Easy healthy cooking habits to transform midweek meals

Easy ways to eat more healthily

Preparing nutritious meals can seem like a tricky and time-consuming task – and making sure they're also delicious can be even more of a challenge. But it doesn’t have to be that way; these easy food prep and cooking tips, brought to you by nutritionist Angela Dowden, will take the hard work out of eating healthily.

Read through our gallery to discover 34 healthy cooking hacks you need to know – counting down to the cleverest trick of all.

We've based our ranking on the ease and health-boosting credentials of each hack, as well as the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.

34. Try pressure cooking

With a pressure cooker on your side, you can get a full meal on the table in less than 30 minutes – even cooking meat from frozen, which slow cookers can’t do. And, because a pressure cooker steams foods like vegetables and seafood in next to no time, the maximum vitamin content will be retained. Take the time to learn how to use your pressure cooker safely and it could be your new best friend.

33. Use cottage cheese

Cottage cheese is much more flexible than you think; it's an excellent substitute for a range of other dairy products (including cream cheese and yogurt), plus it’s low in fat and high in protein. Swapping out cream cheese for cottage cheese in a cheesecake will give you a healthier dessert that still tastes fantastic – and you can even make cottage cheese ice cream.

32. Marinate meat before barbecuing

Using a marinade on grilled and barbecued meats helps to tenderise and flavour them – and according to the American Institute for Cancer Research, it’s a good way to reduce the number of cancer-causing substances created during the grilling process, too. Any combination of oil, acid (like lemon juice or balsamic vinegar) and herbs or spices will do the trick.

31. Sprinkle some chia seeds

Getting enough dietary fibre doesn’t have to be a struggle. One easy way to boost this all-important nutrient in your diet is to sprinkle some chia seeds over your food. They work especially well added to breakfast foods such as porridge, yogurt or even peanut butter on toast – and they’re also excellent in smoothies.

30. Swap heavy cream for hummus in tomatoey pasta sauce

It might sound unlikely, but try this swap for yourself and we guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised. Using hummus in place of cream in a tomatoey pasta sauce – or even Italian American favourite vodka sauce – works brilliantly. And as well as tasting delicious, it'll also cut the levels of saturated fat and calories substantially.

29. Make leftovers on purpose

There are times when you just don’t have the energy to cook a healthy meal from scratch. But, instead of reaching for a ready meal or ordering in, what if you could just heat up something you made earlier? If you double up on the amount of food you cook, you can plan to have leftovers for the next day. They'll keep in the fridge for a couple of days, but you could also freeze them to reheat later.

28. Swap butter for mashed banana in muffins

To reduce the saturated fat in your favourite muffin recipe, the American Heart Association suggests using three ripe, very well-mashed bananas for every 4oz (114g) butter listed in the ingredients. Bananas have a good consistency to help hold the muffins together, and they’re great for vegan baking, too. Just make sure that they’re ripe for that all-important creaminess.

27. Opt for whole grain

There's no easier swap than choosing whole grain or whole wheat pasta and bread over white versions. It’s a simple way to get the fibre and energy-boosting carbohydrates you need – while still enjoying the foods in your usual rotation. Make sandwiches and toast with brown bread, which has more flavour than white, or go for a half-and-half loaf as a compromise. Whole grain pasta takes a little longer to cook, but those few extra minutes are worth it for the nutritional benefits.

26. Add white beans to your smoothie

Blander-tasting beans like cannellini or butter beans are perfect in smoothies; they add protein and make the drink more filling, without affecting the fruity flavour in a big way. Try whizzing a small handful of the beans up with a banana and some berries to make an energising breakfast treat.

25. Keep potatoes in big chunks

The smaller you cut your potatoes, the more surface area there is for water-soluble nutrients – like vitamin C and riboflavin (vitamin B2) – to leach from when the vegetables are boiled. Keep your roast potatoes chunky, too; similarly, smaller pieces will have more total surface area, allowing them to absorb more fat during cooking.

24. Consider getting a ceramic knife

Not only are they brilliant for chopping vegetables, but ceramic knives also come with a nutritional advantage. Unlike stainless steel, ceramic doesn’t contain iron and traces of copper, which can speed up the browning rate of produce like avocados and lettuce. Known as enzymic browning, this oxidation reaction causes valuable micronutrients (which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties) to be destroyed – so switch to a ceramic knife to slow down the discolouration.

23. Big up basil and max out mint

To get more goodness out of your herbs, promote them from garnish to one of the main features of your meal; for example, you could try mixing mint and basil into a salad of mozzarella, cherries and prosciutto. Gram for gram, mint has 3.5 times more iron than beef – and basil and chives both have more folate than broccoli. However, to benefit from their goodness, they need to be eaten in larger amounts than is usually the case.

22. Stock up on dried herbs and spices

If you want to add more flavour to your meal, you don’t always have to do it with fat. When you have a good stock of spices and seasonings, a little shake of your favourites can transform pretty much any dish – without adding many more calories. In some cases, you'll only need a tiny amount to impart some seriously punchy flavours.

21. Blot with kitchen paper

Kitchen roll can be used to soak up excess fat from the top of takeaway pizzas – and you can serve home-cooked fried foods like chicken and French fries on it, too. Each teaspoon of oil that ends up soaked into the paper is around 38 calories you aren't going to consume yourself.

20. Steam or microwave broccoli

When you steam greens, fewer nutrients leach out of them. Steaming is a particularly good way to cook broccoli, which can lose valuable glucosinolates – potential anti-cancer compounds – when boiled or fried. Microwaving broccoli with a small amount of water essentially steams the florets from the inside out, so it's a great hack if you don't own a steamer.

19. Season with nutritional yeast

The savoury, slightly cheesy flavour of this vitamin-packed powdered yeast makes it the perfect substitute for salt in a variety of meals – including pasta dishes, vegetables and salads. It’s particularly good if you want to boost your B vitamins, as it’s rich in vitamins B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6, B9 (folate) and B12. You could also try it sprinkled on popcorn, added to scrambled eggs or in a stuffing mix.

18. Cook en papillote

Cooking something en papillote means wrapping it in a little paper parcel and putting it in the oven. This method steams the food, locking in the flavour – so there’s less need for butter, oil and even salt. It’s a fantastic way to cook fish to keep it nice and moist, and it’s great for vegetables too. Want to add even more flavour? Try adding some herbs or citrus fruits.

17. Spread sandwiches with avocado

Spreading butter on a sandwich can easily provide a quarter of your daily recommended allowance of saturated fat. However, if you swap it for a thin spread of puréed avocado, much of that saturated fat will be replaced with the healthier unsaturated kind (which is good for your heart). A spread of avocado goes particularly well with tuna or chicken salad fillings.

16. Add water for a healthier sizzle

Instead of adding extra oil (and calories) when your stir-fry vegetables begin to stick or burn, add a splash of low-salt stock or water instead; this will keep the vegetables moist and healthy. Keep them moving too, ensuring they're never in one place long enough to start leaving any real residue on the bottom of your pan or wok.

15. Add cauliflower to mashed potatoes

Swap half of your potatoes for cauliflower next time you make mashed potatoes – this way, not only will you reduce the amount of carbs and calories, but you'll increase the levels of vitamin C and folate, too. To avoid adding too much moisture to the mix, try steaming the cauliflower and letting it dry for a few minutes before mashing.

14. Buy parboiled white rice

Brown rice is healthier, but if your recipe works best with white, always buy the easy-cook rice (parboiled) version, which has been pre-steamed in the husk. The process helps the grains to stay separate and fluffy when cooked at home, and it also drives B vitamins and protein from the bran into the starchy interior. As such, it's more nutritious, even after the bran has been removed.

13. Open a tin

If your kitchen is well stocked with cans of vegetables (as well as other handy options like fish or even fruit), you can whip up a healthy meal from scratch with much less prep time required. A tin of tomatoes can be the base for a tasty sauce that’s much healthier than a ready-made sauce from a jar.

12. Bake or roast instead of frying

Choosing baking or roasting over frying can make your meal healthier and less labour intensive; you can use less oil, and there’s no need to stand and watch over your food as it cooks. Simply put your meat, vegetables or fish in the oven and leave them to cook – perhaps giving the tray or pan a shake halfway through. Roasting can also result in big flavours.

11. Swap minced beef for lentils

If your recipe requires 1lb (around 500g) minced beef, try using 3/4lb (375g) instead – and substitute the final part with 1oz (30g) cooked lentils. This way, you'll switch some animal protein for healthier plant protein, increasing your meal's fibre content, reducing fat and bulking out your meal for relatively little cost. You can, of course, just skip the meat altogether.

10. Keep potatoes out of the fridge

Don’t store raw potatoes in the fridge if you intend to cook them at high temperatures (such as by roasting or frying). This is because the process causes ‘cold sweetening’ – a natural sugar level rise in the spuds – which, in turn, increases levels of acrylamide when the potatoes get brown and crispy. Acrylamide has been classified as a ‘probable human carcinogen’ by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

9. Turn down the toaster setting

Turning down the toaster is another way to ensure your acrylamide intake doesn’t get too out of hand. The browner the toast, the more acrylamide it contains. The same goes for oven chips and any breaded or battered items, so cook them to a pale golden colour – but no deeper – for healthier results.

8. Leave garlic before cooking

To maximise garlic's health benefits, you should allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes after prepping it. Chopping releases an enzyme that stimulates the formation of sulphur compounds that may have beneficial effects on heart health and the immune system. Cooking too soon deactivates the enzyme before it's had a chance to work.

7. Choose deeper green leaves

When it comes to salad leaves, a rule of thumb is the greener the better – kale, spinach, rocket and romaine lettuce all have more vitamin A, vitamin C and folate than butterhead and anaemic iceberg lettuce. You can even use the leaves from broccoli, cauliflower and other vegetables for a healthy, less wasteful way to cook.

6. Put down the peeler

There’s no need to peel your vegetables if the recipe doesn’t call for it. The skin of potatoes, carrots and other fruit and vegetables you might usually peel contain nutrients that can make your meal healthier. Plus, leaving the skin on will save time, create less waste and enhance flavour, so there are really no downsides. Not all skin or peel is safe to eat though, so do check first.

5. Get fruity with breakfast

You should always eat breakfast (it’s not good to skip it) – and you can make the meal even healthier with the help of a little fruit. Although many of us focus on vegetables when aiming to eat our five a day, fruit also has plenty of important nutrients, and it’s easy to add to even the simplest of breakfasts. Slice some banana onto your porridge (or add it on top of your toast), throw some berries into your muesli or granola, or just grab an apple to bite into.

4. Eat pasta the day after cooking

Chilling pasta causes ‘resistant starch’ to form – and reheating increases it even more. The great thing about resistant starch is that it can’t be broken down by normal digestion; instead, it’s fermented by friendly bowel bacteria. The result is a smaller blood glucose peak and lower absorption of calories (which, in turn, will lower the risk of diabetes and obesity).

3. Switch to lower sodium salt

Can’t avoid adding salt in cooking? If you can, use a potassium-substituted version (potassium chloride) rather than straight sodium chloride. Both taste like regular table salt, but potassium helps to keep blood pressure healthy and normal, whereas excess sodium raises blood pressure.

2. Stock up on frozen vegetables

Most of us know this, but it’s worth a reminder – frozen vegetables often have just as many nutrients as the fresh produce in the supermarket (or even more), so it’s absolutely fine to use them for fast and healthy everyday meals. Freezer cabinet veggies get blanched and flash frozen within hours after harvest, whereas fresh produce is often left hanging around longer, leaving more time for the vitamin content to decrease.

1. Make ‘fried’ chicken in the oven

This crispy-coated chicken tastes every bit as good as fried! Simply coat chicken pieces in beaten egg, then dip them in seasoned breadcrumbs. Spray the pieces with rapeseed (canola) oil and cook them on a baking sheet at 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7 until crispy. You'll reduce calories by over a third by cooking your 'fried' chicken this way.

Last updated by Laura Ellis.