It is common to develop automatic habits relating to how we prepare food as well as what ingredients we choose. This can depend on how much you actually enjoy spending time in the kitchen, whether you can find time to cook, your budget, as well as personal preference.
This article is going to address some of the more common choices that are made when it comes to food preparation. The goal is to make you think about whether there might be a more efficient or even healthier habit that you could adopt. This article is also a great guide for anyone setting up their own kitchen/moving out of home for the first time (you can also read our previous post on kitchen habits that takes an even deeper dive into how to manage a health-promoting kitchen).
There are 4 key areas to consider in relation to food preparation and health:
Everyone has differing abilities when it comes to preparing a meal, regardless of the level of skill you have, read on to discover some practical tips that can lead to healthier habits.
A recipe can give you direction, the ingredients offer inspiration and your available time dictates the complexity
One of the biggest factors affecting our food habits is how much we believe that the food we eat can influence our daily lives. Allowing the time to implement healthy eating habits can have a huge impact on mood, energy, sleep and general health.
The following 5 sections offer some ideas, and perhaps new ways to think about your own meal preparation.
#1 Planning
Failing to prepare, doesn't mean you need to prepare for failure!
If you haven't had time to do a weekly menu plan, make a shopping list or read some new inspiring recipes to try this week - do not worry!!!
Here are some tips for your planning SOS moments:
You can also read the previous post on food shopping, which also discusses simple ways to organise and plan meals, so these SOS moments can be avoided.
A little bit of organisation is self-care, it is about you being kind to yourself
#2 Equipment
Cooking machines, spiralizers, steamer, blenders, mandoline slicers, food processors - the options are endless when it comes to kitchen equipment. Which of these items do you really need though?? The answer to this depends on how much time you want to spend cooking and how adventurous you are in the kitchen.
If you want to increase the variety of vegetables you are preparing, one of the best things to invest in is a sharp knife - simple, yet vital. If you want to offer some adventurous-looking, social media worthy meals, then a spiralizer or mandoline can offer a very cost effective way of boosting the presentation of your meals.
When you want to look at new ways to prepare your meals (which will benefit your overall health), then the images below offer a few ideas. These tips aim to increase vegetable/fruit intake and add variety to your meal presentation, in addition to offering space saving, budget friendly ways to prepare healthy, fancy looking meals.
#3 Ingredients
The foods you choose to keep in cupboards and the freezer are ultimately your go-to items. It is good, every now and again to spend an hour going through what you have in-stock. The items we have in cans, frozen leftovers, cooking oils, dried goods are going to be the basis of a lot of last minute meals. Always have a few items that you know can be grabbed for those SOS moments you aren't prepared for (by the way, everyone experiences these moments).
Think about what you have vs. what you really need
When you need some fast, healthy food that can be prepared in less than 15 minutes, you could try some of the following ideas. Make a list for yourself, think about which foods you really need to have available (e.g. crisp breads, fresh/frozen vegetables, chopped tomatoes, canned tuna, eggs, lentil pasta.....)
Salad vegetables, hummus and bread/crackers
Baked beans or sardines on whole grain toast
Frozen stir-fry vegetables with chicken (or edamame beans) and 3 minute egg noodles
Boiled egg (these are great to keep in the fridge), avocado slices, sliced tomatoes and couscous
Frozen leftovers: soups/lasagne/pasta sauces
Cottage cheese, salad and precooked (cold) boiled potatoes
Chickpea pasta shapes, pesto and any vegetables
Natural yogurt, grated apple, frozen berries, nuts/seeds and muesli/oats (i.e. Birchermuesli)
Canned tuna mixed with pasta and any grated vegetables
Chickpeas, buckwheat, halloumi and salad vegetables
#4 Cooking Methods
Everyone has a few go-to ways that they prepare meals. Typically, this might involve pans or the oven and possibly a BBQ in the summer months. However you choose to cook will (mainly) depend on time, available equipment and your level of confidence in the kitchen. It isn't necessary to create gourmet level meals every day, what is important is that you make sure how you cook is supporting good health. Remember, good food = improved mood, better sleep and health benefits - however, depending on how the food is prepared it might end up a lot less healthy than you intended.
Below are some pros and cons of different cooking practices:
Cooking method | Positive Uses | Nutrition quality negatives |
Boiling  | Boil mince before frying it to reduce saturated fat. Can use cooked vegetable water to make soups/sauces/stock. | Vegetables lose a significant amount of water soluble vitamins during the boiling process. |
Steaming  | Vegetables are heated gently and as there's no direct water contact, minimal nutrients are lost. | Cooking times can be longer and food can easily go too soft. |
Shallow Frying  | A good quality non-stick pan requires no added oil, cooks food quickly and results in a nice crisp texture. | Certain oils can't be heated to high temperatures or they start to smoke/burn, causing dangerous free-radicals. Avoid this by using olive or rapeseed oil and keeping a lower heat. |
Grilling  | Grilling meats reduces fat and total calorie content, as the fat drips off while cooking. | There is a chance that food will burn due to the high temperatures. These charred areas contain free radials which, when consumed regularly, can add to cell damage. |
Air frying  | Air fryers offer a significantly healthier option to deep frying foods and offers the same crispy texture. | The machine can be very large, taking up kitchen space, as well as being tricky to clean. |
Raw - uncooked  | Instant, healthy fast-food requiring minimal preparation time and excellent source of vitamins, antioxidants and gut-friendly fibre. | Cooking breaks down cell walls making certain nutrients easier to absorb e.g. vitamin A in carrots. Cooking also softens fibre, making it easier to digest. |
#4 Empowerment
There is a common theme that runs through every article in the Habits Series - self care. Each topic that we discuss offers an opportunity to think about how certain lifestyle habits that we learnt from parents/friends/relatives, is likely to impact your health today. The goal is to look for small, manageable ways to fine-tune habits that will (over time) be beneficial.
By allowing ourselves the chance to empower ourselves with knowledge and healthy habits, we are indirectly empowering the young people around us. If you have children, get them involved in cooking as much as possible. Involve them in trying to come up with a creative meal using whatever ingredients you have.
One of the most empowering self-care tools is having the knowledge and ability to nourish yourself
So, next time you find yourself walking into the kitchen and have no idea where to start or what to cook.....
Take a deep breath.
Explore your ingredients.
Focus on ticking the boxes for protein, vegetables, a healthy fat and a little carbohydrate.
Have you decided that you would like to address your eating habits? If you want guidance and support through adopting new habits, you can click this link to book a free call to see how we can help you.
If you have found any of these tips useful, please comment below, we love to hear from you! Sign up for our e-newsletter and be informed when there is a new post in the Habits Series - there will be a new topic every month in 2023.
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