How to Cook Healthier at Home (2024)

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How to Cook Healthier at Home (10)

When you prepare and cook meals at home, 1) you’re in control of what you and your family are eating, 2) you can get inventive and inspired with your culinary creations, and 3) you save money.

Pretty much a no-brainer. So let’s bring cooking back to life!.

You don’t have to be an experienced cook to prepare something everyone will love. Anyone can learn to cook healthy – yes, even you.

Here are our top ten tips to get you started cooking healthy at home:

  1. Get inspired by healthy cookbooks, cooking shows and blogs, and try new recipes that will “wow” your family.
  2. Choose healthiermeats and proteins, like chicken, fish and beans.
  3. Add color to your meals with fruits and vegetables.Sneak ‘em in if you have to. And they all count! Fresh, frozen, canned and driedare all good choices, just watch out for excess salt and added sugars.
  4. Makehealthy substitutionswhen you can. Take baby steps over time to replace less-healthy ingredients in your family favorites.
  5. Break up with sneaky salt and learn new ways to give food great flavor, including herbs, spices and other seasonings.
  6. Start a new love affair with salad. No, not the lame two-ingredient kind you may have grown up with… The amazing, colorful, hearty saladthat can stand on its own as a main entrée.
  7. Upgrade your fats. Use healthy vegetable oilsinstead of butter, lard and tropical oils.
  8. Give your pantry a makeover! If your cabinets, fridge and freezer are well-stocked with the right staple ingredients, it will be easier to make healthy meals.
  9. Learn new cooking methods and techniques. Brush up your skills with our videos and how-to articles, or take a cooking class with friends.
  10. Relax! Have fun in the kitchen and don’t take it all so seriously. We’ve all had our cooking fails and lived to tell.

So take a deep breath, step away from the takeout menu and give it a try!

Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisors. See our editorial policies and staff.

Last Reviewed: Feb 2, 2017

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How to Cook Healthier at Home (2024)

FAQs

What is the healthier way to cook? ›

Use low-fat cooking methods like boiling or steaming.

If you boil or steam food, you avoid the chemicals created by high temperatures and cut out extra fat, which helps you stay at a healthy weight.

How to make healthy food choices at home? ›

Healthy food choices
  1. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods and protein foods. Choose protein foods that come from plants more often.
  2. Limit highly processed foods. ...
  3. Make water your drink of choice.
  4. Use food labels.
  5. Be aware that food marketing can influence your choices.
Aug 18, 2020

What are 5 benefits of cooking at home? ›

Major Benefits of Cooking at Home
  • Saving Money. Eating on the go may seem convenient, but it's pricey. ...
  • Eating Healthier. Everyone should know the importance of a well-rounded diet. ...
  • Stimulating Your Creativity. ...
  • Spending Time With Family. ...
  • Knowing Every Ingredient. ...
  • Controlling Your Portions. ...
  • Making Extras for the Freezer.
Oct 23, 2023

Which is the healthiest way of cooking why? ›

Steaming and boiling, which cook your food using moist heat, are some of the healthiest ways to prepare meat. 3 Both methods require low temperatures, which helps preserve nutrients and protect against harmful fumes and substances.

How much healthier is cooking at home than eating out? ›

"When people cook most of their meals at home, they consume fewer carbohydrates, less sugar, and less fat than those who cook less or not at all—even if they are not trying to lose weight," says Julia A. Wolfson, a CLF-Lerner Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future and lead author of the study.

What are the 3 healthiest ways to cook food? ›

Healthy cooking methods
  • grilling.
  • stir frying.
  • air frying.
  • roasting or baking with minimal oil (e.g. use spray or lightly brush with oil)
  • steam or blanch in boiling water.
  • microwave.

What is the unhealthiest cooking method? ›

If you want to be at an increased risk of heart disease at all times, deep frying is for you. Not only this, frying also adds saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. High temperatures end up destroying the nutrient value of your food.

Which cooking method is not healthy? ›

Cook over high heat: Cooking food at high temps, particularly over a direct or open flame, produces cancer-causing chemicals called heterocyclic amines (HCAs).

What healthy fast food can I eat? ›

8 healthy fast food picks for when you're eating on the go
  • Dunkin: Wake-Up Wrap. ...
  • Starbucks: Tomato and Mozzarella on Focaccia. ...
  • Panera Bread: Strawberry Poppyseed Salad with Chicken. ...
  • Subway: 6-inch Veggie Delite Sandwich. ...
  • Burger King: Impossible Whopper. ...
  • Taco Bell: Soft Taco Supreme. ...
  • Chipotle: Lifestyle Bowl.
Aug 5, 2023

What foods should you eat every day? ›

Food groups in your diet
  • eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day (see 5 A Day)
  • base meals on higher fibre starchy foods like potatoes, bread, rice or pasta.
  • have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks)
  • eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein.

How to eat healthy for beginners? ›

8 tips for healthy eating
  1. Base your meals on higher fibre starchy carbohydrates. ...
  2. Eat lots of fruit and veg. ...
  3. Eat more fish, including a portion of oily fish. ...
  4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar. ...
  5. Eat less salt: no more than 6g a day for adults. ...
  6. Get active and be a healthy weight. ...
  7. Do not get thirsty. ...
  8. Do not skip breakfast.

What foods should you always have in your house? ›

15 Healthy Staples You Should Always Have on Hand
  • Dried and canned beans and lentils. Beans and lentils are amongst the healthiest foods you can eat. ...
  • Nuts, seeds, and their butters. ...
  • Grains. ...
  • Frozen fruit and vegetables. ...
  • Honey and maple syrups. ...
  • Apple cider vinegar. ...
  • Healthy fats for cooking. ...
  • Fermented foods.
Apr 8, 2020

How does walking improve health? ›

Health benefits of walking

increased cardiovascular and pulmonary (heart and lung) fitness. reduced risk of heart disease and stroke. improved management of conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, joint and muscular pain or stiffness, and diabetes.

How to enjoy food more? ›

Before you grab a fork and knife and dive into dinner, consider these mindful eating tips that can elevate your dining experience!
  1. Eliminate Distractions. ...
  2. Chew Slowly. ...
  3. Take a Seat. ...
  4. Be Thankful. ...
  5. Start Small. ...
  6. Use Your Senses.

Why is cooking at home good for the environment? ›

Cooking at home can lower emissions. What happens to all those disposable takeout boxes, bags, utensils, and napkins? Everything gets thrown in the trash which adds to environmental waste. Eating more meals at home is just one extra way to do your part for the environment.

What are the advantages of home food? ›

In conclusion, eating homemade meals has several advantages over restaurant-based food. It's healthier, cost-effective, customizable, promotes family bonding, and reduces food waste. So, next time you're deciding where to eat, consider ordering a homemade meal instead of heading out to a restaurant.

Does cooking at home help the environment? ›

Cooking at home is better for the environment.

Pimentel explains it takes seven kilocalories of energy to produce food, but processing, packaging and transporting it takes another ten.

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