How to Make the Most Out of Healthy Meal Ideas

If you want to lose weight and maintain the results, you have to change the way you prepare your meals. Learning to fix nutritious meals using quality ingredients will help you drop the weight and keep it off for good. Here’s how to make the most of your healthy meal ideas.

Use Organic Foods to Prepare All of Your Meals

When you are planning healthy meals, the number of calories is not the only thing you should take into consideration. The quality of the ingredients you use also matters. If you use processed foods and chemical-laden ingredients, it puts stress on your liver and hinders your ability to lose weight. Not only do you add unnecessary stress on your body, your overall health suffers as a result.

To maximize weight loss results and minimize the risk of health problems, use ingredients that are natural and free from chemicals. The meat, poultry and eggs from organically raised livestock are far healthier than those that are raised commercially.

Commercially raised cattle, pigs and chickens are kept in cramped conditions, often standing knee-deep in their own waste. These conditions result in the widespread outbreak of illnesses that require the heavy use of antibiotics. Even if the livestock are fortunate enough to avoid illness, they are still given antibiotics as a preventive measure.

The casual use of antibiotics among livestock is the primary reason for antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Commercial farmers also use growth hormones in their animals to make them grow bigger, faster. These antibiotics and hormones get into the meat, eggs and poultry you eat everyday, and put your health at risk.

Use organic fruits and veggies in your recipes. Organic farmers use natural methods to manage pests and diseases on their produce, so it’s not covered with synthetic pesticides and fungicides.

Stay away from canned and frozen fruits and vegetable. These foods are filled with unhealthy chemical additives, and the nutritional value is depleted during the manufacturing process. Opt for fresh produce instead.

Add Variety to Prevent Boredom in Your Meals

Don’t limit your food choices just because you’re dieting. Doing this can cause boredom and drive you back to your old, unhealthy eating habits. To prevent your meals from being hum-drum, learn to cook a variety of dishes using nutritious ingredients.

Keep your meals exciting. Thumb through a few cookbooks, find recipes online and use your imagination to create your own mouth-watering recipes. Try at least one new recipe each week and experiment with unfamiliar foods and spices.

Examples of Hassle-Free, Healthy Meal Ideas

Cilantro Marinade

• handful of chopped cilantro leaves
• ½ cup of olive oil
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• juice from a lemon

Mix all the ingredients together in medium size bowl. This marinade is yummy on beef, chicken, fish or leafy greens.

Simple Grilled Chicken Breasts

• 4 organic, boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• juice from a lemon
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• 1 tsp salt (optional)

1. Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl.
2. Rinse the chicken breasts in cold water.
3. Add the chicken breasts to the mixture, put it in the refrigerator and let marinade for an hour.
4. Preheat a grill on medium heat.
5. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and cook them on the grill for 6 minutes per side, or until the chicken is light brown.

Serve this grilled chicken with a side of steamed broccoli or carrots. You can also dice the chicken up and add it to a large dinner salad.