While it is true that obesity has many causes and
not all of them dietary, it is equally true that the consumption
of excess fat promotes the condition. This is particularly
true in the case of children.
Most children love fried food, as do many adults,
because this method of cooking slightly caramelizes
the food by burning natural sugars. In short, it makes the
food sweet to taste.
Grilling, which is a healthier alternative under
certain conditions, has a similar effect, and so too does roasting.
But the real villain where fat consumption is concerned is frying,
because the food often has fat added to it, the principal role of
which is to prevent meat from sticking to the pan
it's cooking in.
Of course it is true that using oil or margarine for
this purpose is a step up from using butter or lard,
however they are still fats and best avoided altogether
if at all possible.
One way to do this is to use non-stick cookware,
when no additional fat is needed.
This type of cookware has received some bad press recently
and is of particular concern to pet owners. There has been
much speculation that the death of caged birds has been linked to
toxic fumes from the heated surfaces.
It's important to understand that all the evidence in this regard
has been related to Teflon coated surfaces and is thought to be a
by-product of the Dupont manufacturing process. There are plenty of
other non-stick surfaces available which do not have
this type of stigma attached.
In fact the use of this type of cooking
surface has now become so widespread,
it has led to a new style of healthy home cooking
using those double-sided,
solid metal grills so beloved of ex-heavyweight boxers.
These have an added fat-reducing bonus in that any grease cooked
out of the meat runs away into a separate tray, and of course no added fat
is necessary to properly cook the food.
This means that lean cuts of meat such as chicken breast and
loin of lamb remain just that, lean.
This is a huge bonus not just for those of us fighting obesity,
but for anyone who cares about having a healthy heart and circulatory system.
Non-stick surfaces also mean ease of use, and this too can prompt people
to forsake red meat for fish on more occasions than
was previously the case. In addition, with the new grills there is no need for
fatty batters and cooking times are very quick, further helping the busy family
cook to 'do the right thing'.
If the health arguments don't convince you, perhaps the economic ones will.
Most non-stick cookware is based on low grade aluminium, making
it far cheaper to produce and distribute than the alternatives
such as stainless steel and cast iron.
And of course just a simple rinse in warm, soapy water is all that
is required to keep non-stick surfaces clean. Even the most
over-weight of us can surely manage that.
not all of them dietary, it is equally true that the consumption
of excess fat promotes the condition. This is particularly
true in the case of children.
Most children love fried food, as do many adults,
because this method of cooking slightly caramelizes
the food by burning natural sugars. In short, it makes the
food sweet to taste.
Grilling, which is a healthier alternative under
certain conditions, has a similar effect, and so too does roasting.
But the real villain where fat consumption is concerned is frying,
because the food often has fat added to it, the principal role of
which is to prevent meat from sticking to the pan
it's cooking in.
Of course it is true that using oil or margarine for
this purpose is a step up from using butter or lard,
however they are still fats and best avoided altogether
if at all possible.
One way to do this is to use non-stick cookware,
when no additional fat is needed.
This type of cookware has received some bad press recently
and is of particular concern to pet owners. There has been
much speculation that the death of caged birds has been linked to
toxic fumes from the heated surfaces.
It's important to understand that all the evidence in this regard
has been related to Teflon coated surfaces and is thought to be a
by-product of the Dupont manufacturing process. There are plenty of
other non-stick surfaces available which do not have
this type of stigma attached.
In fact the use of this type of cooking
surface has now become so widespread,
it has led to a new style of healthy home cooking
using those double-sided,
solid metal grills so beloved of ex-heavyweight boxers.
These have an added fat-reducing bonus in that any grease cooked
out of the meat runs away into a separate tray, and of course no added fat
is necessary to properly cook the food.
This means that lean cuts of meat such as chicken breast and
loin of lamb remain just that, lean.
This is a huge bonus not just for those of us fighting obesity,
but for anyone who cares about having a healthy heart and circulatory system.
Non-stick surfaces also mean ease of use, and this too can prompt people
to forsake red meat for fish on more occasions than
was previously the case. In addition, with the new grills there is no need for
fatty batters and cooking times are very quick, further helping the busy family
cook to 'do the right thing'.
If the health arguments don't convince you, perhaps the economic ones will.
Most non-stick cookware is based on low grade aluminium, making
it far cheaper to produce and distribute than the alternatives
such as stainless steel and cast iron.
And of course just a simple rinse in warm, soapy water is all that
is required to keep non-stick surfaces clean. Even the most
over-weight of us can surely manage that.
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