11 foods to cook yourself

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Going to the store, of course, is faster, but homemade food is healthier and tastier.

1. Curd

Cottage cheese is a healthy product high in protein and calcium. But manufacturers go to different tricks in order to reduce the cost of its production or improve its appearance. As part of a quality product, you will find only milk, sourdough and, possibly, calcium chloride acting as a thickener (harmless food additive E509).

A product with added vegetable fat is called a curd product, which should be indicated on the label.

However, the manufacturer does not always indicate the composition in full. For example, at the beginning of 2018, Rospotrebnadzor examined 73 samples of cottage cheese and found vegetable fats in six of them. In the laboratory of Roskachestvo, violations were detected in 16 out of 44 samples.

Therefore, if you want to eat high-quality cottage cheese, you will either have to regularly read the reports of Rospotrebnadzor and independent quality assessment organizations, or make the product yourself. The second option, by the way, is not at all difficult.

How to make homemade cottage cheese from milk or kefir. 6 easy ways →

2. Cheese

The situation with cheese is similar to curd. The composition of a quality product is concise and understandable.

But if the manufacturer decides to cheat, you can miss the easily digestible protein, phosphorus and calcium in the cheese, but find starch and vegetable fats there. According to Roskontrol, 60% of the cheeses it researched are counterfeit.

The composition of the homemade cheese is under your control. However, you can hardly make brie or gorgonzola at home. But there are enough options available to bring variety to the table.

How to make homemade cheese →

3. Yogurt

It seems that the topic of falsification of dairy products has already been exhausted. But homemade yogurt is worth making not only because of the clear composition. Among other things, this is a real creative process. Experiencingly, you can achieve the desired thickness and consistency, and also experiment with additives.

Store-bought yoghurts usually contain a lot of sugar, as well as starch, thickeners, preservatives, and dyes. These are harmless additives, but you can do without them.

Make homemade yogurt fat-free, sweet, salty, add cereal, berries, cheese to it. Even if you still go back to store-bought plastic jars later, it's worth a try.

How to make homemade yogurt →

4. Sausage

Sausages are considered carcinogens by the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. According to studies, consuming them regularly can increase the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. The question is controversial, and it continues to be studied. But if you can doubt the dangers of sausage, then everything is obvious about the benefits: there is very little of it.

It is a high-calorie product with a high fat content due to the addition of bacon. It is very difficult to fit it into a balanced menu of a person who monitors health.

But there is good news: homemade sausage is a great product that will not interfere with a healthy lifestyle. You can even calculate calories for it.

How to make homemade sausage: 5 great recipes →

5. Dumplings

Semi-finished products are not so terrible as they write about them. Much depends on the composition and quality of the starting products. The basic recipe for dumplings includes flour, water, salt, meat, onions and spices.

On the label of purchased dumplings, you usually see that the manufacturer did not stop there. And his goal was not at all the desire to make them tastier.

Homemade dumplings are an understandable composition, correct storage without defrosting and exact proportions of products. You will know the difference when you cook them.

How to make delicious homemade dumplings →

6. Candies

Sugar is a product of little use that can be safely abandoned. The WHO has even released a Guide to Sugar Consumption for Adults and Children, which advises reducing the consumption of this white powder to 10% of total calories.

Depriving yourself of sweets is not necessary - just replace them with homemade ones. They are just as tasty and sweet, only much healthier.

10 recipes for energy balls that are healthier and tastier than candies →

7. Lemonade

Sugary drinks are dangerous because you can drink a lot of them. At the same time, 100 ml of cola contains 11, 2 g of sugar, and in a half-liter bottle already 56 g or 223 kcal. With a lemonade addiction, it is difficult to follow the WHO guidelines for maximum sugar in the diet.

Research shows that 1-2 servings of sugary drinks daily increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

In homemade lemonade, you can reduce the amount of sugar and make it healthier by adding natural juice from vegetables or fruits instead of flavoring.

How to make delicious carbonated lemonade yourself →

8. Sauces

A store-bought sauce is an interesting flavor to decorate a dish, as well as sugar, starch, and a host of other ingredients you can do without. Even banal ketchup is not limited to tomatoes and spices.

Homemade sauce is a rich flavor made with quality ingredients. Freshly ground peppers are sharper, freshly chopped dill is more aromatic. Let such a product not be able to stand for months on the shelf in the refrigerator, but it will bring much more gastronomic delight.

7 sauces that can transform any dish →

9. Granola and muesli

These foods are classified as extremely beneficial for healthy people. But there should be a note: this only applies to their versions prepared at home. The composition and calorie content of the purchased ones may not please you. For example, there may be sugar and syrups.

The composition of the homemade mixture is easy to adjust, and no questionable ingredient will slip through there.

Granola in a pan in 5 minutes →

10. Ice cream

The usual ice cream is not only a delicacy, but also a calorie bomb filled with sugar, fats and carbohydrates. Even people who are far from healthy lifestyle should not abuse ice cream, since the sugar in it is exactly the same as in lemonade with sweets.

And yet, homemade ice cream, even if you put the fattest cream and the sweetest sugar in it, will be less harmful due to the simple composition. In a purchased treat, they are usually not limited to milk and sweeteners.

And ice cream based on fruits without added sugar will easily fit into any diet.

3 types of ice cream you can make yourself →

11. Energy bars

This product, as the name suggests, should energize you quickly. But its sources can be different. The simplest of them is sugar, which quickly breaks down into simple saccharides, which the body uses. But the energy dries up as quickly as it comes. In addition, in this case, there is no difference between an energy bar and a regular chocolate bar with nuts. And this is the best case. At worst, you will have an extremely dubious line-up as a whole.

Homemade energy bars are a source of healthy fats through the addition of nuts. And the energy will be enough for a long time due to fast (chocolate, dried fruits, honey) and slow (cereals) carbohydrates.

3 Energy Bar Recipes For Everyone Who Loves Sports →