{"id":97794,"date":"2014-04-29T08:42:51","date_gmt":"2014-04-29T13:42:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/?p=97794"},"modified":"2014-04-29T10:02:22","modified_gmt":"2014-04-29T15:02:22","slug":"chef-secrets-11-kitchen-essentials-for-easy-cooking-and-healthy-eating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/04\/chef-secrets-11-kitchen-essentials-for-easy-cooking-and-healthy-eating\/","title":{"rendered":"Chef Secrets: 11 Kitchen Essentials for Easy Cooking and Healthy Eating"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"kitchen\"<\/a><\/p>\n

By Team Best Life<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Some kitchen setups support weight loss efforts while others\u00a0sabotage them. (The one pictured above looks like a good start to us!) Luckily it’s easy to make over a less-than-healthy cooking and baking space. If you have the right gadgets on your counters and fill your fridge and cabinets with the right foods your kitchen can be a weight loss haven, says Best Life chef Sidra Forman. Here are her 11 healthy kitchen essentials:<\/p>\n

Must-Have Gadgets<\/strong>
\n1. A peeler<\/strong>
\nA good peeler opens up a whole world of fresh vegetables that might otherwise seem like a huge amount of labor to get through.<\/p>\n

2. A salad spinner<\/strong>
\nGreens are low in calories and loaded with fiber, vitamins and phytonutrients, plant chemicals that protect against disease. A salad spinner makes it easier to incorporate them into your diet. Whether you\u2019re cooking with them or creating a salad (like this tasty Peach Salad with Balsamic Dressing<\/a><\/strong>),\u00a0you\u2019ll want to start with clean and dry greens.<\/p>\n

3. A roasting pan or heavy bottom skillet<\/strong>
\nRoasting is a cooking method that doesn\u2019t require a ton of fat and brings out the flavors in all sorts of foods. If you do a lot of roasting, you\u2019ll need a heavy bottom skillet. These allow you to cook over high heat\u2014they distribute the heat nicely throughout the bottom of the pan\u2014so food cooks properly without burning. A larger size pan is a good buy because you can use it for a lot of different foods.<\/p>\n

4. A good knife<\/strong>
\nBelieve it or not, a good knife will help you save time and energy and even bring out more of the flavors in healthy foods.<\/p>\n

5. A blender<\/strong>
\nYou can use it to make soups, whip up quick smoothies (like this Blueberry Kale Smoothie<\/a><\/strong>), or grind flax seeds.<\/p>\n

6. A food processor<\/strong>
\nDon\u2019t think you need one? Think again\u2014a food processor can be used to make everything from sauces to dressing to marinades. You can use it to shred, cut or dice foods, too. It makes vegetable prep so much faster and easier.<\/p>\n


\nMust-Have Foods<\/b><\/p>\n

1. Garlic, ginger, and onions<\/b>
\nThese fresh foods are savory recipe staples because they add a ton of flavor. They should keep for several weeks.<\/p>\n

2. Herbs and spices<\/b>
\nWhether fresh or dried, these are a low-calorie, low-sodium way to season and flavor your food.<\/p>\n

3. Ground flaxseeds
\n<\/b>These are a good source of plant-based omega-3s. They can be thrown into a lot of foods (added to salads, mixed into smoothies, or sprinkled over some some fruit and yogurt) to add nutrients and a nutty taste.<\/p>\n

4. Fresh fruit
\n<\/b>You can enjoy fruit in so many different ways\u2014snack on an apple, mix berries into a smoothie or slice a banana to top your cereal. Loaded with nutrients, these low-calorie bites are a great way to stay healthy.<\/p>\n

5. Easy-to-eat veggies
\n<\/b>Keep vegetables that are easy to use or eat on hand. For instance, you can use crunchy, nutrient-packed romaine lettuce in salads, as a bed for entr\u00e9es, as a wrap for sandwiches, or even a stand-alone snack. Baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, even cucumber slices are also easy to prepare, use, and eat!<\/p>\n

Also Read:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your Temptation-Free Kitchen Survival Guide<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Get Creative in the Kitchen with DIY Taco Seasoning<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

6 Ingredients Every Kitchen Needs for Easy Meal Prep<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Team Best Life Some kitchen setups support weight loss efforts while others\u00a0sabotage them. (The one pictured above looks like a good start to us!) Luckily it’s easy to make over a less-than-healthy cooking and baking space. If you have … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3687,3695,93,58],"tags":[6834,520,9717,861,6825,1964,242],"class_list":["post-97794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adult-health","category-diet-and-nutrition","category-mens-health","category-womens-health","tag-blender","tag-cooking","tag-flaxseed","tag-fruit","tag-kitchen","tag-spices","tag-vegetables"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97794"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97801,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97794\/revisions\/97801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}