Tips for Eating Healthier at Home
Registered Dietician
| 2 min read
The average American dines out between four and five times a week. While restaurants can offer a valuable social experience, regularly choosing convenience foods over meals at home can negatively influence health based on portions, methods of preparation and commercial additives.
Fortunately, there are easy ways to serve up a flavorful, healthy menu from home.
Appetizers
- Fried Favorites: If frying or sautéing, start by choosing a heart-healthy oil (olive, avocado, sesame, canola). If breading, use a lighter batter or alternative breading like whole wheat bread crumbs, riced cauliflower or chopped nuts.
- Dips: Swapping sour cream and other heavy bases for Greek yogurt, cottage cheese or light cream cheese can improve nutritional value without compromising flavor. This subtle switch works for anything from spinach artichoke dip to buffalo chicken dip.
Main Course
- Proteins: Traditionally, the preparation behind restaurant meats involves excess oils, extra fat and sodium. At home, there is the option to bake, grill and utilize the natural flavor of herbs/spices to explore different flavor palettes.
- Carbohydrates: Instead of facing the temptation of potatoes, pasta and other heavy restaurant starches, find alternatives that offer the same flavor with better nutrition. Believe it or not, cauliflower can make a tasty twist on mashed potatoes, fried rice and pizza crust.
- Vegetables: Steaming and grilling vegetables at home allows full flavor and all the health benefits of the vegetables without overcooking. Better yet, exploring veggie carb-swaps increases nutrition.
Dessert
- Baking Swaps: Swapping traditional baking oils for apple sauce or yogurt can create anything from blueberry lemon Greek yogurt muffins to Greek yogurt fruit bark.
- Bonus Hidden Nutrition: Disguising nutritious ingredients like black beans, zucchini, or carrots and spinach in a homemade dessert is easier than it seems. Not only can it mimic the taste of restaurant-style sweets, it can add vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and moisture to your favorite dessert.
- Two-In-One: Instead of drinking coffee with dessert at a restaurant, serve up naturally sweet, protein-filled energy bites at home. Not only do they make a great alternative to apple pie and chocolate peanut butter candy, but they can also double as a delicious breakfast or mid-day snack in the days following.
Photo Credit: A Healthier Michigan
Check out a few of our healthier at home recipes below:
