Something to think about...

Final tips to healthy eating

Final tips

  1. Choose ingredients with a low GI (Glycemic Index) if you want to lose weight. A low GI means there is very little carbohydrates or the carbohydrates available in the food are absorbed slowly into the body. For example, try brown rice instead of white rice if the recipes you make ask for rice.
  2. To create flavoursome dishes with your choice of vegetables and/or protein, create the sauce or spicy powder and add it to your ingredients. Make batches of a variety of sauces and spicy powders, freeze them and use when you need them. The only hard work to do in the kitchen is having to chop the protein and vegetables in preparation for cooking! NOTE: Chinese people make full use of this technique in the Chinese restaurant.
  3. Don't overcook the vegetables. It is better to undercook the vegetables as this will retain more vitamins than the overcooked variety. Undercooking can also retain a sense of crunchiness when you eat them and most people tend to like this kind of texture in their foods.
  4. With protein, you should cook it right through the meat. It is true there are people who like things to be medium rare or almost raw. Indeed, there are many cooking shows and food competitions out there that recommend this is how you should cook the meat, showing enough pink or even red for those people who like it this way. This is fine if the purpose is to cater to different people's preferred way of cooking of foods and you are there to make money selling these foods. You have to give what the people want. However, the reality is that by eating even partially raw meat or even with a bit of pink in the middle, you will become more susceptible to food poisoning and may ingest live parasites. Some people will try to compromise by cooking just long enough to be slightly pink in the centre and then leave it on a plate ready to serve while the heat finishes the cooking process. This is okay, but not perfect. The only true way to eat protein safely and cleanly is to cook it right through the meat. Less cooking time is needed for seafood depending on the size of the protein pieces. More cooking time for pork, lamb and beef. And it will also depend on the size of the meat that has to be cooked. A large slab of meat will take longer to cook through than smaller portions. Or consider the way French people do it by slow cooking everything in an oven inside a ceramic pot for several hours until the meat is literally "falling off the bone". This is the ideal way to cook protein, and provides the most nutrition, especially if the bone and marrow is included.
  5. Do not leave uncooked protein at room temperature for more than one hour. Bacteria in the protein can suddenly multiply and you may be risking food poisoning if the protein is not cooked properly (or even if it is, the toxins left behind by the bacteria could be enough to permanently damage your liver and other vital internal organs). Always store fresh protein in the freezer (if unthawed) or fridge. Use the protein within a couple of days of storing it in the fridge.
  6. To minimise the possibility of food poisoning from bacteria in the protein or other foods through contamination, always wash the cutting utensils and board of all protein substances. Never cross-contaminate by reusing an unclean utensil and board with protein already attached to them. Get into the habit of taking out two boards and have one dedicated to vegetables and fruit and the other board for protein only.
  7. When cooking fresh protein, long and slow cooking at medium temperature (for several hours) is best to cook right through the protein and softens the meat for easier digestion and greater access to more nutrients. For quicker cooking times, use smaller chunks of protein and cook at much higher temperatures with a bit of oil to seal the meat in its own juices (e.g. as the Chinese cooks do) and then make sure there is enough heat inside during the cooking time to destroy any bacteria. The only risk with cooking at higher temperatures is the possibility of burning the meat and leaving behind a substance called charcoal which is a known carcinogen for your digestive tract. You have to use enough oil at a high enough temperature and be quick at cooking (i.e., moving the food around in the wok or saucepan) small "bite size" protein chunks for this to be effective and healthy for you.
  8. When choosing quality fish, look for the ones with a firm flesh (it should return to its original shape when pressed lightly), a shiny clean skin, clean and healthy-looking eyes (i.e. it shouldn't be clouded), and should have a nice ocean smell (if captured from the sea). Ideally, the fish should still be alive at time of purchasing (as many Asians prefer to do). And if you are going to kill the fish while they are alive, try to do it humanely where possible. Use icy cold water to force the fish to fall asleep. Then the animals will not suffer at the end of their lives.
  9. If you use food from a can, the can itself should be without dents and definitely no bulges or signs of being tampered with. Any bulges could be a sign of unacceptably high levels of bacteria in the food releasing gases as a waste product and creating high pressure inside the can. If you can't tell for sure, listen and look for what sounds like air coming out of the can when you first cut through the metal with a can opener (not always easy to tell as the sound can be indicative of air going into the can where there is a vacuum inside — a sign that the food inside the can is good. So look for other signs of bad food, such as a bulging can suggesting there is gas pressure inside).
  10. Avoid eating tomatoes and other high-acid foods in a can that has been left on a shelf for more than 12 months. Heavy metals (e.g. iron) from the can will leach into the tomatoes and will reduce your lifespan if you ingest the tomatoes in reasonable quantities. NOTE: Some iron is required for the body, but not too much. Again, it is all a question of balance in your diet.
  11. Never use aluminium pots and utensils for cooking under any circumstances. The aluminium will quickly leach into any acidic or alkaline food and you will create serious health problems in your old age (e.g. Alzheimer's Disease). There are improved hard-annodised aluminium options available in the marketplace, but even these are not perfect. Aluminium will enter the food, albeit very slowly. If you are an old person, it probably doesn't really matter. For young people concerned of the long-term health effects of hard-annodised aluminium, at the very least consider finding one with a high quality and durable non-stick surface (quality means it is very hard for the non-stick surface to wear off; the good ones should last more than 25 years). In that way, the non-stick surface provides another effective barrier to prevent aluminium from getting into your food.
  12. If there is a chance you will be cooking at high temperatures (e.g. using natural gas to quickly heat up a frypan), avoid the non-stick variety of saucepans. Toxic substances are known to be released by the non-stick Teflon-coated surfaces and into your food at high temperatures and will eventually create health problems for you (e.g. cancer, a risk of birth defects, developmental problems, and flu-like symptoms caused by immune system and thyroid problems, to name a few). The temperature will have to approach 315°C for this to occur.

    In a test carried out by scientists in Australia in June 2005, a non-stick frypan heated with standard natural gas from a gas stove without food or oil takes 2 minutes and 15 seconds to reach a temperature of 315°C. When food is present, it takes around 4 minutes and 20 seconds.

    As of 2013, new Teflon materials come free of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is the main ingredient of concern. Even so, the most modern Teflon-coated surfaces free of PFOA can still emit some dangerous fumes, although it should be much less then in the past. Without long-term studies on the health of people using more modern Teflon surfaces, it is hard to say exactly how much better it is. If you choose a non-stick variety of saucepans, obviously buy a modern version with the latest non-stick technology. One such brand that understands the importance of reducing toxins and metals in your cooking is Circulon. The manufacturer makes quality and durable non-stick pans. The hard-anodised surface is three times harder than stainless steel, comes with a stainless steel base for use on induction cooktops, and the non-stick surface is free of PFAS, PFOA, lead and cadmium. If you are worried about the possibility that the anodised aluminium might leach metal atoms into the food once the non-stick surface fades, the Anolon Nouvelle range of nonstick pans uses copper to encapsulate the aluminium before the non-stick surface is applied. It also has a magnetised stainless steel cap, making it compatible for all stovetops, including the induction variety. Another good brand is Le Creuset. These toughened non-stick pans are safe to use at any temperature, comes with a PFOA-free non-stick surface and is triple-reinforced to prevent flaking, peeling or rust. It is also dishwasher safe to use.

  13. Quality, marine-grade "single piece" (i.e. no plastic handles etc.) stainless steel saucepans are fine and generally the best material to use. Please note that plastic handles on stainless steel saucepans can occasionally emit toxic fumes in the air if heated accidentally over a stove. So keep to the pure stainless steel variety. Or, if you can afford it, the pure titanium "space-age" saucepans. Notoriously expensive but ideal. However, keep in mind that these pans may need to be coated with an iron or stainless steel bottom for use on magnetic induction cooktops.
  14. Carbon steel cooking surfaces are okay too, but are subject to some leaching of iron into the food. Fortunately it is better than pure iron pots and frypans. However, unless your doctor says you have an iron-deficiency in your diet, choose the carbon steel option over pure iron to reduce the iron getting into your food.
  15. Also the chemically inert variety of glassware (i.e., pyrex) and quality ceramic pots (should be free of heavy metals, such as cadmium and lead) and baking dishes are considered very safe for cooking practically all types of food. Pyrex is a better version of ordinary glass as it can withstand sudden changes in temperature without cracking. It is the kind of material used in laboratory glassware that must withstand quick heating with a bunsen burner and quick cooling in a cold water bath and doesn't react with the chemicals they carry.

In summary, any fry pan with a non-stick coating (even the most modern ones free of PFOA) having a very low price is likely to lose the non-stick coating easily within a couple of years. And the cheapness may also reflect the heavy use of aluminium as the main construction material. Even ones with hard-annodised surfaces on the aluminium are not perfect, especially if the non-stick coating disappears. If it comes with a stainless steel bottom, it is only better in the sense that it can work on induction stoves, but if the non-stick coating comes off too easily, you would be no different from buying ordinary aluminium pots, cooking with them, and enjoying all the aluminium you can get in your diet. For older people, maybe this doesn't matter. For younger people, consider getting a quality and all-round biologically-inert metal construction. If you need a non-stick surface for the convenience of easy cleaning, get a brand with a known quality Teflon surface that stays on for 25 years or more and is free of toxic fumes, including PFOA.