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Healthy living seems to be getting harder to do. Just as you think you’re doing a good job, an article pops up in the press saying we need to do more. Eat less fat, exercise more often, cut out sugar, reduce your portion size - the list goes on and on. Over time, these messages can start to just wash over us. Instead, we make more moderate changes to what we eat and how we cook it. Here are just a few of the options available for ‘normal’ households that don’t want to go to extremes to eat healthily:

Some people on a budget are wary of the increased energy cost of using the oven for baking. However, there are many dishes you can enjoy baked in just a short amount of time. Baking is a drier method of cooking anything from bread to meats to vegetables. It is possible to enjoy many dishes without excess oil. It is thought this could be one of the most healthy options to cook food. So long as your veggies have had a spray of oil all over, twenty minutes might be all it takes to enjoy all the flavor of roasted goodies.

The old fashioned deep fat fryers that offered the tastiest fries and the best battered fish are long gone. Instead, you can check out what the best air fryer alternatives are. You get all the crispiness and flavor on the outside without the oily saturation on the inside. Best of all, it can be one of the more healthy ways to enjoy those old-fashioned flavors. 

Many people will argue that steaming is the most healthy way to enjoy your fish and vegetables. It may take a little longer but could cost less on your energy bill. The problem with boiling is that over-boiling can reduce the nutrients from your healthy vegetables. That’s not to say there isn’t a place for boiling. As you add no fat or sugar, it is certainly one of the very best ways to cook your food. You can boil chicken, vegetables, pasta and rice to enjoy a delicious meal.

The griddle pan is a much-underrated kitchen essential. Because of the grooved cooking surface, you can drain away all the fats from your meats as you grill them. A good quality pan will have a pouring corner spout to pour away the excess as you go. Even the leanest cuts and steaks will have a little more fat than you might like. Chicken and fish can also be cooked in this way with just a spritz of oil to help you seal the outside.

Grilling is like oven baking or roasting in that a dry heat is delivered to the ambient air around the food. Unlike oven roasting, the excess moisture or fats from the food can drain away underneath. This means you can enjoy the healthiest meat and vegetables without needing more than a spritz of coating to flavor the outer surface. Bon appetite.