Healthy Cooking for Healthy Eating

 

When it comes to diet and nutrition, it is both a personal challenge and a global problem. The good thing is that more and more people are becoming more conscious about having a healthier lifestyle. Preparing meals from scratch is more encouraged, and it helps us to prepare more nutritious meals for our families and us.

 

Indeed, many Hong Kong families rely on their household helper when it comes to preparing food at home. It can be a needed comfort when we get home from a tiring day at work. However, there will be occasions where the food prepared is not something that we had in mind, especially when our goal is to have healthier food. They might be great cooks, but they can lack knowledge when it comes to nutrition and diet.

 

If your helper hasn’t received proper education as to preparing healthy meals, then perhaps they need a little advice. Teach her about nutrition and the advantages of healthy cooking. Learning takes time, but with the right teaching, anyone can learn.

 

Here are some recommendations to make the process easier:

 

Inform her about “why” you want to promote healthy eating

 

Your helper may not understand why healthy eating is so important to you. You can inform her that healthy eating is beneficial to the body and the mind. Perhaps there is an elderly person inside the house who is at risk without proper nutrition. Helping her to understand the importance of healthy eating is the priority.

 

 

Ask her to read the nutritional information on packages.

 

This will help her identify those ingredients that are good and those that aren’t. If she knows what ingredients are there, she’ll be more mindful with what to buy. This will help her to avoid making poor choices and creating non-healthy recipes.

 

Make the grocery list together.

 

It will be easier for your helper to choose what to buy if and create a list together. Before going to the supermarket, you can spend some time together to write the grocery list. This will also be a chance for you to discuss items with her and improve her knowledge.

 

Print some recipes

 

You can give her some recipes that are easy to follow. You can go through this to know the benefit of each ingredient and why it’s essential to consume those particular items.

 

 

Tell her to use healthier ingredients.

 

Instruct her to get fresh fruit and vegetables to cut down on any saturated fats, salts, or sugars.

 

Teach her alternative cooking methods

 

There are other cooking methods aside from frying; you can inform her that there is more than one cooking method depending on what you’re cooking.

 

It might require your patience as you go through this with your helper, but remember that it’s worth it since this is for your family’s health. We all know that health is wealth!