10 Unhealthy Cooking Mistakes You may be Making

You know that cooking your own food is the key to a flat belly, and you’ve been trying to eat the best you possibly can.

Cooking can be hard or time-consuming if you don’t know the proper techniques. But there are 10 cooking mistakes you’re probably making that stop your fat loss efforts from the start.

1. You don’t cook whole-grain
   Some gurus will say whatever they want, but it’s still best to buy whole-grain as opposed to white pasta, rice, bread, etc… Why? Simply because whole-grain has more fiber than white. Fiber is essential to weight loss. Just make sure big food companies don’t add nasty ingredients such as sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.
2. You overcook your vegetables
   Overcooking spinach won’t be that dramatic, although the more you cook vegetables, the more they lose their vitamins and essential fiber breaks down. But some vegetables like carrots or sweet potato actually become problematic if you’re trying to lose fat, because their glycemic index increases as they cook.
3. You’re juicing away the fiber
   Sure, juicing is better than nothing. But the reason you need to eat vegetables is to eat more fiber, which is linked to effective weight loss. Most blenders break down fiber and you end up with only part of the healthy goodness.
4. You use the wrong kind of rice
   Short grain (Arborio, sushi, risotto) is bad. Extra-long grain is great (Basmati, Jasmine). And if you can find a whole-grain basmati or Jasmine rice, you’re all set.
5. You overcook pasta
   The more you cook pasta, the more its glycemic index increases, which leads to gaining fat. Cook pasta al dente.
6. You make unwise substitutions
   Replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners or eating gluten-free pasta (Avoid if you can!) instead of regular pasta may be making things worse for you. Gluten-free pasta for instance is made with high-glycemic flours that are best to avoid if you are not gluten-intolerant and trying to lose weight.
7. You boil instead of steam vegetables
   Vegetables leech color, vitamins and lose some of their texture when they boil instead of steam. If you have the choice, always steam to guarantee optimum nutrition.
8. You throw away the good parts
   Stalk and leaves of broccoli, chards, kale, and other green vegetables are the best parts! So is cucumber or potato skin. It’s a common mistake but think about all the nutritious fiber you’re throwing away.
9. You peel your vegetables
   Most vitamins are located just under the skin of vegetables. And of course the skin if full of fat-burning fiber. Don’t peel cucumbers, carrots, potatoes, turnips or fruits like apple or pears.
10. You’re using the wrong oil
    I always use coconut oil, avocado oil, or extra-virgin olive oil. While oils have little impact on your weight loss efforts, some can be really unhealthy. Avoid canola, vegetable, or sunflower oils.

Helping you avoid costly mistakes,