What does fact checked mean?
At Healthfully, we strive to deliver objective content that is accurate and up-to-date. Our team periodically reviews articles in order to ensure content quality. The sources cited below consist of evidence from peer-reviewed journals, prominent medical organizations, academic associations, and government data.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Vital Signs: State-Specific Obesity Prevalence Among Adults – United States, 2009; B. Sherry et al.; August 2010
- National Institutes of Health: What Are the Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity?
- National Institutes of Health: What Are the Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity?
The information contained on this site is for informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a professional health care provider. Please check with the appropriate physician regarding health questions and concerns. Although we strive to deliver accurate and up-to-date information, no guarantee to that effect is made.
Healthy & Unhealthy Cooking Methods
Every time you cook, you have a choice of preparation methods. Some methods are healthier than others. The choices you make when cooking influence the total calories in the meal and the nutritional benefits, and these choices can affect your health. Switching from unhealthy to healthy cooking methods is an easy, beneficial change to make.
Importance
Obesity and heart disease are just two factors to consider when choosing how to prepare your foods or when requesting certain cooking method for foods you eat in a restaurant. Obesity affects about 72 million adults, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1. Additionally, a study published in the July 2007 issue of “The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” examined whether fried food contributes to obesity. The researchers found that the more calories the participants ate from fried foods, the more likely they were to be overweight and have a larger waist measurement. Preparing food healthfully allows you to eat less unhealthy fats and control your calories, thus potentially reducing your risk of heart disease.
- Obesity and heart disease are just two factors to consider when choosing how to prepare your foods or when requesting certain cooking method for foods you eat in a restaurant.
- Preparing food healthfully allows you to eat less unhealthy fats and control your calories, thus potentially reducing your risk of heart disease.
Unhealthy Cooking Methods
Is Wok Cooking Healthy?
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Healthy food like vegetables, fruits and lean meats can become an unhealthy choice depending on how you cook the food. Frying in oil allows the food to soak up the oil during the cooking process, adding calories and fat. A baked potato has 161 calories and less than 1 g of fat, while one medium serving of restaurant French fries may contain 453 calories and 23 g of fat 2. Drenching vegetables in butter or adding butter to baked or grilled meats adds unnecessary calories and saturated fat. A diet high in trans fat, saturated fats and sodium can increase your stroke risk, contribute to coronary heart disease and increase your blood pressure. Although boiling vegetables in water does not add fats, it causes some of the healthy nutrients to leach into the water. When you drain the vegetables before eating them, you lose some of the nutrients.
- Healthy food like vegetables, fruits and lean meats can become an unhealthy choice depending on how you cook the food.
- Although boiling vegetables in water does not add fats, it causes some of the healthy nutrients to leach into the water.
Healthy Cooking Methods
Steaming, roasting, baking, stir-frying, microwaving and occasional grilling are examples of healthy cooking methods. You can bake or roast in your oven by using a lower temperature for baking and a higher temperature for roasting. Cover the food when baking to preserve moisture, and brush healthy olive or canola oil on vegetables or seafood before roasting. Steam vegetables or seafood on your cook top over plain or herb-infused water until done. If you stir-fry vegetables or meats, use 1 tsp. of oil per two servings. The high heat cooks the food rapidly, limiting the absorption of oil while retaining the color and nutrients. Use glass containers in your microwave to steam vegetables or seafood.
- Steaming, roasting, baking, stir-frying, microwaving and occasional grilling are examples of healthy cooking methods.
- Cover the food when baking to preserve moisture, and brush healthy olive or canola oil on vegetables or seafood before roasting.
Strategies
Is Rancid Sesame Oil Bad for You?
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Plan your meals in advance to give yourself the time to bake meats rather than fry them in oil. If you grill your meat or vegetables, avoid charring to avoid the carcinogens that may develop on charred food, recommends the National Cancer Institute. Instead of automatically adding butter and salt to vegetables, or sugar to fruit, use herbs for vegetables and learn to eat fruit plain.
Related Articles
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Vital Signs: State-Specific Obesity Prevalence Among Adults – United States, 2009; B. Sherry et al.; August 2010
- USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory: Wendy’s, French Fries, Medium and Baked Potato, Medium
- National Institutes of Health: What Are the Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity?
- National Cancer Institute; Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk; October 2010
- Center for Disease Control. Prediabetes—your chance to prevent type 2 diabetes.
- McMacken M, Shah S. A plant-based diet for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017;14(5):342-354. doi:10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.05.009
- Olfert MD, Wattick RA. Vegetarian diets and the risk of diabetes. Curr Diab Rep. 2018;18(11):101. doi:10.1007/s11892-018-1070-9
- Zheng J, Sharp S, Imamura F, et al. Association of plasma biomarkers of fruit and vegetable intake with incident type 2 diabetes: EPIC-InterAct case-cohort study in eight European countries. BMJ. 2020 Jul 8;370:m2194. doi:10.1136/bmj.m2194
- Lattimer JM, Haub MD. Effects of dietary fiber and its components on metabolic health. Nutrients. 2010;2(12):1266-1289. doi:10.3390/nu2121266
- The American Institute of Cancer Research. Five steps for cancer safe grilling. Updated June 28, 2018.
Writer Bio
Diane Lynn began writing in 1998 as a guest columnist for the "Tallahassee Democrat." After losing 158 pounds, she wrote her own weight-loss curriculum and now teaches classes on diet and fitness. Lynn also writes for The Oz Blog and her own blog, Fit to the Finish. She has a Bachelor of Science in finance from Florida State University.