Healthdul Recipes, The Wise Choice

PLANNING MEALS

Plan your family's menu:

Choose the family's favourite dishes and modify the recipes as shown in this book.
Serve dishes that are simple to prepare yet attractive and appetising.
Prepare dishes that combine a variety of food types.
Use cooking methods that preserve the natural colour and flavour of the food.
Always serve food that is freshly prepared.
Serve meals together with ulam, fresh vegetables and fruits of assorted colours and shapes.

Cook in variety of ways, including grilling, steaming, poaching and frying without oil. A void e deep frying, especially of food heavily coated with flour.

Add lime juice to dishes that are grilled or steamed to enhance the flavour. Dessert should consist of fruits. Serve fresh fruit juices or plain water instead of sweetened drinks.

Divide the family's food intake accordingly:

Emphasise the importance of eating breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Meals should be eaten at fixed times.
If snacking, ensure it is eaten two hours before a main meal.
Serve meals in portion sizes in accordance with individual needs so as to avoid overeating.

PREPARING HEALTHY MEALS

Proper preparation of food and cooking methods can make a more nutritious meal:

Discard meat fats and chicken skin.
Wash fruits and fresh vegetables before consuming. Avoid soaking fruits and vegetables in water. Instead, wash with flowing tap water.
Avoid cutting up or slicing fruits and vegetables into small pieces.
After cleaning, poach potatoes and sweet potatoes with skin intact.
Use just sufficient water when preparing soup or dishes with gravy.
Ensure that the water is properly boiled or the oil is well-heated before adding food to be cooked.
Close wok or pot when cooking vegetables to avoid loss of vitamins. This method will also shorten the cooking time.
To maintain the colour and shape of food, avoid cooking for too long. Always cook the hardest or toughest part of the vegetables first.
Reduce usage of salt, soy sauce, sauces, seasoning and soda. Instead, use stock from chicken, meat, anchovies and vegetables.
Skim off the top layer of fats in soups by chilling the soup first. This will help reduce fat content.
Avoid using cooking oil that has changed in colour due to overheating at high temperature over long periods of time.
Foods that spoil easily, such as meat, chicken, fish, milk, eggs and cooked foods, should be stored in a refrigerator at low temperature. Cut only amount of meat and chicken that is required for cooking before replacing the balance in the freezer. Re freezing food that has been thawed will cause it to spoil and may cause food poisoning.