When cooking, it is often difficult to get the best of both worlds. Either you sacrifice healthy preparation for taste or get healthier food at the expense of taste. When cooking with steam, however, you add flavor to your meats and vegetables while at the same time keep more nutrients in and more fat out.
What You Take Out
When steam cooking you attack the fat content of your food on two fronts. On one hand you are cooking meats such as fish or chicken with water vapor, allowing the excess fat to drip or steam away. Many cooking methods, such as broiling or frying cook fat back into your food instead of allow it to escape.
On the other hand you are also avoiding adding fats and oils to the food. Oil and butter are required for many other cooking methods in order to keep foods from drying out or burning. Steaming your food does not add these fatty and cholesterol-raising products.
What You Leave In
Steaming keeps in the two most important elements of your food: flavor and nutrients. Your dinner, be it fish, broccoli, carrots or lamb, is being cooked in its own juices. The natural flavors are being pushed back into your food and are cooking it evenly and completely.
In addition you also lose fewer nutrients when steaming. Vegetables, for example, can lose up to 20% more folic acid when boiled and can lose much of the antioxidant properties when cooked in a microwave. We all know the importance of eating our vegetables, but how you prepare them greatly effects the heart and cholesterol benefits your body receives.
Cooking With Steam
Nearly every vegetable, meat and pasta can be steamed (mushrooms are the exception as they will dehydrate). To steam your food, simply add at least an inch of water to a pot and bring to a boil. Use a steaming basket filled with your desired food and place in the pot and cover. Reduce heat and cook over medium until done.
There are also many electric food-steamers that allow you to add the right amount of water, turn on and walk away. Look for one with layers so you can cook rice, vegetables and fish all at once for a simple and healthy meal.
Marsh stores offer fresh, seasonal and healthy vegetables as well as a wide selection of beef, poultry, fish and pork all perfect for steaming. If you are looking to cut the fat in your food and lower your cholesterol, but find it difficult to give up the foods and flavors you love, try steaming your food. Your taste buds, and heart, will thank you.
