Nutrition is all about what nutrients you are putting into your body. What’s often overlooked is how you get those nutrients into your body which is just as important. The “whats” are your essential macro-nutrients; fatty-acids, amino-acids, vitamins, and minerals. The “hows” are the foods you choose, their preparation, and ingestion. Ingestion and preparation are often forgotten compared to the choice of foods but they are equally as important in achieving a healthy nutrition. And it all starts in the kitchen and what you stock it with:
Healthy Cooking Tools
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Nourishing Traditions by: Sally Fallon
This is an essential, must-have reference cookbook needed in every kitchen. Not only does it offer delicious recipes but supplies information and studies about what real healthy food is versus what society says. She explains what nutrients are essential and non-essential to the body and how to get them in the body in the most usable forms. It is a book that will challenge how you think about diets and “healthy food”. It’s not just a book that tells you what you can and can’t eat, it explains what to eat, how to do it, and most importantly why to do it.
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Cast-Iron Skillet
If there is one stove top cookware that is a must, this is it. Never worry about damaging it or having a difficult time cleaning it because cast-iron skillets are tough and slick. There are risks of rusting but that can be easily prevented with a simple cycle…rinse, wipe, re-heat, and wipe. It is a fantastic tool that can be used over high-heat, retaining low heat and goes it the oven for baking and roasting. Of course, It’s made of iron and feels like your using a kettlebell which will fit right in with your healthy mentality.
Fitness Tip: If you have low iron in your blood, cooking with the cast-iron will slightly increase the iron of foods.
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Food Processor
Don’t have a lot of time in the kitchen? Well a food processor will speed up your prep-time to still allow you to cook homemade meals. Chop. Mix. Blend. It all can be done with this handy machine. Nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated. Fresh veggies processed into a salad or thrown together in the skillet for a quick stir-fry. Healthy, Nutritious, Quick, and Tasty. What more could you ask for? They can be quite costly but look in your local thrift stores and you may stumble upon a manual use one for a couple dollars.
- Chopsticks
An unconventional pick but hear it out. Eating foods slower enhances your appreciation for flavors, increases time with the family, and lowers the insulin response of foods. It gives your stomach time to recognize the foods being ingested. By using chopsticks, it tends to force people to eat their food slower because of the skill involved.
Fitness Tip: Not only nutritionally beneficial but a neuromuscular strengthening for your hand-eye coordination.
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Slow Cooker
A slow cooker is useful for creating bulk meals on the weekend for the hectic weekdays. Chili, Soups, Roasts, and Stocks can all be done in the slow cooker without the need to be in the kitchen all day. If you have a large family or just a busy schedule, don’t let that be a reason for un-healthy eating. Prepare a large chili, divide it into servings for the week and now you have a healthy meal when you’re crunched for time.
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Whole Foods
You don’t need fancy equipment or expensive gluten-free products to improve your health. Shop on the outsides of the grocery stores and avoid the aisles to find whole foods. Eat foods that are grown or can poop (animals). It is that simple. Any kind of processed foods; cans, bags, etc. will have chemicals or be manipulated for a desired effect, most of the time to last longer on the shelf. Mother Nature did her processing to grow the food exactly how it should be consumed. Be careful of the health product aisles because they have high claims but are still processed and can be loaded with chemicals.
Optimal nutrition doesn’t need to be complicated or costly. Cooking should be an enjoyable experience and not about counting calories. Cut all the stress out by preparing the kitchen beforehand with the essential equipment on this list and then enjoy. All the equipment listed, I was able to find at thrift stores for a total of about 32 dollars. Don’t think that you need to break the bank for brand new equipment. Chopsticks and Iron have been around for thousands of years because they are simple and they work. Stick to simple and what works.
Guest Writer,
Kyle Estep
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