If you want to slim down by year end or simply want to get healthy, you don't have to adopt a stringent lifestyle or stay away from your favourite dessert.

Instead, you just have to modify your basic recipes and change your cooking methods. Dr Bhavi Mody, Homoeopathic Consultant &Associate Director, Mumbai shares some easy ways to cut calories and burn fat, with these simple cooking techniques.

see after the cut...


Healthy cooking tip # 1:
Keep your fats to a minimum. Dr Bhavi says, 'you don't have to completely stay away from fats, just keep it to a minimum. Also, choose unrefined natural fats like nuts, seeds, fish soy, olives and avocados, because they contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are very beneficial for a healthy body.

Healthy cooking tip # 2:
Use skimmed milk or cow's milk instead of full fat milk. If you want to indulge in some curd or yoghurt, choose those made from skimmed milk.

Healthy cooking tip # 3:
Include more stir-fry recipes in your diet: Stir-fried vegetables cook quickly and retain their crunch (and associated nutrients). Saute or stir-fry without oil in a good non-stick skillet or wok. Simply heat your skillet before adding the food. You may need to add a tablespoon or more of water or broth to prevent sticking and stir often. Covering the pan will also help the vegetables cook faster.

Healthy cooking tip # 4:
Modify your cooking style to baking, braising, broiling and grilling, poaching, roasting, sauteing, steaming and stir-frying. All these methods are very healthy and safe.

Healthy cooking tip # 5:
Modify or eliminate recipes that include butter or those that need you to deep fry or saute the ingredients in animal fat, because this can cause great harm to your health.

Healthy cooking tip # 6:
Use non-stick cooking pans, as you don't have to use a lot of oil and butter to cook a meal.

Healthy cooking tip # 7:
Want to cut down on the amount of fat you use while cooking, then using cooking spray (a spray form of an oil as a lubricant, lecithin as an emulsifier) or apply a small amount of oil with a pastry brush.

Healthy cooking tip # 8:
Instead of randomly adding salt to your food, first taste your food. Add a splash of olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice close to the end of cooking time or to cooked vegetables - it can enhance flavours in the same way as salt does.

Healthy cooking tip # 9:
Instead of using oil, trying cooking in liquids like stock, wine, lemon juice, vinegar or just water. All these variants are very healthy and you will reduce your oil consumption.

Healthy cooking tip # 10:
Eat more fish, which is high in protein, low in fats and loaded with essential omega-3 fatty acids.

Healthy cooking tip # 11:
Use low-fat yoghurt, low-fat milk, evaporated skim milk or cornstarch instead of using cream in sauces or soups.

Healthy cooking tip # 12:
To minimise your intake of salt, choose fresh or frozen vegetables, since canned and pickled vegetables tend to be packed in salt, which can led to high blood pressure.

Healthy cooking tip # 13:

Remove chicken skin and trim the fat from meat, to cut calories and be healthy.

Healthy cooking tip # 14:
If you want to brown, your veggies then put them in a hot pan and spray them with oil. This reduces the amount of oil that vegetables absorb during cooking. Another option is to first cook in the microwave, then grill them for a minute or two.

Healthy cooking tip # 15:

Reduce your use of soy sauce, tomato sauce and processed sauces and condiments, for dressing, because they contain high levels of salt.

Healthy cooking tip # 16:
Replace oil or margarine while baking: Mashed or pureed tofu can replace oil when baking. Flax meal can also be used to replace all or some of the oil in a recipe. The substitution ratio is three parts flax seed meal for every part oil or fat you are replacing. For example, for 15 mL (1 Tbsp) of fat to be replaced, use 45 mL (3 Tbsp) of flax seed meal. Baked goods with flax as a fat replacer tend to brown more quickly than regular recipes. Apple sauce may be used in cakes, cookies, and other sweet baked goods to replace oil or margarine.

Healthy cooking tip # 17:
To minimize your salt intake, avoid salt-laden processed foods like flavoured instant pasta or noodles, canned or dehydrated soup mixes, chips and salted nuts.
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Healthy cooking tip # 18:
To minimize the loss of water-soluble vitamins, scrub vegetables rather than peel them, as many nutrients are found close to the skin. Microwave or steam vegetables instead of boiling them. If you like to boil vegetables, use a small amount of water and do not over boil them.

Healthy cooking tip # 19:
Use of herbs and spices: Culinary herbs are leafy plants that add flavour and colour to all types of meals. They are also rich in health-protective phyto-oestrogens. In many cases, herbs and spices can replace the flavour of salt and oil.

Healthy cooking tip # 20:
Herbs are sparingly flavoured, in order to retain the taste, add them to your cooking in the last few minutes.

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