6 Ways You Are Ruining a Superfood

Sharon Moore October 21, 2013

What you put on your body has a huge impact on your health. It is not enough that you choose nutritious produce; you should also make sure you are preparing them in a way that the nutrients they contain are not eliminated or greatly reduced.

The following are among the unhealthy ways of preparing some of the world’s superfoods. Check if you are guilty for doing one or a few of them:

Smothering sauce on grilled lean chicken

It’s true – grilling is a much better cooking method for meat, compared to deep frying. But you are making the healthy food unhealthy by smothering barbecue sauce before placing it on the grill, and continuously putting more whilst the meat is on fire. Basically, barbecue sauce (especially the ones you buy from grocery stores) is often loaded with sugar, calories and sodium. And if you’re like most people, you add more than the recommended “one tablespoon” recommended serving of barbecue sauce. If you want a smarter alternative, make your own sauce using fresh ingredients, a little bit of Worcestershire sauce and other seasonings to enhance the taste. And, don’t forget to sprinkle some herbs and spices and a bit of wine as they all contain antioxidants that can reduce the heterocyclic amines or HCAs (carcinogenic compounds) produced when animal meat is cooked or heated.

Frying sweet potatoes

You know that fried sweet potatoes are a healthier alternative to fries. But you could be sabotaging the health benefits of this superfood by deep-frying it. Plus, the flour, salt and extra sugar you put in the batter or breading to coat sweet potato may also weigh down its nutritional value. Instead of deep-frying it, just bake it! It’s even more delicious this way.

Using fat-free dressings for vegetable salad

What could be more nutritious than vegetable salad for dinner? Simply toss your favourite veggies and add some of your favourite fruits and you’ll have a nutrient-dense, low calorie meal. But with the increasing information coming in about low-fat diet, many people are opting for “low-fat” varieties of traditional foods, from dairy products to salad dressings. Unfortunately, even though these low-fat dressings claim to have low levels of fats, they are actually high in sugar, which causes insulin spike and triggers your body to store more fats. This makes them no better than the traditional “high-fat” varieties. If you want your vegetable salad to remain nutritious, switch from using mayonnaise, butter and cheese as dressings to using vinegar (apple cider would be great) and healthy oils like that from olive. And, instead of adding croutons, use ground nuts or flaxseeds for toppings. Yum!

Spreading thick layers of cream cheese on wholegrain bread

Yes, whole grains are the right way to go, not refined grains. But if you add loads of cream cheese on your bread, you could be taking in lots of saturated fats that could promote high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Instead of dipping whole grain bagel into high-fat cream cheese, spread homemade peanut butter instead. It’s very easy to make. Just put one cup of peanuts in a food processor (more if you like) and pulse it for several minutes until its natural oil comes out. Or, you can have humus which is made from ground sesame seeds.

Buttering popcorn

Popcorn is a great, antioxidant-rich low-calorie snack until you add butter or cheese on it. Here’s the thing. A cup of air-popped corn kernels has no fat, barely any sodium, and only has 31 calories. But just an ounce of its buttery, microwave-cooked counterpart has whopping 148 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 216 milligrams of sodium!

Stir-frying using artificial mixes and adding white rice

Stir-frying is a healthy and delicious way to prepare vegetables. But there are two common mistakes many people commit when going this way. First, they flavour their dish with pre-packed sauce or flavouring mix, and second, they add approximately two cups of white rice. Artificial stir-fry mixes may taste good but most of them contain unidentifiable ingredients, plus sugar and sodium. You can make your stir-fry delicious by using natural seasonings, as well as herbs and spices. Whilst white rice is low in fat, it has a big impact on your blood sugar levels as it causes insulin spikes. You don’t have to let go of rice completely. Rather, substitute white rice with brown rice or quinoa. These grains have similar taste and texture with white rice but they have higher nutritional value.

Would you like to share other healthy cooking tips and techniques? Feel free to post a comment below.