Please provide some do's and don'ts to keep in mind while trying to cook healthy foods.

Do: Do not cook your food in a microwave oven, this destroys the nutritional value of your food.

Cooking: Cooking your eggs at high temperatures (frying) damages the cholesterol and makes the eggs bad.

Arthritis: Arthritis - use anti-inflammatory spices such as turmeric and ginger regularly.

Raw: Raw vegetables are hard for many people to digest, lightly cook your vegetables to help digestion.

Overcooking: Overcooking your vegetables destroys their nutritional value, eat your veggies lightly cooked.

Make: Make sure to carefully wash your vegetables before cooking them to remove any contaminants.

A new TipTap: Buy foods in as close to their natural state as possible, not packaged or processed.

Cooking: Cooking in a cast iron pan can help get iron in your diet.

Pork: Myth: pork chops are very fatty. Fact: if the fat edges are trimmed away, it really is ok to eat.

Use: Use mediterranean techniques: choose olive oil whenever possible when sauteing.

There: There is no such thing as a canola plant. Use coconut or olive oil, which are healthier.

Avoid: Avoid fried foods of all kinds, regardless of the cooking oils. Try steaming vegetables and fish.

Don't: Don't use a non-stick pan that has been scratched. It can contaminate your food with toxins.

Marinate: Marinate meats in acid-based mixtures like lemon juice or vinegar to avoid inflammation in the body.

Always: Always have ingredients on hand for an easy-to-prepare healthy dinner; you'll eat out less!

Roasted: Roasted vegetables can be made ahead on the weekend and served all week long. (see allrecipes.Com).

Like: Like french fries? Try slices of sweet potatoes, light olive oil rub & bake. Kids love these too!

Cube: Cube potatos. Dry. Add chopped garlic and rosemary to olive oil, coat potatoes, roast at 425f.

Cooking: Cooking tomatoes makes it easier for your body to absorb lycopene (a powerful antioxidant).

Eating: Eating fruits and vegetables with a small amount of oil helps you absorb lycopenes (e.g. Salad oil).

When: When you make the plate for people, there should be more vegetables on it than any other item.

Kids: Kids won't eat broccoli? Try mixing with grapes, apple wedges, walnuts, & a light touch of raspberry dressing!

Think: Think colorful! colorful foods such as berries are rich in antioxidants.

Cooking: Cooking method is important. Do steam or bake instead of frying.

Saute: Saute in olive oil, avoiding butter and saturated fats.

DO: Do go easy on the salt shaker and don't over-butter or over-sweeten your tasty treats.

Eat: Eat monounsaturated fats over saturated and polyunsaturated whenever possible. Olive oil; nuts!

Don't: Don't add salt to food before cooking. Add it afterwards. You'll really cut down on salt intake!

Offer: Offer a wide variety of food - and be willing to try new foods. Your children are watching.

Replace: Replace saturated fats in your recipe for mono-saturated or unsaturated oils for a healthy heart.

Eat: Eat smart: choose lean meats over fatty ones, eat a whole grain snack instead of a sugary one.

Myth:: It's a myth that: healthy food is bland and tasteless.

Do: Do use a meat thermometer when cooking. Safe internal temp of at least 165f and stay there for 3min.

Fat: Fat-free is not good. Good fats are essential to health. Cook with coconut oil.

When: When cooking fresh vegetables in water, save the liquid. Great for soup stock! loaded with nutrition!

Vegetarian: Vegetarian cooking is often less expensive - but it's not necessarily lower in fat or calories.

Do: Do not use hydrogenated oils; they may contain trans fats and always contain more saturated fats.

Eat: Eat plenty of fiber, nearly 25 grams/day. It fills you up.

Don't: Don't try and eat zero fat. This is not healthy!

Do: Do eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.

Don't: Don't use plastic dishes in the microwave; use glass or microwave safe ones instead.

Do: Do reduce carbs. Don't reduce fat to lose weight.

If: If you are going to eat it, you should enjoy it too.

Use: Use coconut oil for high-heat cooking; olive oil is fine for medium heat.

A: A healthy diet has variety. Eating the same thing everyday is usually a bad idea even if low calories.

Fiber: Fiber is vital to a healthy diet, don't sacrifice it by juicing all of your fruits and veggies!

Drinking: Drinking plenty of water is key to a healthy lifestyle, mix it up with frozen orange slices!

Cook: Cook several servings at once and freeze or refrigerate. Saves time and helps control portion sizes!

Canned: Canned or preserved products often have high sodium. Stick to fresh ingrediants when cooking!

One: One of the best healthy cooking method is to not cook! raw foods contain more vitamins & enzymes.

When: When cooking at high temps, use care with your oils. Canola oil or almond oil stand up well to heat.

Use: Use more seasonings to make up for less fat in cooking, less salt in food.

Keep: Keep fresh veggies on hand and steam them for an easy side dish.

When: When choosing fruits and vegetables, choose a variety of colors.

Scrambled: Scrambled eggs look and taste fine, and are healthier, if you remove half the yolks before cooking.

Extra: Extra virgin olive oil, salt (if not hypertensive) and pepper are basics for cooking fish etc.

Know: Know your daily requirements for protein, fat, carbs & vitamins. Read the labels of foods you buy.

Stir: Stir fry, grill, boiling food is always healthier than frying; and if fried, use a very limited amount of oil.

Healthy: Healthy food + good recipe = winning combination.

Try: Try a few new foods at a time. Soon it will be a habit.

Keep: Keep the flavor, without using harmful fats.

High: High cholesterol and/or triglycerides doesn't mean you have to stop eating fat!

Healthy: Healthy eating is easy when you keep the right foods in your environment.

Eating: Eating out is hard but can be done. Most people will accommodate you.

Try: Try to meal plan for the family, and don't single out a person due to age or medical condition.

Not: Not all fat is bad. All have lots of calories, but unsaturated olive oil is better than butter.

Eat: Eating less and exercising more will amount to sustainable weight loss.

To: To lower intake of mercury, stay away from the large fish like tuna, swordfish and shark.

When: When eating fish, choose wild caught smaller ones: salmon, black cod, herring, sardines & bluefish.

Don't: Don't overindulge saying you can lose by doing exercise later! everything is good in moderation.

Increasing: Increasing lean proteins and cooking without saturated fat will keep your lipids in check.

Weigh: Weigh yourself daily at the same time in the morning. Easier to lose 1lb than 10lb!

During: During cold and flu season, put a dried slice of astragalus in your soups 2x/ week. Simmer 30+ min.

Fill: Fill your plate with vegetables and eat fruits for desserts, eat protein/cut back on fats/simple carbs.

Avoid: Avoid blackened food (especially meat, fat). It forms ages, a bad player in inflammation/illness.

Avoid: Avoid fast food, canned foods, and things with ingrediants you can not pronounce.

To: To lower your cholesterol, use more egg whites and throw away some of the yolks, when cooking.

Stick: Stick to your plan, but a treat now and then will not destroy your goal.

Vitamins: Vitamins can easily be obtained through food and not supplements.

Avoid: Avoid simple sugars and foods with high glycemic index, in favor of complex carbohydrates.

Use: Use your medicine, as prescribed, but make sure to find healthier fats.

To: To lessen migraine, try increasing both dietary and supplemental magnesium.

Do: Do not cook with any oil that has more than 10% polyunsaturated fat content due to lipid peroxides.

Use: Use leaner, thinner cuts of meat instead of the thick, fatty cuts for a healthier shot of protein.

Don't: Don't forget to grill some vegetables! a little olive oil and garlic make for tasty, healthier meals.

Don't: Don't walk away from the grill while it is still on.

Barbecue: Barbecue is an excellent way to make meat leaner. Just go light on the sweet and salty sauce!

Do-save: Do save the broth from cooked vegetables. Healthy and reusable in many recipes!

Do: Do save your chicken frame and beef bones to make a fresh and nutritious soup bullion! unsalted too!

Associate: Associate eating with nutrition—not just pleasure or satiety. Your diet starts in the grocery store.

Best: Best book on middle eastern cooking looks at turckish, lebanese, & moroccan dishes. "arabesque.".

No: No more frying. Grill, bake. Fire up that grill in every season.

Catch: Catch and eat more fish. Grill them, and let the smell reach those you love. They will come running.

Do: Do teach your children to cook healthy. Benefits are life long.

Get: Get fresh vegetables. Chop up your own vegetables! no preservatives!

Learn: Learn to make a favorite restaurant dish at home to enjoy it more, then modify it to make it healthy.

Try: Try to grill rather than fry foods when cooking.

Avoid: Avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils. Try to use sunflower, olive, or canola oils as examples.

You: You will be very surprised how easy it is with the right soil and patience to have fresh vegetables.

Steam: Steam your vegetables instead of cooking them in oil can save you calories.