It is not just important to have the right kind of food. You should also endeavor to prepare and have it the right way so you get all the benefits. Some individuals may get all the healthy foods available then prepare it the wrong way and lose out on the goodness these foods contain.
Learning how to prepare food the right way, how to prepare meals and divide them up is important so you end up enjoying the benefits and nutrition of healthy foods. Here are a couple of pointers.
Wash fresh foods thoroughly before preparation
Whenever you bring food home from the grocery store, you will need to wash it correctly to get rid of all contaminants. Food may contain pesticide remnants, dirt, dust and other contaminants that may be harmful to your health. Wash food, especially fruits and vegetables with cold running water and if possible a piece of cloth used specifically to wash vegetables.
Store food the right away
Eat your fresh produce right away or else store is in the fridge. Fresh food is at its best and needs to be consumed before it begins to degrade. If it is not stored properly, then it will lose most of its nutrients and start to lose color and structure. If you have to store fresh food, then the refrigerator is the right place. The food will need to be packed in suitable storage bags before refrigeration.
Boil or pan fry your food
Some foods can be boiled and eaten without the need to deep fry them. For instance, boil your potatoes instead of deep frying them. You can also pan fry your fish and meats and make them absolutely delightful. Pan frying does little damage to the food and helps keep its integrity while deep frying damages food and introduces undesirable effects.
Steam vegetables
Your vegetables need to spend only minimal time on fire so you can steam them or pan fry them for just a couple of minutes and then remove from the fire. Fire destroys the vitamins in vegetables so let vegetables cook only for the necessary time and not longer.
Split your meals throughout the day
Rather than eat 2 to 3 large meals per day, it is much better to have 5 or 6 smaller meals spread throughout the day. Split your meals into breakfast, tea, lunch, tea, dinner and a possible dessert or snack later in the evening.