Ingredients You Must Stop Using!
By Sara Butler
Cooking your own meals at home is something you deserve a lot of credit for. It’s not easy to plan and prepare healthy meals for you and your family day in and day out. Busy schedules are the number one reason people look for timesaving hacks when they cook at home. But those timesavers might be tanking your healthy intentions. If you are looking to cut some corners in your kitchen, try doing it without one of these unhealthy ingredients.
Vegetable Oils
Cottonseed, corn, and soybean oils are highly processed. Due to this, they’re also high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats. When eaten in moderation, these fats are not bad for you, but eating too much can be terrible for your heart health. A lot of Americans eat too many omega-6 fatty acids and throw off their balance of omega-3 fatty acids in the process. Instead of these vegetable oils, consider extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil to help infuse flavor into your dishes.
Cream of Anything Soup
Creamy soups are not great for your health. That’s because they are packed full of sodium -- up to 700 milligrams per serving. The American Heart Association recommends that people only eat 2,400 milligrams of sodium per day -- for the whole day. Creamy soups are also full of MSG and vegetable oil. So, just consider leaving the cream of something soup out of your next recipe.
Margarine
The verdict is in: Margarine is not a good alternative to butter. In fact, longitudinal studies have found that margarine is full of saturated fats that work to clog up arteries, full of processed oils that can make chronic inflammation worse. Chronic inflammation can lead to chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Make the switch to grass-fed butter and your heart with thank you for it.
Fat-Free Dairy
The problem with fat-free dairy is that its texture, mouthfeel, and taste is less satisfying -- which means you may go back for seconds or thirds and end up eating more of a dish. Plus, the fat is normally replaced with sugar, and adding more sugar to your diet is never recommended!
Speaking of fat-free foods, you should avoid fat-free salad dressing too. Fat-free or low-fat salad dressings also add salt and sugar to replace the fat, so they’re no good for you either.
Sometimes shortcuts aren't better -- especially when it comes to your health and nutrition goals!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Woodland Hills, Calif.