Beyond Ingredients: Healthy Cooking Practices for Healthy Living

Healthy eating goes far beyond choosing the right ingredients—it includes how you prepare your food. By adopting a few mindful cooking practices, you can maximize nutrient retention, minimize harmful compounds, and transform your kitchen into a wellness hub.

1. Cook with Cold Pressed Oils (The Smart Fat Choice)

• Practice: Replace refined oils with your cold-pressed oils (Groundnut, Sesame, Coconut).

• Benefit: Cold-pressed oils retain their natural antioxidants and healthy fatty acids. Since they haven't been chemically processed or heated, they are more stable when used properly in low to moderate heat cooking.

2. Choose the Right Vessel: Cook in Iron

• Practice: Switch from non-stick to traditional vessels, specifically iron vessels (kadhai, tawa).

• Benefit: Cooking in iron naturally increases the iron content of your food—a simple, passive way to boost this essential mineral, which is vital for energy and immunity.

3. Cook at Low to Medium Heat (Preserve Nutrition)

High heat cooking (like continuous deep frying or searing for long periods) can destroy heat-sensitive vitamins ($\text{C}$ and $\text{B}$ vitamins) and antioxidants in your food.

• Practice: Cook your vegetables and dals at a low or medium flame. This gentle cooking process ensures vitamins are preserved and prevents the formation of harmful compounds that can occur when food is scorched.

4. Hydration is Key: Cook with Minimal Water

• Practice: Use only the minimum amount of water necessary to cook vegetables and grains.

• Benefit: Many water-soluble vitamins leach out into the cooking water. By minimizing water or reusing the liquid (e.g., in a soup or stock), you retain the most nutrients.

5. Spice It Right, Not Just for Flavor

• Practice: Add spices (especially your homemade masalas) and herbs toward the end of the cooking process.

• Benefit: Adding them later preserves their volatile essential oils, maximizing their flavor potency and their digestive and anti-inflammatory properties.