6 easy ways to cook and eat healthier

Just because you want to try and eat healthier doesn't mean you have to lose flavor.Try these tips to improve your nutrition:

1. Variety is essential: Eating the same foods over and over again is boring and can restrict your nutrient intakes. Try to eat different colored foods (fruits/vegetables) daily to ensure a variety of antioxidants. Using marinades, sauces and rubs can spice up meats without adding a lot of extra calories. Try using different oils to impart new flavors; sesame oil adds an Asian flair to food, while coconut oil can enhance flavors in baked goods.

2. Dont be afraid to add a healthy fat to your food: Fat is essential for healthy skin, imparts flavor and helps to keep your appetite satiated for a longer time. Olive oil should be your first choice for cooking. Some other oils to try are: Grapeseed, sunflower, canola, flaxseed (this shouldnt be used for cooking, but use in dressings and marinades), soybean, hempseed and coconut (although it contains saturated fat, it is a medium chain triglyceride which bypasses the liver and therefore doesnt mess with cholesterol levels).

3. Make vegetables taste good: One of the best ways to increase vegetable intakes is to make them taste extra good by roasting, BBQing, adding light sauces, light dips, a sprinkling of sharp cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of flavored salt or gasp!a bit of butter.

4. Use avocados in place of mayonnaise: This works for many sandwiches, just mash and spread on bread to add flavor, moisture and some healthy fat. This is especially good on turkey sandwiches.

5. Boost nutrition in small ways: You can add a lot of extra nutrition by adding purple cabbage, shredded carrots and avocado to a salad. Try putting diced red and green peppers into tomato sauces. Top cereal with frozen, fresh or dried fruit and flaxseed meal (ground flax seeds). Add pureed cauliflower to macaroni and cheese or lasagna. Add a few tablespoons of flaxseed meal to any baked good (i.e. muffins, breads, cookies).

6. Be adventurous: Try cooking new things and keep an open mind. Many people shy away from tofu because they dont know how to cook with it and the last time they tasted it, it reminded them of a dry sponge sandwich. Tofu is an inexpensive and tasty protein and when cooked and seasoned right, delicious! Tropical oils got a bad rap in the 80s and 90s, but did you know that coconut oil is actually one of the healthiest oils, especially if you have high cholesterol. Try new seasonings to perk up boring food.

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