
3 Steps to Heart-Healthy Cooking
Preparing healthful meals at home is a key ingredient to promoting good heart health. The extra time it takes likely will be good for your health.
Feb 07, 2012
Jun 24, 2021
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Preparing healthful meals at home is a key ingredient to promoting good heart health. The extra time it takes likely will be good for your health.
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In today's fast-paced world, more families are deciding to eat out or grab meals on the go. The problem? Full-service restaurant and fast-food meals tend to be higher in fat, cholesterol, sodium and calories than home-cooked meals, and the food portions are typically much larger than what your body needs. This fast-food trend has contributed to the growing obesity epidemic and helps reinforce unhealthy eating patterns. Preparing healthful meals at home is a key ingredient to promoting good heart health. The extra time it takes likely will be good for your health.
Finding the Time to Make Small Changes
Between work, carpools and errands, you may feel as though there's never any time to cook. But preparing simple meals at home doesn't need to be labor intensive. Cooking at home allows you to encourage healthy eating habits early on and to teach your children about foods and good nutrition, setting a foundation for healthy eating.
Remember, it's not just the foods you choose to have in your kitchen but the way you choose to prepare your meals that will help keep you and your family heart healthy. By making small changes in the way you and your family eat, you can reduce your risks for heart-related health problems.
A basic rule of thumb: Look for ways to cut down on saturated and total fat, cholesterol and calories.
Three Steps to Healthier Cooking
Step 1: Cut Out the Trans Fat and Saturated Fat
Here are some simple ways to reduce saturated and trans fats when you are cooking:
*Children and pregnant women are advised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to avoid eating fish with the highest potential of mercury contamination, including shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. Children and pregnant women can eat up to 12 ounces (two average servings) per week of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury, including canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish.
Cooking with Good vs. Bad Fats | |
Good Fats | Bad Fats |
Unsaturated fat | Saturated fat (Typically found in foods from animals, such as meat, milk, cheese and butter) |
Vegetable oils, such as corn, olive, canola, safflower, sesame, soybean, sunflower or peanut | Lard, butter, palm and coconut oils |
Step 2: Watch the Way You Cook
Use cooking methods that require little or no fat—boil, broil, bake, roast or poach foods rather than pan-frying them. You should also consider other ways to prepare food:
Step 3: Moderate Portions
To plan healthful portion sizes (per person), picture the following objects:
Cultural Influences on Cooking
Food plays a central role in most cultures, and cooking traditions are often passed down from one generation to the next. Some of these dishes are prepared with lots of animal fat. For example, many traditional Southern foods are fried or barbecued and served with gravy and sauces. Asian cuisine is one of the healthiest, but it can be high in sodium (soy and teriyaki sauces) and cooking oils. The good news is there are healthier versions of your favorite ethnic foods.
Heart-Healthy Recipes
Mustard, Horseradish and Lemon Salmon
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has created a series of recipe resources. There is a listing of heart-healthy recipes, including appetizers, soups, entrees, side dishes and desserts, called Stay Young at Heart: Cooking the Heart-Healthy Way
Recipe guides specific to African American and Latino families include:
Make sure to speak with your primary care provider, a registered dietitian or a nutritionist about ways to prepare good-tasting, heart-healthy meals for you and your family.
Some Dos and Don'ts for Healthful Food Preparation
DO
DON'T
Questions to Ask