Chicken Rice Bowl

5 mistakes not to make when you want to devour a healthy meal 

We can't say it enough, but it's always better to eat homemade than to buy ready-made. If you don't have time to prepare your own food, there are several solutions. For example, you can prepare your meals in advance and take them to work. In the evening, prepare balanced meals in no time at all. And if you don't know where to cook healthy meals when you don't have time, there are several tips. Jennifer Leonard, a nutritionist and dietician in Paris, reveals some mistakes to avoid when you want to prepare a healthy meal in no time.

Shopping without knowing what to do with what you buy

Whether it is once or several times a week, shopping is inevitable. You can do it online, go through a drive-through or go directly to your supermarket or market, but never forget your shopping list. If you leave empty-handed, you will buy products without really knowing what to do with them. Once you get home, good luck finding a recipe without missing an ingredient. Besides wasting time, there's a good chance you'll end up cooking and eating a meal without the right amount of daily nutrients. "Buying produce and not knowing what to do with it or how to incorporate it into a recipe is discouraging. We are less motivated to cook and in the end, we end up buying ready-made meals or ordering food," explains Jennifer inquired. When you're short on time, it's best to know in advance what you're going to cook in the next few days. Making a list of what you need is an excellent solution.

Buy perishable ingredients quickly

You have little time to prepare a delicious meal but you still want to cook healthy dishes? Then your solution is to buy a good quantity of fruits and vegetables because you are sure not to miss any energy and nutrients. Unfortunately, you forget these products rot quickly. The nutritionist and dietician specifies, "Fresh vegetables that remain in contact with the air will oxidize quickly and the nutrients will degrade. The vegetables will not have the same contribution as when you bought them. Plan your meals to avoid this and buy accordingly. You can also consider freezing. "This allows you to preserve some nutrients in fruits and vegetables," says Jennifer inquired. Fill your cupboards with non-perishable foods to make sure you don't run out of anything.

Planning meals without having the right equipment to cook them

This is a mistake that can happen if you see a great recipe on the web or even on TV and you want to reproduce it at all costs. We forget we are missing the famous blender or even the oven to cook this little dish perfectly. Make sure you have everything you need to cook this or that recipe. It's better than having all the ingredients for a delicious smoothie without the right machine.

Buying snacks and making them our meal

Everyone knows by now that shopping on an empty stomach is a terrible idea. Not only do you buy more than you need, but you will leave with products that do not make up a meal. "One mistake you should never make is buying things that tempt you, but are only for snacking, like potato chips. You shouldn't banish them from your diet, but you shouldn't base your meal solely on that," explains Jennifer inquired. The best thing to do is to expect your meals while indulging yourself, from time to time, with a few delicacies. Make sure you don't eat the whole jar of spread in one go!

Preferring industrial sauces to making them yourself

Spices, herbs and sauces add flavor to our dishes. Jennifer Quénard recommends having a variety of them at home. As far as sauces are concerned, the nutritionist and dietician have another piece of advice: make them yourself! It is possible to buy industrial sauces but you have to know how to choose them well, just like prepared meals. "The sauces that are added to the dish in small quantities such as ketchup or mayonnaise can be bought, but they must be well chosen (without too many additives in particular). As for sauces that are added in large quantities to the plate, such as tomato sauce, butter sauce or cream sauce, it is better to make them at home. They are easy to make and are better. So make them yourself," says Jennifer Quénard.