Cooking: How good coffee feels after dessert. But is it right then? And how good that now you do everything boiled, which is healthier. But are you doing it correctly? Now is the best time to rethink certain habits.
These bad nutritional habits, both in the kitchen and at the table, can take away your health. We tell you how they affect you and how you can correct them so that your body wins.
9 Things You Shouldn’t Do in the Kitchen
But not only what you eat count: how you prepare it is also essential. We discover the most common mistakes, and we give you healthier alternatives to put them into practice.
Table of Contents
1. Boiling Vegetables Too Much
Error. We should take them al dente, like pasta, but most of us tend to boil them too much. The result is that almost all the nutrients remain in the cooking water.
What happens. If you boil them a lot, a part of the water-soluble vitamins, specifically vitamin C and those of group B, as well as some minerals and phytochemicals, are lost or deteriorate.
How to do it right. If you like them boiled, use little water and add the vegetables just when it comes to a boil.
Cook for short periods, make sure they are always whole and strain them as soon as they are done, do not leave them submerged in the cooking water until serving time. Another option is to steam them since it is the best way to keep all their properties.
2. Heat the Oil Too Much
Error. Almost everyone likes the crunchy texture of fried foods, but if you heat the oil until it smokes, it is harmful to your health.
What happens. High temperatures cause carcinogenic substances (acrylamide, heterocyclic amines ) to form in the oil.
How to do it right. When you go to fry, use virgin olive oil, since it deteriorates more slowly, and fry at low temperatures, which do not exceed 170º.
And remember that there are other healthier methods, such as the iron, the oven, the papillote.
3. Wash the Eggs
Error. The eggshell has a thin cuticle that makes it waterproof. Water can remove this protection and cause microorganisms to creep inside.
What happens. If not handled correctly, eggs or preparations that contain them, such as mayonnaise, can cause salmonellosis, a food poisoning caused by bacteria such as Salmonella.
How to do it right. When buying eggs, check that they do not have a broken, cracked, or dirty shell from faeces, and do not wash them at home.
On the other hand, the tank should not come into contact with the inside of the egg.
To do this, do not crush it in the same dish where you are going to beat it. And although it is a tradition in the kitchen, do not use the peel to separate the yolk from the white.
4. Thaw at Room Temperature
Error. It is common practice to take food out of the fridge and let it defrost at room temperature or even in a container immersed in hot water.
But defrosting incorrectly can not only lead to loss of nutrients, texture, and flavour.
What happens. With these methods, you significantly increase the risk of microbial contamination since the temperature that favours the reproduction of bacteria is between 4 and 60º.
How to do it right. The most advisable thing is to lower the food from the freezer the day before and leave it in the refrigerator, with a rack underneath so that it is not in contact with the released liquid.
If you have forgotten or have an unforeseen event, you can also defrost it in cold water, changing it every 30 minutes.
5. Washing the Chicken Before Cooking
Error. Another widespread custom: washing the chicken under the tap before cooking. It may seem logical to eliminate bacteria, but in this way, what is achieved is the opposite: favouring the spread of microorganisms through water splashes.
How to do it right. In addition to not washing the chicken, make sure that no part of the raw meat remains. Cooking kills these bacteria.
Of course, clean the table and the knives that you have used with the chicken well before handling other foods with them.
6. Have a Coffee After a Meal Rich in Iron
Error. For many people, coffee is the ideal culmination of a meal after dessert due to its stimulating action. But it is a mistake to take it after dishes rich in iron, such as lentils, cereals, meat.
What happens. The tannins in coffee and also in tea make it difficult to absorb iron from food. And this mineral is essential to prevent anaemia so that oxygen reaches the whole organism and, therefore, so that you do not feel tired.
How to do it right. To better absorb iron when you take, for example, lentils, always combine it with another food rich in vitamin C.
You can sprinkle parsley on the plate, have a kiwi for dessert … This vitamin favours the assimilation of iron.
7. Eat Meat Daily
Error. Despite the latest warnings from organizations such as the WHO, the habit of taking animal protein at every meal, especially red meat, is still widespread.
Many people believe that the menu is incomplete if it does not include this food.
What happens. Excess animal protein makes it difficult for nutrients such as calcium to assimilate well in the bones, increasing the risk of osteoporosis.
A macro-investigation carried out in the US and China, among many other studies, links an excess of animal protein with an increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
How to do it right. To obtain complete proteins, you don’t have to eat meat every day: legumes mixed with cereals also provide them. And of animal proteins, prioritize fish or white meat over red.
8. Abusing Smoked
Error. They are tasty, easy, and quick to prepare: in appetizers, salads Nothing happens occasionally, but if they are often consumed, they are not healthy.
What happens. Although smoked fish have almost the same nutritional properties as fresh fish, they contain a lot of salt. Also, the traditional smoking process produces hydrocarbons that increase the risk of cancer.
How to do it right. You can substitute them for a similar, delicious and healthier alternative: homemade salmon marinades, sardines, anchovies.
They are easy to prepare: you have to cut the fish into slices, clean and without bones, and cover it with salt, pepper, aromatic herbs, such as dill, fennel …, olive oil, lemon juice, etc.
Let it sit in the fridge in an airtight container for at least 12 hours.
9. Drink Wine With a Salad
Error. Red wine in moderation can be beneficial for its antioxidants, but it is a mistake to combine it with dishes like a salad because it detracts from nutrients.
What happens. Too much alcohol decreases the absorption of folic acid from vegetables. And its deficiency, apart from being essential in pregnancy, can cause anaemia.
How to do it right. When you have lettuce in a salad, accompany it with orange juice, and this way, you will better absorb the folic acid.