Cooking Healthy

Eating healthy and cooking healthy go hand in hand....
A healthy balanced diet isn't just about eating the right kind of food. The way that you buy, store, prepare and cook your food, and even the pots, pans and equipment you use, all have a significant impact on the nutritional value of the food you eat.
Buy the freshest. Buy only the freshest fruits and vegetables available in the market. Seasonal fruits are the most nutritious as they ripen without the usage of additional chemicals and are more reasonably priced.
Eat fresh. Refrigerating food for long periods results in the loss of vital nutrients. So buy in small quantities and cook for the day! Also try and avoid storing leftover food, as re-heating results in nutrient loss.
Eat veggies and fruits with their skin on. As far as possible, eat vegetables and fruits unpeeled so that you don't lose out on fiber and nutrients. Vegetables and fruits like cucumber, potatoes, carrots, apple have vital nutrients right under the peel which you lose out on if you peel them. Remember to scrub these vegetables and fruits thoroughly before you eat them as they may contain a thin film of mud and pesticides.
Eat more sprouts. Sprouts are remarkable foods, cheap and nutritious. The process of sprouting induces a frenzy of biochemical changes in which complex substances break down to simpler forms, which makes them easier to digest. Sprouted legumes also have higher vitamin C, iron and calcium levels than those legumes, which are not sprouted.
Steam and sauté rather than boil. Carefully cook vegetables so that they retain most of their nutrients during the cooking process. Therefore, it is better to sauté or steam vegetables rather than to boil them. If you do boil the vegetables, use the minimum quantity of water and cook only until the vegetables become tender. Use a pressure cooker to cook vegetables as pressure-cooking requires less oil and also helps to conserve the volatile nutrients like vitamins B and C.
Save nutrients. Do not throw away the water in which dals, rice and veggies have been cooked as it contains water-soluble nutrients such as vitamin B and C that are released during cooking. It is advisable to add just enough of water and cover foods while cooking to preserve the volatile nutrients. Any excess cooking water that is remaining can be used to make soups or to knead your chapati dough, as these are a good way to use the water-soluble vitamins. Whenever possible, cook food in large pieces as vegetables cut into small pieces lose more nutrients.