Session 9
Cook To Prevent Diabetes
Session 9-2
Healthy Cooking Tips
To Save Time
Clean as you cook.
Cook large batches of items that freeze well, like sauces, stews, and casseroles.
Wash and cut up veggies or fruit that store well in advance.
Use a slow cooker or pressure cooker
Use leftover veggies and meat in an omelet, pasta or rice dish, stew, soup, salad, or burrito. This saves money as well as time.
Measure out single servings of snacks, like air-popped popcorn into baggies or containers.
Healthy can be Enjoyable
Modify your favorite dishes to make them healthier. Or serve a smaller portion of the original recipe.
Choose good quality items.
Choose items with a variety of flavors, textures, scents, and colors.
Cook veggies like green beans and broccoli lightly, so they stay crisp and colorful.
Try new cooking styles and ingredients.
Dress up food with herbs, spices, low- fat salad dressing and gravy, lemon juice, vinegar, hot sauce, plain nonfat yogurt, and salsa. If your healthcare provider says to limit your salt, look for items that are low in sodium.
Grill or roast veggies and meat to bring out the flavor.
Learn healthy cooking methods online, in books, in magazines, and from TV shows. Learn from your friends and family. Or take a healthy cooking class.
Cook with Less Fat
Bake, grill, roast, or stir-fry in a small amount of healthy oil.
Coat pans with healthy cooking spray.
Simmer in water or stock.
Steam or microwave.
Take the skin off the chicken before you cook it.
Trim the fat off meat before you cook it.
Use nonstick cookware.
Create A Positive Action Plan
During the week, I will:
Think about which meals I struggle with most:
- Which meals do I tend to overeat?
- Which meals do I eat out or order in?
- Which meals do I have limited time to prepare?