5 HEALTHY KITCHEN TIPS TO STAY HEALTHY
1. Buy fresh fruits and veggies and break-up with packaged grocery
For a fully-stocked kitchen, grocery shopping is an absolute must. But most grocery items come in plastic or aluminium packaging, boxes or even cans that can pose threat to your health.
So, the simple thing to do here is to replace packaged grocery items with fresh produce that is either harvested from your in-house garden or sourced from an organic market. This way, you’ll ensure that you best chemical-free produce that is NOT a strain on the environment.
2. Re-evaluate your relationship with plastic containers
All that plastic in your kitchen in the form of containers that you use to store and reheat leftovers can have a serious toll on your health.
These plastics contain Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that can leach into the food while you’re heating it and make it toxic. According to the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), once BPA is ingested, it can disrupt the function of hormones in the body–especially oestrogen.
So, replace plastic containers with glass ones to retain nutrition and give your food a longer shelf life.
3. Adopt the root-to-stem lifestyle
If you have been peeling the skin of veggies and throwing them away–which, most of us do–then here’s something you need to know. The skin and stems of fruits and veggies are bursting with nutrients–hence discarding them leads to nutrition loss.
According to a study, published in the International Food Research Journal, there is a presence of a large number of biologically-active phytochemicals in all parts of the plants such as stems, barks, peels, stalks, flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, seeds etc.
So, if you plan to make a broccoli stir-fry tonight, instead of discarding its stem, preserve it and add to your meal’s nutritional value.
4. Add sprouting utensils to your kitchen
Sprouted foods deserve a legit place in your diet. The process of sprouting not only improves the digestibility of the food but also increases its nutritional value to a great extent.
According to a review in the American Journal of Plant Nutrition, the sprouting process increases vitamin synthesis by six to 10 times compared to levels of non-germinated seeds.
So, make that sprout-maker a kitchen essential–right now!
5. Practice smart storage rules for fresh produce
Having a fully-stocked refrigerator sure sounds great and satisfying–but just give it a few days and you’ll have wilted or soggy veggies on your hands.
For instance, if you’ve been storing apples and oranges in the same fruit basket, you’ve been doing it all wrong. Surprised? Well, some foods just don’t get along well with each other. Ethylene, the ripening agent in fruits, will lead to faster spoilage of any produce around it.
Other than this, you should store root veggies in cool, dark, humid places to retain nutrients.
So, keep these healthy kitchen tips in mind and make your kitchen a happy place again.
