Starting A Healthy Kitchen
The kitchen is the main hub of the house. It’s actually one of the spaces where a lot of people spend a major share of their time. As healthy eating is becoming more than just a fad, it’s important to revamp the home kitchen in a way that suits a healthier and more environmental-friendly lifestyle.
However, the trick is to go slow with the changes, and let each family member assimilate them bit-by-bit.
Here’s how you can start:
• Firstly, take a close look at your kitchen. Make a note of the processed, refined and canned foods that reside in your kitchen, and against each, pen down healthier substitutes. These could be, alternative milk, living foods, sustainably sourced meats, and so on.
• I try to go organic wherever/whenever i can. Be it spices, nuts, fruits, vegetables, herbal teas, green tea, seeds, cereals, and even dark chocolate. With non-organic products – please check the ingredients and the back to see if the product is free from synthetic colours, flavours and preservatives.
• Sugar – replace refined sugar with coconut palm sugar, organic honey, organic jaggery, organic maple syrup, stevia, i even use dates to sweeten smoothies and shakes.
• Salt- I personally like ‘Kala Namak’ and Pink Himalayan salt. Bragg Liquid Aminos makes an excellent salt substitute, and it also enhances the flavour of soups and stews.
• Oils – again, these are the backbone of many recipes. Try going for organic, cold pressed and clean oils . My favourite- desi-ghee, extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, mustard oil, avocado oil.
• Cookware – use stainless steel, glass baking dish, cast iron, ceramic pots and pans. Also, give your kids stainless steel tiffins. Please throw away Teflon non-stick cookware, aluminium foils and plastic clean films. These are highly toxic and cause serious health problems.
• Use glass jars/bottles/containers to store food, both in and out of the fridge. It also makes healthy foods accessible and visual.
Start with these, and we can discuss taking it ahead towards an absolute kitchen makeover. Do leave your comments below.
