and vegetables to avoid vitamin loss (especially vitamin C) and minerals. “To prevent loss of nutrients in vegetables when they are cooked, use quick cooking methods such as frying or even steaming in the microwave,” says Campbell. “I often microwave my broccoli with a little bit of water to help retain the most nutrients.”
Prepare a more nutritious meal.
How you cook can often be just as important as what you cook when it comes to getting the most nutrition for your money. For example, steaming vegetables retains more nutrients than boiling them, since boiling tends to result in more vitamin losses, says a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. Justin Chan, DRowner of YourDiabetesDietitian.com.
Hiding good stuff in spaghetti sauce.
Even regular pasta that doesn’t contain fiber can be made healthier by sneaky fiber in the sauce you put on top. Add any cut vegetables to your homemade or packaged salsa to introduce a healthy dose of dietary fiber. And add lentils, navy beans, or kidney beans too. Just half a cup will add 7 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein to your plate.
Choose sweet on white once a week.
If you eat potatoes as a side dish often, try swapping white potatoes for sweet potatoes. A large sweet potato contains about 4 grams of satiety-boosting protein, 25 percent of the day’s tummy-filling fiber, and 11 times the recommended daily intake of vitamin A. Plus, sweet potatoes tend to contain about 50 calories less than white potatoes of the same size. For more, read One of the main effects of eating sweet potatoes, says dietician.
Use your noodles, choose zoodles.
Change of paste for zoodles (also known as zucchini noodles) removes the empty carbs and adds vitamins and fiber. While two cups of pasta contain 480 calories, 90 grams of carbs, and two grams of fiber, two cups of zucchini noodles contain just 66 calories and 12 grams of carbs, while bumping fiber to four grams.
Skip the sour cream.
You’ll boost the nutritional value of your food if you use plain, high-protein Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, says Weisenberger. Use the yogurt in chili, baked potatoes, and bean dishes. It is also a good source of calcium and probiotics.
Add oatmeal to ground turkey.
Get the heart-healthy and diabetes-fighting benefits of whole oats making turkey meatballs and oatmeal. Add ¾ cup of quick-cooking oatmeal to 11/2 pounds of lean ground turkey. Include ½ cup of chopped onion, 1 egg, and ½ cup of tomato sauce. Roll up the meatballs and bake in a pan at 400F for 20 minutes. Serve with tomato sauce.
Give superpowers to your PB&J.
Start adding soil flax seeds a allHe says Caitlin Carr, MS, RD, a registered dietitian in Portland, Oregon. Flaxseed is a great source of fiber, healthy omega-3 fats, and B vitamins. “Sprinkle over oatmeal or in a smoothie, or add it to a salad, coleslaw, or even dessert.” To boost the nutrition of a brown bag lunch, mix a tablespoon of flaxseed into plain peanut butter and spread it on a slice of whole grain bread. Next, mix a tablespoon of chia seeds into the jam, jelly, or marmalade and spread it over the other slice. “Now you have a healthy, fiber-rich PB&J sandwich.”
Invite the herbs to dinner.
“Spices and herbs not only add flavor to your dishes, they also add nutrients and antioxidants,” he says. Lisa Hugh, RD, a registered dietitian in private practice. Stock up on fresh cilantro, chopped green onions, fresh hot peppers, fresh parsley to give meals a nutritional boost.
