Five Tips for Cooking Safety

hptgetskinny

I got this e-mail from truestarhealth this morning and thought I would share!

Preventative Measures That Go Beyond Just Eating a Healthy Diet

1. Wash your fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
Newsflash! Rinsing with water isn't good enough! This is especially true for produce without a protective outer layer. Many chemicals are used to grow produce these days and they are designed to be water resistant. Buy organic as much as possible and try my super easy recipe:

Homemade Fruit and Veggie Wash
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp baking soda
1 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle and shake thoroughly.

2. Soak your nuts, seeds, grains and legumes.
By soaking nuts, seeds, grains and legumes for a period of time before use, we mimic precipitation in which the protective outer layer is broken up, activating the sprouting process. This outer layer, its natural defense mechanism, contains nutritional inhibitors and toxic substances that remain intact and prevent our bodies from accessing the true nutritional potential.

Soaking is the key to neutralizing phytic acid and tannins, which basically unlocks the vitamin content of the food. This naturally stabilizes the nutrients and prepares the food for your body to use.

3. Avoid cooking with olive oil or any refined oil for that matter.
Many of us do not realize, but bringing oil past a certain heat changes its chemical make-up to something similar to plastic! Yikes! The body doesn't know how to properly digest and excrete this foreign and toxic substance, so instead of processing it, we store it in our fat cells. This adds to our toxic load and bogs the body's delicate system down.

While realistically there is no oil that is perfectly safe to cook with, there are safer options. I cook primarily with water, but when needed, I use raw, organic coconut oil. It is a saturated fat and is more stable at higher temperatures than the unsaturated oils that are traditionally used while cooking.

You can use olive oil in cold applications, such as in a salad dressing or adding it to the dish after it has been removed from the heat. Be sure to look for cold-pressed olive oil in a small dark bottle. You can be sure that the oil hasn't been processed with heat if the oil hardens into a solid in the fridge.

4. Use an eco-friendly alternative to a non-stick pan.
The substance, Teflon, used to create the non-stick surface on conventional pans, is being found in trace amounts in the body. Switching to a ceramic pan is an easy way to avoid exposing yourself to this harmful man-made chemical each day.

5. Try not to intentionally cook your food until crispy or overcooked. Avoid or limit frying and barbequing.
I know that it tastes better, but trust me, it is not worth it! This tip goes hand in hand with avoiding refined and heated oils. Overcooking changes the entire make-up of the foods we eat. Not only are you zapping upwards of 50 to 80% of the nutrients in the food, but you are also creating a carcinogenic coating when frying or charring. Did you know that even just the smell of bacon cooking is carcinogenic? Lighter methods of cooking, such as steaming and poaching, will keep as much nutrition intact as possible while reducing the risk.


Cook safely!