If your goal is to eat a healthier diet – one that’s packed with nutrient- and antioxidant-rich whole foods – consider adding more home-cooked meals to your menu.
Research has found that people who frequently eat home-cooked meals have a higher intake of fruit and vegetables, healthier cholesterol and blood sugar levels and a lower risk of being overweight.
Depending on how you cook and prep your foods, though, you may be unknowingly undermining your diet.
- Washing raw meat or poultry won’t make it clean or free of bacteria
- Overheated your cooking oil
- Immediately adding chopped garlic to the sauté pan reduces the beneficial phytochemicals
- Over cooking meat contains more cancer-causing carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCAs)
- Overcooking cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts) can strip them of their cancer-fighting potential
- Removing the peel or toss away stems and green tops reduces valuable fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Read the article for more details.