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Learning Unit 1
A Student Exchange in a Culinary College
READING TIME
Pre-reading
1
Answer the following questions.
Activity
1
Are you interested in healthy eating?
2
How many vegetables do you eat a day?
3
Do you know any methods to avoid too much salt when cooking?
4
Are you a sweet addict?
Read the text and find out some
good ideas for healthy cooking!
HEALTHY COOKING
Good nutrition is not just a matter of
selecting the “right” foods to eat. It is
also important to prepare these foods in
ways that will maintain their nutritional
benefits. Careful decisions about cooking
techniques can have a profound effect
on the nutrient content of the foods we
prepare. These cooking strategies and
ingredient substitution ideas can help
retain and, in some cases, improve, the
nutritional value of your most popular
dishes. They can also help you meet
the American Institute for Cancer
Research’s recommendations for lower
cancer risk and better overall health.
1. Cut the salt in half in your
favorite
1
recipes. Most of the time this will not
produce a noticeable taste change.
Consider replacing part of the salt
with an
herb
2
or spice, flavored
vinegar, citrus juice or peel. Garlic or
onion work well in meats, soups, and
sauces. Make your own mix of garlic,
onion, paprika, and parsley flakes.
2. When possible use non-stick pans
for grilling or stir-frying.
3. Choose methods of cooking that will
retain flavor, color, and nutrients.
Steam instead of boiling vegetables.
Avoid cooking at high temperatures
(except for quick stir-frying) and
long cooking times. Both extended
heat and liquid can destroy or leach
out valuable nutrients.
4. Add vegetables whenever possible
to ensure your five-a-day intake.
Experiment with more veggie variety
in salads, try new vegetable mixes,
include some shredded vegetables
in casseroles, and add different
vegetables to soups and stews. Use
chopped red or yellow peppers to
“pep” up the flavor. Try vegetable
salsas and
fruit chutneys as
accompaniments to meat or poultry
in place of heavy gravies or sauces.
5. Try some lower-in-fat substitutes
such as low fat cheese, salad dres-
sing and evaporated skim milk. Try
low cholesterol egg products. Use
two egg whites instead of one whole
egg to significantly reduce the fat and
cholesterol content of some baked goods.
6. When you use oil, select olive or
canola oil. Drain off visible fat
while cooking, blot pan-fried foods
on paper towels to absorb extra
grease, and allow soups to chill
before reheating and serving so that
the fat can be skimmed off the top.
7. Choose roasting, poaching or stir-frying
as frequent cooking methods. Keep
open-flame grilling of meats to a
minimum as this practice produces
cancer-promoting compounds.
Avoid eating charred food. Microwave
cooking is a healthful way to
cook vegetables because
the
short cooking time reduces nutrient
losses and usually no added water
or fat is needed.
8. Reduce the fat in home baked goodies
by substituting apple sauce, pureed
prunes, mashed bananas, or yogurt for
up to half of the shortening. It works!
9. Substitute some whole grain
products for all-purpose flour in
your cooking. Try whole wheat
flour, oatmeal or flax in bread and
muffins, or add some bran or wheat
germ to your meatloaf. Try using some
soy flour in biscuits and breads.
10. Try more fruit desserts (fresh, stewed,
and cobblers) instead of cakes
and cookies. Choose frozen yogurt,
sherbet and sorbet instead of ice
cream. Serve cake with fruit sauce
instead of frosting or whipped cream.
(from: Ten Healthful Cooking Habits by Joann Prophet,
MS, RD American Institute for Cancer Research)
1
In American English the vowel
group ‘ou’ is usually spelled with
an ‘o’ (flavour flavor, colour
color, favourite favorite, etc.).
2
In American English ‘herb’ can be
pronounced with or without an
initial aspirate (‘a herb’ or ‘an herb’).
help
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