Diet & Food

Five Cooking Mistakes That Make You Gain Weight

Thinking one serving size fits all

You might be able to put away as much food as your partner, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Only eat until you’re 80 per cent full – and serve appropriate meal sizes.

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Baking without a roasting pan

Baking is a great way to keep your dishes low-kilojoule. But unless you set your meat on a rack, it’s just going to sit in and soak up its own grease, thwarting your weight-loss efforts, says nutritionist Rania Batayneh, M.P.H., author of The One One One Diet. Next time you pop some steak, pork, poultry, or even fish in the oven, make sure it’s on a roasting pan—or at least a wire rack in the bottom of your baking dish.

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Health Kick Salmon With Spring Salad

This salmon salad is not only gorgeous but it’s also the perfect meal if you’re in health kick mode. It’s also the perfect salad for a summer’s day.

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Using the wrong oils

Pouring the wrong oil into your pan can do worse than make your eggs taste like olives. “When an oil heats past its smoke point, the fatty acid profile has degraded, producing toxins, free radicals, and even trans fats,” says Batayneh. She recommends using walnut or olive oil for salad dressings since they both can burn at high temperatures. Coconut, grapeseed, and sunflower oils, however, all have high smoke points, making them perfect for sautéing and grilling.

The oils you must have in the kitchen olive oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil and ghee.

 

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Skipping the spice rack

“We usually rely on sugar, salt, and fat for flavor, which can up the calorie count of a dish dramatically,” says Batayneh. “Using spices instead allows a cook to cut out those added sugars, oil, butter, or salt—and over time, you’ll also retrain your taste buds to not crave those salty, sugary, fatty additions.” Plus, herbs and spices pack a powerful punch of health-boosting, fat-fighting nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

 

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Super Healthy Super Food Salad

This super healthy salad is packed full of taste and goodness.

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Using too much oil

Healthy fats can help you lose weight, but not if you act like their kilojoules don’t count. And when you’re using oil to cook and add flavor to your dishes, those calories can add up fast, says Batayneh. “When you’re cooking, use only enough oil to prevent sticking,” she says Not sure how much that is? Try investing in a spray bottle for your oil so you don’t overdo it by mistake.

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