Plus there’s simply no comparability between the 2 on the subject of affordability and accessibility, Harbstreet says. Low-cost frozen and canned greens make it simpler to hit each day really useful produce intakes with out having to overspend on time or cash. Consider that pasta dish you’re making: You know together with some courgette, mushrooms, or peppers may add vitamins, fibre, and flavour to your meal, however you simply can’t muster up the power to get slicing. Should you’ve already acquired a frozen bag of the precut stuff? Sprinkling that into your skillet is a complete lot extra doable after an extended day at work. What’s extra, Harbstreet says, as a result of some canned or frozen veggies are already precooked to some extent, they shorten your prep time too.

6. Brown rice is the way in which to go

Swapping brown rice for white rice is commonly touted as an effective way to eat extra fibre, however that sub doesn’t fairly ship the dietary punch that’s promised, Harbstreet says. “The online distinction per serving is simply about 1 to 1.5 grams [more].”

Should you actually don’t take care of the style or texture of the entire grain model, don’t pressure it in your plate merely as a strategy to enhance your fibre consumption, she says. As a substitute, she recommends pondering of rice as a automobile for fibre-rich stuff you do get pleasure from, like veggies, nuts, seeds, and legumes. You might add a fourth of a cup of lentils to your subsequent batch of white rice and get an even bigger fibre enhance than you’ll from consuming brown rice alone, or you may stud your bowl with roasted diced veggies like cauliflower or brussels sprouts.

7. Should you’re cooking, it higher be Mediterranean

Flip open any well being journal and also you’re positive to seek out an aesthetically pleasing picture of greens, lean meats, olive oil, and herbs — the epitome of the Mediterranean eating regimen, which has turn into the poster youngster for wholesome consuming during the last couple many years. However there’s nobody proper strategy to eat wholesome, Harbstreet says.

“This perception {that a} Eurocentric consuming sample is the head of wholesome consuming results in the idea that something that differs from that’s deviant and disease-promoting,” Harbstreet explains. Consequently, we are inclined to low cost different cuisines from world wide in favour of what we’re used to and find yourself shedding entry to a variety of nice diet sources within the course of — from gut-healthy fermented meals like kimchi and sauerkraut to anti-inflammatory spices like turmeric. “It’s long gone time to incorporate these choices when speaking about wholesome methods of cooking and consuming,” she says.

8. Microwaving zaps all of the vitamins

Microwave ovens are sometimes blamed for destroying the vitamins in meals or, even worse, blasting what we eat with radiation. Whereas it’s true that microwaving can change the dietary composition of meals, it doesn’t do it any greater than different cooking strategies like sautéing, roasting, or strain cooking. Based on Geiger, how a lot relies on precisely what meals and what vitamins you’re taking a look at. As an illustration, due to its comparatively fast cooking time and lack of water, microwaving results in much less lack of nutritional vitamins A and C and fewer degradation of B1 and B6, a research in Frontiers in Vitamin discovered. And in case you had been anxious that the radiation from the microwave may pose a well being danger, you may relaxation straightforward: There’s simply no dependable hyperlink there. So if microwaving is a handy strategy to get your self to eat extra nutrient-dense meals on a constant foundation, then go forward and nuke it up, Geiger says.

9. Wholesome cooking is time-consuming and costly

When requested which wholesome cooking delusion is probably the most prevalent and detrimental, virtually all of our consultants agreed that it’s the assumption that you simply want some huge cash and free time to prepare dinner nutritious meals. When social media is full of influencers hawking fantastically crafted, 100% recent meals, it’s onerous to not really feel like you need to do the identical in an effort to have a well-rounded eating regimen. But it surely doesn’t have to be that deep: You will get a nutritious meal in your desk that’s fast, handy, and budget-friendly with the appropriate sources and data, Lopez says.

Meal prep could be your pal right here, she explains. Who says that you need to prepare dinner a completely different nutritious meal daily? Mix that with time-saving ideas like incorporating nutrient-rich processed meals and canned or frozen fruits and veggies, in addition to flavour boosters like tasty fats sources and the components you truly like, and making your personal “wholesome” meals is usually a lot extra handy and accessible — which simply would possibly get you extra enthusiastic about the potential for cooking within the first place.

This text initially appeared in SELF.