The problem is they’re not necessarily going to be healthy. They’re just what someone perceives as healthy. It’s important to look through the ingredients, the cooking style and other factors to determine whether it really will give you all the nutritional benefits you should get from it. Here are some tips to help determine if a recipe is actually healthy or not.
1. Who’s written the recipe?
The first thing to do is find out who created it. Is it something by a qualified nutritionist or is it something by a regular food blogger on the internet? This will affect just how healthy something is. A food blogger is more likely going to create something tasty, that looks good and includes a few healthy ingredients; or ingredients traditionally thought of as healthy. A nutritionist is going to make sure it offers the nutritional value, will determine how bad it is for the cholesterol and whether there are any other upsides or downsides to it. If it doesn’t say who created it, try and do some research to find this information out.
2. What ingredients are included?
A health recipe will do more than just include healthy ingredients; it will cut out the bad ones. Take a look through the list of ingredients and see what’s included. The things that you want to avoid are anything refined, any trans or saturated fats and fatty meats, like poultry with the skin on or meat with the fat still on it. Vegetables and fruits should make up the main part but you also need to make sure there are proteins and good fats in there. Some of the best options include eggs, plain yogurt, olive or almond oils and coconut milk.
3. How is it cooked?
Now you know the ingredients, it’s time to look at how they’re cooked. Fried is the worst way of cooking things due to the oil that you have to add to the pan; however, you will find healthy fried options depending on the type of oil used and how much/little is fried. Grilling and baking are two of the best options; although baking can get rid of the water content, which you need to look out for. If you find options that are fried, you may be able to find an alternative way around it. Sauting is a great way to avoid the unhealthy fats getting into your foods.
4. What are the nutritional benefits?
Check the recipe for any nutritional benefits stated. If they don’t, check to see the benefits that the ingredients will give. Is the recipe great for boosting brain power (common with fish dishes) or is it great for building muscle due to the protein content. You should make sure that building healthy teeth and bones, helping the immune system and generally help the body function correctly are all part of the recipe’s plan. Creating a health recipe is more than just throwing good foods together. You need to make sure the dish is cooked in a healthy way. Finding out who has created it is one good step to making sure it is healthy but remember that you can make a few changes if you think something doesn’t quite work out; just make sure your changes are for the better and not the worst!
