Part of my weight loss journey the last couple years has been learning to season my food. It was a real struggle at first to incorporate more nutritious foods like whole grains and a wider variety of vegetables in my diet - they were so bland and boring. I grew up eating mostly takeout and prepared/processed meals and sauces and I didn’t know what to do without relying on BBQ sauce, ranch, and mayo every meal (these aren’t bad foods, just add a lot of sugar, fat, and calories). A lot of lower calorie versions swapped fat for added sugar, or artificial sweeteners (I don’t like the flavor) or chili pepper (I’m intolerant).
Learning how to use salt, pepper, herbs, spices, acids, and other flavorful ingredients made a huge difference! I finally tried lentils again after years of avoiding them as bland pastey yuck and discovered I actually LIKED them. The difference was that I cooked them in lightly salted water and tossed them in a salad with yogurt & dill dressing. I look forward to eating a big heap of roasted vegetables because they’re seasoned with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of lemon juice.
Here are some of my favorites seasoning mixes and ingredients I’ve found so far. I’d love to hear how others are finding ways to make food tasty!
Seasoning mixes are easy to keep in the cabinet and sprinkle on dishes to boost the flavor.
- McCormick Bruschetta Seasoning is great on just about anything, but especially roasted chicken, scrambled egg, or smashed avocado.
- Italian seasoning and herbs de Provence
- Lemon pepper seasoning
- Tajín
- Chinese 5 spice
- Taco seasoning
- Ranch powder
Acids, like vinegar, lemon or lime juice really brighten up all kinds of foods, especially vegetables and seafood.
- Balsamic glaze is my favorite, especially drizzled over dark green bitter veggies like Brussels sprouts and kale. You can buy it in the fancy cheese section or make it yourself. It does have added sugar but a little adds a lot of flavor.
- True Lemon crystals are an easy way to add some tartness to a dish without the hassle of keeping fresh lemons around.
- Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, mustard, and any herb or spice you like makes a quick, flavorful, low fat dressing. I like salt, pepper, garlic power and dill.
Fresh herbs and seasonings are great tasting but can be a hassle to handle and store. I’ve found paste versions (packaged in tubes) of fresh basil, cilantro, and ginger in the produce section of my grocery store which make it easy to add a dab to grains, pasta, stir fry, even sandwiches. I also keep a jar of minced garlic handy.
A note on salt: for some reason I thought a “healthy diet” needed to be low sodium. I know some people require a low sodium diet due to a medical condition but after talking to my doctor I realized if I wasn’t eating a lot of salty food, like tortilla chips, canned soups, or takeout, it’s ok to add a little salt to my cooking. I aim for “it tastes better” not “it tastes salty”.
submitted by
/u/iac12345
[link] [comments]
from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/GEdoeV0
