Here are some tips that I have mentioned in some of my posts.
Which oil/fat is best?
It
is important that whichever oil you use, that it is high in mono- and
polyunsaturated fats. These fats are protective and have many health
benefits. When frying I tend to use grapeseed or rice bran oil over
olive. This is because when heated to a higher temperature, olive oil
tends to get oxidated, and goes rancid - potentially making it damaging
to your health rather than protective. Olive oil, however, is amazing
to use as a dressing or when baking.
Coconut
oil is controversial. It does have high amounts of saturated fat, as
well as the other protective fats. It has also been found when used in
large quantities to assist with weight loss in some people (but it is
also important to consider the other factors which may have contributed
to this). Coconut oil can be used to flavour foods when frying and
baking.
There
is also a lot of hype about whether to use margarine over butter.
Butter is a lot higher in saturated fat than some of the plant based
margarines which have been developed. Margarine may be full of
protective fats but it is engineered to be that way, processed, refined
etc. It is not necessarily a 'natural' product. Again it all comes
down to preference, and what your health state/outcomes are. If you do
use butter, I would recommend that you choose a 'no-added salt'
variety.
If
you are using butter/marg mostly on bread, maybe find another spread to
substitute, i.e. avocado or cocount oil. If you are using butter/marg
in baking try using pureed prunes instead (sweet products only).
Which rice do I choose?
There
is
always confusion about what rice to use. One cup of brown rice does
have a higher GI (for more information on GI see below) and energy
content than the same
amount of white rice. This is because it is whole - the grain is
still intact and it has not been refined. It has more carbohydrate, as
well as a lot more vitamins and minerals. If you are worried about
excess energy intake, then modify the size of the dish accordingly i.e.
have 1/2
cup of brown rice (cooked) instead of a cup of white rice (cooked). If
you do this, hunger should not be an issue - brown rice is also a lot
more
filling. Also by eating the brown rice with a low GI topping - i.e. has
lots of protein and (good) fats, will also lower the GI of the meal.
GI - glycaemic index;
a scale describing how fast a
food spikes blood glucose levels. The higher the GI, the higher the
glucose spike, and the quicker the energy is released and not
sustained. Low GI foods are foods which the carbohydrate content is
absorbed slower, thus releasing a steady stream of energy over a longer
period of time - no big spikes in blood glucose occur.
For vegetarian/vegans-
Every vegetarian/vegan needs a good variety of beans/legumes. You can
get them ready to go in cans, or dry in packets. If you choose to buy
them dry - soak them over night and then boil them until soft. Make sure
you use the beans/legumes within the day. Chickpeas are a must to have
around, as are kidney beans and lentils, and then whatever other preferences
you may have.
It is also good to have some good sources of carbs (i.e. cereals/grains) to
complete the dish. I use a lot of rice and rice noodles, quinoa
(pronounced keen-wah! - which is also high in protein), and assorted types of
pastas, in my meals.
If you are
vegetarian/vegan, it is especially important to get a wide variety of proteins
so as to meet all our dietary requirements (i.e. obtain all the essential amino
acids). No vegetable sources of proteins are 'complete' - meaning that these
foods alone do not contain all the amino acids that we need to get through the
diet because we can't make them ourselves. It is still possible however
to get all the essential amino acids, just through multiple food sources.
For example, legumes are high in lysine, and low in methionine, while corn is
low in lysine and high in methionine! Therefore, if you eat both legumes and
corn, wallah! Both boxes ticked.
Now it has been said that you have to protein combine (i.e. eat legumes and
corn) in the same meal to get all these essential amino acids, however it has
currently been suggested that you dont have to eat the sources all at once -
that they can be spread throughout the day.
For everyone-
This
is the key tip: VARIETY! I can't preach enough how important it is
to shake things up, for both the health of our bodies and minds (i.e.
sanity),
and for the benefit of our tastebuds, the poor buggers! I got told as a
teenager by my father that some old Chinese civilisation ate at least 65
different types of food every day. Everyone should do this. Include
in the count all the veggies, the fruit, the grains, the dairy products,
and the herbs that you use while cooking. I wouldn't however include
processing agents such as emulsifier or colourings. I'd say take a mark
off for those ones.
