There are new recipes placed on the internet every day. These are posted by the general population, and they offer both ideas and inspiration, and this is great! However, there are recipes going viral in recent times that are seen as “healthy”, but it might not actually be. The secret is to look at the ingredients that are used.
This is where you read the list of ingredients before you decide to cook from a recipe, and make sure to read the labels of everything that you intend to use in your cooking.
Look at the sugar content in a recipe. As a general rule, a high serving of sugar is 22,5g per 100g serving, while low is less than 5g per 100g serving.
To ensure that a recipe is nutritionally balanced, as yourself if these are in the recipe:
- Sources of protein
- High-fibre carbohydrates
- Calcium
- Micronutrient (vitamins and minerals)
- Limited amount of sugar
- Limited amount of salt
Take baked oats as an example in this regard.
- Protein: cow’s milk, soy milk, hemp seeds, eggs
- High-fibre complex carbohydrates: oats
- Calcium: milk or a plant-based milk alternative
- Micronutrients: fruit and seeds which contain micronutrients such as potassium, iron, vitamin B6 and magnesium
- Limited amount of sugar and salt: a small amount of nut butter
Is this recipe healthy? Yes, because it checks every item on the list.
Some fruits, such as bananas, contain micronutrients such as; potassium, iron, vitamin B6 and magnesium. Magnesium has been shown, in some cases, to help alleviate the symptoms of hormonal changes, such as PMS and menopause. Micronutrients can help with uplifting your mood, balance promoting healthy blood pressure and prevent cramps during exercise.
Always be mindful of who you are getting your information on nutrition from, make sure that the recipes are balanced nutritionally using the above checklist, and learn that reading food labels is a good idea, as it can assist you in making wise choices when it comes to purchasing ingredients for your recipes.
Contact us at Michelle Mina Nutrition for a consultation on eating healthily.
