9 common kitchen mistakes
So you're the type of person who fills your grocery cart with healthy foods -- fruits and veggies of every shape and color, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean protein. Your healthy choices are enough to make the check-out person feel guilty about the candy bar stashed beneath her register. But are you sure you're getting the most vitamins and minerals out of the foods that you buy? Shape has a list of 9 common kitchen mistakes even healthy eaters make:
- Overloading on produce. It's best to buy fresh fruits and veggies within just a few days of using them. If you stock up on too many they'll lose precious nutrients as they sit on your counter waiting to be eaten. Or, worse yet, they'll end up going to waste altogether.
- Exposing foods to light. Opt for milk in cardboard boxes and don't store foods in glass canisters or see-through storage containers. Many foods are susceptible to a process called photooxidation in which light breaks down the nutrients.
- Cooking garlic right after cutting it. When you mince or crush garlic cloves an enzymatic reaction occurs and releases a beneficial substance called allyl sulfar. Let your prepared garlic sit for about 10 minutes to get the most out of it.
- You only eat avocados in guacamole. Avocados are a wonderfully healthy and tasty food when eaten in moderation. Slice some on your salad or sandwich or use pureed avocado when baking. The same principle can be held to other foods as well -- such as don't only eat chick peas in hummus.
- Skimping on seasonings. Not only do herbs and spices add to the flavor without adding to the calories, they can have a health benefit as well.
- Peeling fruits and veggies. A lot of the nutrients are in the peel so leave the peel on when eating produce such as apples, cucumbers, eggplant, peaches, and so forth.
- Boiling away nutrients. Boiling can sap nutrients from vegetables. Instead, try steaming, microwaving, or stir-frying.
- Neglecting to wash produce. Rinse all produce before eating -- even if it's a peel-and-eat item like a banana.
- You're not pairing foods properly. Our bodies only absorb 2-20% of iron from sources such as beans, fortified cereals, and leafy greens. You can maximize the iron intake by pairing these foods with items that are rich in vitamin C. Try a spinach salad with mandarin oranges.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-16-2008 @ 10:01PM
Maggie Vink said...
Good points, Marcie. I try to purchase organic or straight from the farmer's market when I can. And I like those English cucumbers that don't have a wax sealant on them.
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4-16-2008 @ 10:04PM
marcie0305 said...
I can't tell you in how many ways it's better to eat produce as fresh as possible. I am working on an article for strawberry season right now :)
I disagree with the one about peels though, somewhat. Commercially-grown items mentioned above are likely sprayed with pesticides and then wax is applied that traps it in. Choose organic if you're going to eat the peel, unless it's something that comes out of the ground like carrots and potatoes and/or hearty enough (maybe a pear?) that you can scrub.
~Marcie
http://feedingblackmail.blogspot.com
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