Proper Food Preparation Strategies – Part Two

Here are three more tips to help you get the most nutrition from the foods you prepare and eat:

5. When cooking with oil, be careful to choose a stable fat, otherwise the heat will damage it. Polyunsaturated vegetable oils like canola, corn, safflower, sunflower and soybean oil should never be heated or used for cooking. The reason for this is that they easily combine with oxygen in the air to become rancid. These oils degrade very easily because of this tendency. Extra virgin coconut oil and organic butter are best for cooking as they are very stable saturated fats. They withstand high temperatures without damage to their chemical structure. Regular olive oil should not be heated above 400 degrees, so it is suitable for stir frying or light sautéing at moderate temperatures. Extra virgin olive oil, flax oil, sesame oil, pumpkin seed oil and macadamia nut oil should not be heated. Use them as condiments, drizzling over vegetables, in salad dressings and smoothies or as a dip for whole grain bread.

6. Raw nuts, seeds and seed-like grains such as quinoa, millet and amaranth, as well as whole grains like steel cut oats and brown rice, should be soaked before you cook and eat them. They contain phytic acid which is a naturally occurring substance that prevents absorption of certain minerals and nutrients in those foods. By simply soaking them in filtered water for at least 8 hours, the phytic acid is deactivated.

7. Garlic is a power-packed food that has been studied for years and has many health benefits. The way to get the most from garlic is to crush the cloves. Allicin, a powerful antifungal and antibacterial compound, is produced when you crush or chop the garlic cloves. It’s also usually suggested that you wait ten minutes for the compound to develop fully. The effects of allicin are strongest in raw garlic, so to get the most benefit, use a small amount of crushed or chopped garlic raw or combine with your cooked food just before serving it. Cooking destroys it and the longer the garlic is cooked the more these properties are destroyed.

Take a Step:

I encourage you to buy a container of extra virgin coconut oil and use it when you make scrambled eggs or for any other cooking you do. It tastes great, can be used in baking, contains medium chain fatty acids that actually help with weight loss and lauric acid which boosts immune function! All from one healthy fat!

Until next time, I wish you vibrant health. Ann