| It's easier than ever these days to prepare healthy | | | | strawberries tend to be the most heavily sprayed |
| food for you and your family. Recipe websites | | | | fruits, while bell peppers, celery, lettuce, spinach and |
| abound on the internet and it's possible to find unique, | | | | potatoes are the most heavily sprayed vegetables. |
| healthy recipes for just about any food on the | | | | With respect to choosing meat, poultry and fish, it's |
| planet. In addition, many recipe sites include features | | | | important to seek out the leanest and freshest |
| such as nutritional information for each recipe and | | | | products available. Trimming fat from red meat and |
| special categories for low-fat or low-calorie foods, | | | | removing skin from poultry will significantly reduce the |
| making it easy for those seeking | | | | level of fat and cholesterol in your recipes. Try to |
| nutritionally-conscious, healthy recipes to locate them | | | | ensure that the meat and fish you purchase has not |
| quickly. | | | | been previously frozen since there is a risk of |
| The most important thing to consider when preparing | | | | contamination when meat is repeatedly frozen and |
| healthy recipes is the quality of the ingredients you | | | | thawed. It is sometimes possible to purchase organic |
| use. Always look for the freshest produce possible. | | | | meat and poultry that has been raised without the |
| Fresh fruits and vegetables begin to lose their | | | | use of hormones. Again, there's much controversy |
| nutritional value once they're picked, so the fresher | | | | about whether or not hormone-free meat is better |
| they are, the more vitamins and minerals they | | | | for you. If money is not a factor, it's probably best |
| contain. One of the best places to purchase | | | | to buy hormone-free. |
| ingredients is from a local farmers market. The | | | | Another question you'll want to consider when |
| produce tends to be much fresher than the imported | | | | preparing healthy recipes is whether to use fresh or |
| produce in supermarkets and is generally less | | | | frozen ingredients. While it's generally accepted that |
| expensive. | | | | fresh produce is healthier than frozen, that is not |
| There is much discussion these days about whether | | | | always the case. In many instances, fruits and |
| it's better to use organic products than ones | | | | vegetables are frozen very shortly after they're |
| produced using chemicals and pesticides. Some claim | | | | picked, locking in the freshness and vitamins. Fresh |
| that all chemicals are harmful and should never be | | | | produce, on the other hand, may take days to arrive |
| ingested. Others claim the chemicals used are | | | | on your supermarket shelves, losing more and more |
| harmless if the food is washed properly before use. | | | | nutritional value the longer it sits. |
| To add to the confusion, some chemicals used in | | | | Once you've located some favorite healthy recipes, |
| growing fruits and vegetables have never been | | | | either in cookbooks or on the internet, you can |
| sufficiently tested in independent studies. Those | | | | modify or adapt them to suit your particular tastes. |
| studies that have been conducted have often | | | | Substituting ingredients or adding additional seasonings |
| resulted in conflicting conclusions. If you want to be | | | | can turn an ordinary dish into something special. You |
| absolutely certain your produce is free of harmful | | | | may even want to create your own original healthy |
| additives, it's probably best to stick with organic. | | | | recipes by using fresh seasonal ingredients and |
| However, organic products tend to be significantly | | | | experimenting with various flavor combinations. Once |
| more expensive than non-organic and therefore are | | | | you know how to pick the healthiest and most |
| not an option for everyone. You may want to | | | | flavorful ingredients, creating healthy recipes is a snap. |
| consider purchasing organic versions of only those | | | | For a list of great, Healthy Recipes, visit the VideoJug |
| fruits and vegetables that are most heavily sprayed | | | | website and see them prepared for yourself. |
| with pesticides. Nectarines, peaches, apples and | | | | |