Green and healthy cooking is gaining popularity due to the immediate and drastic results it produces. However, taking control of your eating habits is not only emotionally satisfying. It also creates new and healthier routines, reduces stress, and saves money on groceries and eating out. Try these daily tips to help your family take a step-by-step approach to eat healthily.
1. Eat more whole grains
“White” rice, pasta, or bread is known to be unhealthy but sometimes seems like the more accessible or more familiar option. Consider that one-quarter of your food intake should consist of grains found in whole grain pasta, bread, or even a casserole—Brown rice, quinoa, or wheat couscous as a healthier option for those seeking more green cooking ideas. Check labels for 100% whole grain products for an extra boost of nutrients, vitamins, and fiber.
2. Focus on your protein source
Try to eat more poultry, fish, and seafood, or choose a lean cut of beef or pork. Vegetarian diets substitute protein-heavy foods like beans and tofu for meat. Healthy cooking methods like braising, baking, roasting, stir-frying your protein, and steaming your veggies with little salt and oil are great ways to start cooking green and healthy.
3. Eat more fish high in Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are great for your body and are found in delicious fish dishes. Try new recipes like “15 Minute Salmon & Creamy Orzo with Spinach and Mushrooms” for an extra boost of energy. A few of the most common and tasty Omega-3 rich fish you should seek out are herring, salmon, mackerel, and sardines.
4. Eat more seeds and nuts
While nuts are known to be high in calories, which come from fat, they are usually healthy monounsaturated fats, proven to help with heart health and reduce inflammation in your body. Seeds and nuts are also not only a second great source of Omega-3 fatty acids. They also help you lose weight and are great energy-boosting snacks for you and your family. In addition, they require no cooking, are inexpensive, and fill that craving for a salty snack without the unhealthy repercussions.
5. Remove sugars from your diet
Sugary drinks like sodas or coffee drinks often have masses of calories, and they are not suitable for you in any way. Instead, consider substituting sodas or sports drinks for 100% juice or a flavored iced tea, which hydrates you and helps eliminate that craving for sweetness. And always remember to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate with water throughout the day to stave off food cravings!
6. Add more veggies to each meal
Veggies are loaded with healthy vitamins, minerals, and fibers and are usually low in calories. Eating more fruits and veggies with each meal helps fill you up with healthy foods that won’t cause you to gain weight and promote beneficial bacteria in your body. Eating more of these foods is also an opportunity to train your taste buds to crave healthier foods with less sugar and salt.
7. Try more anti-inflammatory foods
Inflammatory foods like sugar, soda, sports drinks, hydrogenated oils, and trans fats are many products. It’s difficult to avoid them. Instead, seek out foods like tomatoes, leafy green veggies, nuts like almonds, and olive oil to promote an anti-inflammatory diet, and eat green at the same time. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO symptoms, indicates a lack of bacteria balance in your body. Eating anti-inflammatory foods will reduce the effect of SIBO symptoms like gas, bloating, diarrhea and IBS, and could potentially lessen your chances of getting diseases like cancer that feed off imbalance and inflammation in your body.
8. Adjust portion sizes
Eat enough to fill you up and remove hunger pangs, but not so much that your stomach swells or you become uncomfortable. Stopping at this point will take some training, but those who control their portion sizes to meet their basic needs without going over, are eliminating the risk of overeating. Also, if you do slip up and enjoy an unhealthy snack, you will be less likely to overeat, having trained yourself to stop eating when you are no longer hungry. Healthy eating doesn’t need to be complicated. Following these steps is proven to enable more green and healthy eating habits for you and your family. And making these changes promises to be fun, delicious, and exciting, as well as helping to promote a more sustainable and healthy lifestyle.