With the oversized portions that restaurants serve up nowadays, North Americans have become accustomed to consuming hefty quantities of food on a daily basis. This is no problem if they are eating meals that are low in calories and generally nutritious. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work this way. That’s how come it’s crucial that when you do dine at home, you choose nutritious and low-cal foods as frequently as you can to offset the damage from other sources. It all starts with cooking light.

Light, healthy cooking relies on more than the ingredients you use; the oil you cook them with is also important. Indeed, the oil can alter the nutritional value of the dish considerably. Even if all the ingredients are healthy, like whole grains, lean meats and vegetables, once you add some unhealthy oil, you end up with a less healthful meal.

Here are a few techniques to see to it that the meals you prepare for your household are light and healthy.

1. Pick Vegetable Oils

This is the most essential guideline to follow. Pick a vegetable based oil to ensure that the food you’re cooking won’t impact your health negatively. These oils contribute to raising the levels of good cholesterol in your system. They aid in the proper performance of the cardiovascular system and balance out the bad cholesterol that we get from meats and animal fats.

2. Avoid Chemicals

As much as you can, stay away from seasonings and ingredients that aren’t natural. It can turn a healthy meal into a questionable one. Artificial flavoring might heighten the flavor of the dish that you’re cooking but it can also result in kidney and liver ailments due to its elevated sodium content. As well, stay away from batter mixes for deep fried foods; they just increase the calories without any nutritional benefits.

3. Cut the Meat

Make it a habit to use seafood and veggies in your home cooking. Restrict meat consumption to a serving or less per day. In this way, you and your family will be consuming the protein that your bodies require but with less of the saturated fat found in meat. When you do eat meat, opt for those that contain less saturated fat. Generally, turkey and chicken (white meats) are considered more healthy than pork and beef (red meats). And of these two, pork is the better choice as the fat can be trimmed more readily.

4. Cooking Less

Another approach to healthy cooking is to make light meals, not just in terms of calories and fat, but also in quantity. This is particularly relevant when you’re cooking the main meal of the day. But take your time making this change. If you vary your diet too much it can cause health problems.

This is also not a good idea for young children. It’s important that you give children all the nutrition they need to become strong and healthy. This doesn’t imply overeating, but neither should you limit their calories unless advised by your doctor.