Home cooking is one of the best gifts you can give your health. You choose the ingredients, the portions and the cooking method. A few small swaps can make familiar favourites lighter and even more flavourful, without needing new recipes or expensive equipment.
Flavour without extra salt
Salt often hides in stock cubes, sauces and seasoning mixes. Build flavour instead with garlic, onion, citrus juice and zest, fresh herbs, vinegar and spices like cumin, paprika and black pepper. Taste before adding salt at the table, and you may find you need far less.
Smarter cooking methods
How you cook matters as much as what you cook:
- Roast or grill vegetables to bring out natural sweetness
- Steam or stir-fry with a splash of oil instead of deep frying
- Bake fish or chicken in foil with lemon and herbs
- Use a non-stick pan so less oil is needed
- Simmer sauces to thicken them instead of adding cream
Simple ingredient swaps
Try plain yogurt in place of sour cream, whole grain pasta or brown rice in place of white, and mashed beans or avocado as a creamy spread. Swap sugary sauces for tomato-based ones, and choose olive or canola oil over butter for everyday cooking.
You do not have to change everything at once. Pick one swap each week and let it become a habit.
Plan ahead to make it easy
Wash and chop vegetables once for several meals, cook a pot of grains to use through the week and keep frozen vegetables and canned beans on hand. When healthy ingredients are ready to go, a quick, nourishing meal is easier than takeaway.
Cook together
Inviting family or friends into the kitchen makes healthy cooking more fun. Children who help prepare meals are more likely to try new foods. If you would like recipes suited to a health condition, our dietitians are happy to help.