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Food Health

5 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health Through Food

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Did you know that what you consume daily can directly correlate with your mental health? Food can impact how you feel physically, including your energy levels and strength, as well as mentally, including your mood and anxiety. The relationship between mental health and diet is complex but has been shown strong from several scientific studies. While many things in your environment will impact your mental wellbeing, including the level of stress that you are exposed to, your physical activity, and more, diet is something you have complete control over. Here are some important facts on how food can impact your mental health, and steps you can take to improve it. 

How does food impact your mental health?

Not getting enough nutrients 

If you live on a diet of highly processed foods, likely, your body is not getting a wide variety of nutrients and vitamins that it needs to function. You may also be eating foods such as palm oil and butter, which prevents the food from being converted into the nutrients that the body requires. Nutrients are crucial for your heart and development, your immune system, and your cognitive function. If your brain is not sufficiently fueled, it can lead to low moods, lack of concentration and attention span, impaired decision making and reaction times, and fatigue. 

Consuming stimulants 

Consuming high sugar food such as chocolate, and stimulants such as caffeine can impact the brain by tricking it into releasing chemicals. This is because it believes we are lacking that particular chemical, which can then alter your mood. Stimulants can also make you feel more anxious than usual, and then cause your body to crash a few hours later due to your blood levels spiking higher than usual, which can then lead to sudden feelings of fatigue and low moods. 

Hormone imbalances 

Certain food, particularly processed foods, can cause hormonal imbalances in your body, especially if they are rich in hydrogenated and saturated fats. This is because food can impact the production and secretion of certain hormones in your body, as it affects your gut health, changes the concentration level of your blood metabolites, and can also impact the circulation of gut hormone levels. Imbalances with your hormones can lead to increased stress and anxiety, fatigue, and depression. 

How to Eat to Improve Your Mental Health

A good diet, that contains balance and variety, can significantly improve your physical health, as well as your mental health. 

Eat a variety of food 

Incorporating a variety of food, including whole grain, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruit will provide your body and brain with the fuel it needs to function properly, and help improve your energy levels, and your mood. Make sure you don’t just eat the same thing every day, or every week because your body needs a variety of nutrients and vitamins to thrive. 

Eat to improve your gut health 

Science has shown an increasing link between your gut health and your mental health. It can therefore be beneficial to incorporate food that will boost your gut health. Not only does this include a variety of food, but also prebiotics, probiotics, and meals filled with important amino acids such as this freshly made chicken broth recipe, which has been shown to significantly improve gut health if consumed regularly. 

Eat foods that promote brain health

Your body and brain require the right nutrition to be able to grow effectively and function adequately. To do this, you will need to ensure you consume a variety of minerals such as fatty acids, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. These include quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes, chicken, soybeans, fish, eggs, and flaxseeds. The nutritional value of these kinds of food is much higher and will provide your body with the right kind of energy it requires. 

Stay hydrated

Drinking enough water is vital for your mental health, and reduces the risk of anxiety and depression. Not only can a lack of water make you feel more fatigued, but it can also take its toll on your mood. The brain is made up of 75% water and requires sufficient hydration (with a fine balance of nutrients too) to function at an optimum level. Without proper hydration, your concentration and emotional processes will suffer. 

Mindful eating

Mindful eating is the practice of paying more attention to what you eat, and when you eat. When you pay close attention, you gain a good insight into your patterns to ensure you are not eating more or less when you are stressed. It can also act as a moment of mindfulness, which in itself is a practice that supports mental health. Making your meal times an activity to give your full attention to will help you stay in the present moment, and stress less. 

Eating is not just about losing weight, it is also an important factor in your mental health and how you feel every day. By making small changes to your diet, you can live healthier, and happier. 

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Food Health

Are You Eating Too Much Processed Food?

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Between being farmed and ending up on your plate, almost all foods go through some level of processing. However, some foods are completely unnatural to the point that most people don’t even know what’s in them. It’s these ultra-processed foods that are a problem – things like white bread, candy, hot dogs, fries, chips and sweetened breakfast cereals. Many of us don’t realise just how much of these foods are in our diets and the issues that they cause.

What’s wrong with processed foods?

Highly processed foods typically have no nutritional benefits. Almost all the nutrition is taken out of them during processing and replaced with chemicals, salt, sugar and unhealthy additives. A bag of chips is a prime example – while mostly made from raw potatoes, practically all the vitamins and minerals from the potato are removed and replaced with salt and sugar. Eating too many of these foods deprives your body of the nutrients it needs, while pumping it full of unhealthy things that it doesn’t need.

On top of being unhealthy for you, processed foods are also typically unhealthy for the planet. A lot of energy is poured into manufacturing, transporting, and storing these foods and many chemicals are often added throughout the process such as pesticides, which cause damage to the entire ecosystem. To top it off, most of these foods are wrapped in plastic.

How Can I Consume Fewer Processed Foods?

Eating fewer processed foods is great for you and the environment. If you want to consume a diet that’s low in processed foods, think about every food you purchase and the likely processing it has gone through –  aim to minimize this whenever you can. Below are just 6 ways to consume less processed foods!

Prepare more meals from scratch

When you make your own soup out of raw ingredients instead of eating a canned soup, you know exactly what has gone into that soup. This allows you to control just how healthy and eco-friendly the meal is. The same goes for other meals. Yes, preparing meals from scratch is much more time-consuming. However, it is ultimately more rewarding. 

Buy food labelled ‘organic’

Food labeled as ‘organic’ typically has little to no chemicals added. When buying organic tomato sauce, you can usually guarantee that no pesticides were added to the tomatoes during farming and that no chemical preservative, colorants, or flavorings have been added during the sauce’s manufacture.

Swap out refined grains for whole grains

Many breads, pastas, cakes, cereals and cookies are made from refined grains – these are grains that have had pretty much all the nutrients stripped out, often replaced with salts and chemicals. Whole grain products retain all the original nutrients found in the grain and are therefore much healthier.

Buy from local producers

When you buy from a local farmer, you reduce the need for long-haul transport – which often means no need for chemical preservatives. Such foods also typically don’t have to be packaged as heavily. 

Look into macrobiotics

Macrobiotics is a way of dieting that promotes health, mindfulness and environment-friendliness. It involves cutting out pretty much all processed foods. You can find out more about macrobiotics at this site from Denny Waxman, macrobiotic counsellor. 

Grow your own produce

The best way to ensure food is unprocessed is to grow it yourself. Growing your own pepper plant or strawberry plant allows you to control how it is grown so that no chemicals are added. You’ll unlikely be able to grow all of your own foods, but it’s worth growing a few foods.

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Food

How to Create a Restaurant Experience at Home

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Going out to eat is great, the big bill at the end of the meal can really hurt the wallet though. Sure, eating at home is cheaper but that can be a drag considering how boring it is. Fortunately, there is a way to turn your kitchen into a cozy little restaurant for the evening. It will make you feel like you’re having a nice time out, all within the comfort of your home. Here are some fabulous tips to create a nice restaurant experience at home.

Get out the nice plates

If you have plates that are used for special occasions, then now is the perfect opportunity to put them to use. Restaurants tend to have very nice dishes from plates, glasses, and even cutlery. These are what help in enhancing the dining experience.

Plan out your menu

You don’t have to go all out and fancy to create delicious food for your little in-home faux restaurant. You can cook whatever you want, whether it be something complex or something easy. Your slow cooker, whether it be an Instant Pot, Crock-Pot, or the traditional stove is all perfect for making mouth-watering meals with ease. One great idea can include looking around for a slow cooker recipe for chicken chili and some sides to complement it.

You’ll also want to think about the type of restaurant experience that you’re wanting to create. Are you wanting to create a fine dining experience? Something casual? What about a 3 or 5-course menu? Even thinking about this can help you out in deciding what you want to make and how you’d like to decorate the dining area around it.

Set the table

Whether you’re making lasagna, filet mignon, or anything else, you need to set the table! This is what helps with creating that restaurant feeling. Try and work on a theme and try to make it a bit different compared to how your table is usually set. A great idea could be using a nice table cloth, a running, a floral centerpiece, and maybe some candles to help set up a mood.  It doesn’t need to be expensive either!

Set the mood light some lighting

Candles are the perfect way to help set the mood at the dinner table, but even dimming your lights (if you have a smart light) can also be hugely beneficial. The lighting in the space is what helps out in creating that right atmosphere. Think about it, most restaurants tend to be low light. This helps their customers feel relaxed and enjoy their surroundings. If you’re unable to adjust the lighting in your home, then using candles can help achieve that dimness.

Dress the part

You wouldn’t go to a nice restaurant in sweatpants, would you? Probably not! Just go ahead and dress the part, whether it be wearing your favorite outside or maybe something a little more casual. Just getting to dress up for the proper occasion is going to massively help in selling the experience that you’re in a restaurant. 

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Food

Top Places to Visit for Iconic American Food

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Food in the US has been influenced by many different cuisines. You can find plenty of these traditional cuisines still going strong, but you can also find plenty of dishes that have developed their own American identity. Some foods are representative not just of the US, but of specific regions, states, and cities. If you’re a foodie who wants to experience the country through food, or you just want to try some of the most iconic things to eat across the states, there are some cities that you have to visit. Here are some of the top destinations if you want to seek out legendary American dishes.

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New Orleans, LA

New Orleans is one of the best places you can visit if you love food. You’ll find amazing cuisines that were developed in the US, including Creole and Cajun food, as well as soul food. There are several iconic foods you can enjoy while visiting the city and plenty of amazing eateries where you can try them. If you’re planning a trip to New Orleans, some of the things you might want to seek out are po’boys, jambalaya, gumbo, Shrimp Creole, and more. The food in Louisiana is influenced by French, West African, Spanish, and Native American cuisines.

Chicago, IL

Italian food is something that you can find across the US, with large Italian-American populations in many places. Of course, pizza is one of the most popular Italian options, but several US states have made it their own. In Chicago, the most well-known version of the Italian staple is the deep-dish pizza. With its tall crust, it has cheese and tomato sauce in larger proportions than you’d ever find on a pizza in Rome or Florence. Another Chicago must-have is the Chicago-style hotdog, which always has mustard but should never have ketchup.

Philadelphia, PA

If there’s one thing you can usually find a version of in most places, it’s a sandwich. While Louisiana has the po’boy, Philadelphia has the cheesesteak. A lot of people visit the city just to track down the best Philly cheesesteak. The sandwich is made from thinly-sliced beefsteak and melted cheese, which is served in a hoagie. You can also find variations of the cheesesteak throughout the city, which often replace the meat with something vegetarian such as mushrooms or swap it out for chicken. You can even discover vegan versions that swap both the steak and cheese for vegan alternatives.

Memphis, TN

Barbecue is another cuisine that you will find many variations of throughout the US, particularly in the south, and everyone will claim that their way is the correct way. There’s no one city that does barbecue best, but Memphis is definitely one of the options that you don’t want to miss. The dry-rubbed style with sauce on the side is pretty distinct and you can find sauces with bases of tomato, vinegar, or mustard, depending on where you go (other styles often favor just one of these). You can find both traditional and contemporary BBQ places to visit.

Try these top places for iconic American dishes if you’re a foodie looking for somewhere new to travel!

Which city do you think has the best food?

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Food

What Are America’s Top 5 Favorite Foods?

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What do you think that nation’s favorite food is? If you’re like most people, you’ll pick something quintessentially American, like hamburgers. But you’d be wrong. It turns out that burgers are actually quite a long way down the list. Topping the charts is a food of Italian origin. Can you guess what it is? 

#1: Pizza

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Yes, right at the top of the list sits the pizza. Granted, the US version is a little different from the traditional Sicilian variety people were whipping up a couple of centuries ago. But it’s still recognizably Italian. There’s the dough base, bright red tomato sauce topping, and cheese. And don’t forget all the other additions: the olives, pickles, mushrooms, ham, ground beef, and so on. 

Why is pizza so popular? Researchers think that it is because it pushes all of our taste buttons at the same time. You have the carb hit of the base, then the tangy sourness of the sauce, followed by the richness and gooeyness of the cheese. It’s a killer combination that makes it almost irresistible. 

#2: Steak

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Coming in at number two on the list of the nation’s favorites is steak – no surprises there. People have been making beef chuck roast in these lands for centuries. 

There’s something magical about steak, especially if you choose the right cut. The way it melts in the mouth is like nothing else. Plus, if you pair it with the right sides, you can create a wonderful meal that ticks all the right boxes. The perfectly roasted jacket potato with sour cream and a wedge of lettuce with ranch dressing seals the deal. 

#3: Cheeseburger

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Coming in as the nation’s third-most favorite meal is cheeseburgers – something very much home-grown. 

Cheeseburgers today come in a variety of styles. But the most popular offer similar taste sensations to pizza. You have the bread bun, cheese, meat, and then something sour, like pickle, ketchup, mustard, or relish. The hamburger can also come with extra additions. These include favorites like bacon, guacamole, chili mince sauce, or battered pineapple rings. 

#4: Tacos

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Tacos are fast becoming more popular in the US. Originally, tacos were only a small part of the diet. But Mexican influence on the culture has led to an explosion of people now enjoying this traditional Hispanic food. 

The great thing about tacos is that they give you options. You can dress them your way!

#5: Pasta

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How exactly Americans like their pasta depends on who you ask. But the most popular continues to be pasta with meatballs and marinara sauce, with plenty of cheese on top for good measure.

There are, however, plenty of other ways you can eat pasta. One of the most delicious is to make an avocado, basil, and pine nut pesto in a blender, and then mix it into the pasta. You can also try creating your own carbonara sauce by combining cashews, water, nutritional yeast, salt, and a dash of cider vinegar. 

What is your number one favorite food? Let us know in the comments below!

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Food

The Secret To A Perfect Steak

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Anyone who enjoys eating meat would agree that a steak really is one of the very best kinds of meat out there. If you are like most home chefs, however, you might find that you have often struggled to make your steaks come out quite right. The truth is that making a perfect steak is not too challenging – there are just a few key things that you need to keep in mind along the way. In this post, we’ll take you through some of the major pointers that will help you to cook the perfect steak at home.

Don’t Forget The Seasoning

It might sound simple, but you do need to make sure you are seasoning your steak. If you don’t, there is just no way that it is going to end up being as good as you would hope, so this is something that you really do need to think about. All you need is salt and pepper – you don’t have to do anything fancy to make a steak really sing. However, you should consider the following tip from Marco Pierre White: always over-season your steaks, because most of the salt and pepper will come off into the pan during the cooking process.

Choose The Right Cooking Method

There are many ways to actually cook your steak, but you need to make sure that you are choosing the right one for the kind of steak you are cooking. There is practically no kind of steak that won’t be cooked wonderfully using a smoker from BBQGuys, and you can also always consider using a simple frying pan. What is often a good choice too, is to use a griddle – this gives you the benefits of both a pan and a grill, and it is something that can be used to create deep, delicious flavours.

The Best Cooking Fat

You also need to think carefully about what type of fat you cook your steaks in. There are many kinds that you can use, but they each have a different smoke point and provide different kinds of flavor. There is a lot of personal preference that goes into this, but as a general rule of thumb you should stick to flavourless oils like sunflower and groundnut – the latter having just the right smoke point for most steaks and pans. Make sure the oil splits in the pan before putting the steak in – but don’t let it smoke.

Resting

Not enough people realize just how important it is to rest the steak after cooking. The process of resting the meat actually allows the fibers in it to form together more strongly. Essentially what this means is that the steak develops a deeper flavor, and retains more of its juices. All you need to do is rest it for around five to ten minutes – any longer, and it might be cold, so be careful of that.

And that’s it – if you follow these tips, you will cook a perfect steak in no time!

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Health Nutrition

4 Tips for Avoiding Healthy Food Burnout

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You may feel as though you are doing everything right, from loading up your plate with vegetables to handling meal prep like a pro. The problem is that sometimes, all of your hard work can leave you feeling deprived and demotivated. You may find that you get worn out from working so hard and that a cheat day feels like a decent idea. This is fine, but if you find that one cheat day leads to another, and another, then you may be suffering from burnout.

Make Your Food Feel Good

The first thing that you need to do is try and get more creative with the food you have. Look at the texture and also the appearance. You may want to add some crunch to a dish that consists of soft food, or you may want to add some sea salt to your veggies.  Either way, it’s vital that you spend a lot of time on the appearance of your food if possible. Go for colorful foods and think about visual appeal where possible. Even if you know that you are pressed for time, making a beautiful plate that you can actually be excited about is a good thing.

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Eat in Season

Eating things that are in season is a good way for you to feel truly connected with the food you eat. This can lower the chances of you experiencing burnout. It can also help you to be way more friendly to the environment because you will be eating food that is sustainable. Nature gives you the chance to eat what you need, when you need it. At the end of the day, it’s important to know that seasonal choices help to balance your diet too. Eating a salad in the middle of winter may feel odd, for example. Sure, you’ll be getting nutrients, but you probably won’t feel as though you are getting what you need on a deeper level. If you want to make sure that you are getting a lot of vitamins from your diet, it may be worth looking into Myer’s cocktail nutrition.

Spice Things Up

When you are eating the same meals again and again, it’s super easy for you to get bored. You may find that the flavors are predictable and that this is the last thing that you need. Consider using spice blends and also make sure that you are turning your meal into something exciting. If you use spices, then this will help you to add some robust flavors to your meals, and it will also make your taste buds guess more. This is ideal if you are sick of food being bland or boring when you are on a diet.

Have A Treat

People often experience burnout when they eat healthily because they try and adopt an approach that essentially means all or nothing. If you skip out on your favorite foods, then this may help you to stay on track but at the end of the day, it will also make you burnout faster. If you want to stop this from happening, then try and allow yourself treats. After all, indulgences are part of life, and therefore they should be part of your diet.  Just make sure everything is in moderation.

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Food

Are You Sick of Cooking Taking So Much Time?

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There are few things better, in terms of taste and nutritional quality than a good home-cooked meal. However, there’s no denying that the time it takes to prepare one can be pretty draining, especially when you’re doing it day after day after day. However, what if cooking didn’t need to take so long? Here are a few things that can help you whip your kitchen into shape and get a little speedier with your meals.

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Pre-Plan and Prepare

All good cooking routines start with a meal plan. If you’re trying to eliminate waste or to save money with your meal plan, you might get ingredients that are used across two meals. If that’s the case, you can use your time when cooking the first to prepare ingredients for the next meal, too. For instance, if both today’s and tomorrow’s meals require you to chop up veggies, such as for a casserole and a stir fry on two different days, do it for both days on the first one.

Use A Slow Cooker (my favorite!)

Surely, slow cookers take longer to prepare meals than other methods? They might take longer to actually cook the meal, but the prep time can be way reduced by the fact that, usually, slow cooking requires little else than throwing the ingredients in there and letting the cooker do most of the work, like with this honey sriracha style crockpot chicken. Air fryers are also great for helping you prepare food in a flash and, if you cook a lot of rice, then a rice cooker can take away all of the extra steps you would have with a pot and water.

Find Some Shortcuts for Your Favorites

You might be surprised just how many of your favorite recipes can be made a lot quicker simply by finding the right “shortcuts.” Sometimes, the shortcuts might involve using ingredients that are pre-prepared but sometimes, like with this Veracruz style fish recipe, you can prepare a meal similar to one of your favorites, but without needing to spend all that time cooking the fish in the sauce, which makes it take less time to prepare. If you think about your favorite meals, search for shortcuts online and you’ll find most of them have at least one available.

Make Enough for Leftovers

There are plenty of meals that can easily be stored for a day and be just as delicious the second day after you heat it up. A left-over lasagna might be nicer for some if you like that crispiness that develops on the pasta when you reheat it. Take a look at some of the best leftover recipes you can eat and make enough to suit you for more than one day so that, even if it means eating the same thing two nights in a row once in a while, you get the benefit of a delicious homecooked meal and you can up the flavor simply by adding some citrus or vinegar..

If you don’t always have the time to cook from scratch as you have been, then hopefully, the tips above can help you get meals ready in a lot less time!

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Food

3 Ways To Find Unique & Delicious Recipes

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Food is one of the greatest pleasures in life. Throughout human history, countless dishes have been created around the world, and there has never been a time when it has been so easy to access it all. Stores are packed to the brim with ingredients from around the world, while most kitchens have all of the tools you need to cook just about anything. Of course, though, how exactly are you supposed to find recipes that match your need for something unique? Let’s take a look!

Use The Internet

The internet is your best friend when you want to improve your cooking. There are so many blogs, communities, and other resources that can help you to find meals that aren’t the same as what you have every other night. Reddit can be a good place for this, with more than one community dedicated to sharing recipes. Alongside this, though, it can also help to visit specialty websites. This can help you to find recipes for meals like Avial, giving you a wealth of ideas and options to explore. It’s always worth trying dishes before you spend a lot of money on equipment to make them, though this isn’t something you have to worry about with most food.

Buy Unique Ingredients

As superstores grow, they are recognizing the need for unique ingredients on their shelves. This change is being fed by the diverse communities found in modern cities and towns and is something that any foodie can take full advantage of. Many of the ingredients you find in modern stores come with recipes on the box, making it incredibly easy to try new things without having to bog yourself down in research. Recipes like this tend to be designed to be nice and easy, giving you the chance to learn more about the unique ingredients you want to try before going into recipes that are more complex.

Join A Club

The ancient recipes that are around today have only been able to survive the ravages of time thanks to oral tradition. People have been teaching each other to cook for thousands of years, though this has changed for many people in recent times. Joining a cooking club can give you the chance to learn this skill by having it passed down to you by others, while also adding a social aspect to the whole thing that will make it more fun. It’s well worth researching the options you have nearby and online, as some clubs will focus on unique foods and this is a great place to start your journey.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to step up your cooking game. While there are loads of great recipes that you will already know and love, it always pays to put effort into expanding your cooking skills. Unique recipes are one way to do this, but you can also explore other options if you find something else that appeals to you!

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Food

Simple Ways to Improve Your Food’s Flavor

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You have the best cooking equipment and a reliable recipe, but your food comes out bland. Something is amiss, but you can’t tell what it is. Don’t worry; this happens sometimes, even to the best cooks, and it’s something that can easily be fixed (and remember that good food has a way of reducing some of life’s stresses).

The taste buds have five main components that differentiate sour, salty, sweet, bitter, and umami tastes. When trying to identify the missing ingredient, think in terms of these five flavors. Does the food need a little more sweetness or saltiness? That way, you’ll be able to reach for the right ingredient to balance the aroma.

With that in mind, here are some simple ways to bring out that tasteful flavor in every food!

Use Vinegar

Vinegar is the most versatile ingredient to boost a bland recipe. Its acidity can help balance the five tastes easily. Balsamic vinegar is a favorite in many households. It not only has a bitter-sour taste, it also increases the notes of sweetness.

Choose carefully which acid to use: it can add any of the five taste notes, and sometimes not the taste note what you want. Other recommendable vinegar types are rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and red wine vinegar. Each works uniquely to boost flavor in particular cuisines.  

A Little Citrus Will Help

Most citrus fruits can be the solution you need when your food tastes flat. You can add citrus juice to almost everything, depending on how you use it.

You know that citrus fruits have a lot of vitamin C, but do you know they’re also rich in fiber? Fiber is essential for overall digestion, and it helps to balance blood sugar levels.

The first way to use the fruits is to grind the rind and add it to anything you’re cooking. This adds some acidity and sweetness. It can come as a bonus to put on top of your favorite pastry!

You can also add lemon juice into any sauce dish to make it taste better. If you’re making anything from marinara, to alfredo, to mushroom soup, try it yourself by adding lemon.

Nuts are Not Only for Snacking

Whether you’re on a vegan, paleo, high-fat, or low-fat diet, you can hardly go wrong with nuts and seeds. They’re your best diet friends, packed with lots of protein in every little nugget. You can add nuts and seeds as toppers in your salad or stir-fry. They blend well with sweet and salty flavors.

Another option is to use sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter. It’s excellent in smoothies, pancakes, or when used to make a delicious butter sauce. Sunflower seeds contain Vitamin E and are beneficial to the skin. Win win!

Hemp hearts sprinkled on a chocolate spread will add a nutty flavor. They also have more protein than eggs and are great for your brain!

Garlic

Adding garlic, and a lot of it, will almost always make (savory) food taste better. Trust me on this one.

Take Away

Cooking is an art, but it can go wrong if you don’t know the right strings to pull. The trick lies in understanding the ingredients to use to make the food more delicious. Creative experimentation with nuts, vinegar, citrus fruits, and salt will definitely help make all your dishes abundant in flavor!


•What do you add to your cooking?

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