An important component of healthy eating is preparation of food in such a way that nutrients are preserved and diseases prevented. Attending to food production issues is also an important component of healthy food preparation.
Healthy cooking
During food preparation, strive to preserve your food’s nutrient value. Make use of healthy fats, whole foods, and healthy portions. The following tips will be of help:
- When cooking, adopt healthy methods such as grilling, roasting, broiling, and steaming. Frying will require putting extra fats to get the desired results. Deep-frying your foods will increase its fat content.
- DO not overcook your foods, and ensure that you cook them in as little water as possible. Doing so will preserve the B and C vitamins (water soluble vitamins).
- Do not rely on just salt for flavoring. Use spices and herbs.
- Avoid processed or packaged foods. Chances are that they contain extra fats, sugar, and salt. Note that intake of these foods will cause a considerable increase in your intake of fats, sugar, and salt. The more processed foods we eat, the less important nutrients and phytochemicals we take in.
Safe food preparation
Foodborne illnesses have a variety of sources, and not just the restaurants. As a matter of fact, foodborne illnesses come from preparing, serving, and storing foods the wrong way. The following guidelines will help to preserve your food and keep them as safe as possible:
- Wash your surfaces and hands often, with warm, soapy water. Wash your hands prior to and after handling utensils or foods, mostly raw poultry, eggs, fish, or meat.
- Ensure that all your vegetables and fruits are washed before you eat them.
- Make sure you separate cooked foods, raw foods, and foods that are ready to eat from other foods. This will help prevent cross-contamination. If you can, please use different cutting boards for them. If you don’t wish to use separate cutting boards, wash the boards thoroughly between uses.
- Your foods should be cooked to a safe temperature. You can use a food thermometer to check the temperature. Animal products that are uncooked or undercooked are potentially unsafe.
- Hot foods should be kept hot (> 140⸰) while cold foods should be maintained at a cold temperature (< 40⸰). This will help to prevent the growth of bacteria. All prepared or purchased foods should be refrigerated at least two hours within preparation or purchasing. This should be done within an hour if the food’s temperature exceeds 90 degrees.
- If you are not sure of the safety of a particular food, discard it. If you are not sure whether a particular food product has been served, prepared, or even stored the right way, discard it. Discard foods that have been left out for more than 120 minutes (2 hours). Cooked leftovers should be consumed within 4 days.