Eating Better Every Day: 5 Simple Habits to Adopt

1. Opt for gentle cooking methods

The way you cook your food has a direct impact on its nutritional value. Cooking at high temperatures can destroy certain nutrients, particularly heat-sensitive vitamins. The longer and more intense the cooking process, the greater the nutrient loss can be.

To best preserve the nutritional value:

• privilégiez des cuissons à basse température (idéalement < 100 °C)

• Choose gentle cooking methods such as steaming, braising, or baking in foil

Steam cooking, in particular, helps preserve a large portion of the vitamins and minerals while retaining the food's natural flavor.

2. Eat whole foods and avoid processed foods

Today, ultra-processed foods play a significant role in our diets. However, they are often the result of complex industrial processes that profoundly alter the structure of the food.

The result: nutritional value that is sometimes compromised and ingredient lists that are often long and hard to understand.

A few simple guidelines:

• Choose foods that are as close to their natural state as possible
• Choose products with a short list of ingredients
• Avoid complex terms (high-fructose corn syrup, modified starch, hydrolyzed proteins, etc.)

Adopting this habit allows you to return to a simpler, more straightforward, and often more balanced diet.

To learn more about ultra-processed foods, click here 📌

3. Use a variety of flours to diversify your intake

Have you ever considered replacing your usual wheat flour with rice or chestnut flour in certain recipes? There are many different types of flour, each with its own nutritional benefits. Varying the types of flour you use allows you to diversify your intake of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, while discovering new flavors.

Here are a few easy ways to incorporate these into your daily routine:

• Rye flour: perfect for bread, naturally high in fiber
• Spelt flour: similar to wheat, it’s easy to use in baking
• Rice flour: gluten-free, perfect for adding variety to your recipes
• Chestnut flour: slightly sweet, perfect for gourmet recipes

👉Using a variety of flours also means diversifying your nutrient intake and enriching your daily diet.

4. Use Nutri-Score as a simple guide

Nutri-Score is a handy tool that helps you understand a product’s nutritional quality at a glance.

It ranks foods from A (green) to E (red) based on their nutritional content per 100 g, taking into account:

• Foods to prioritize (fiber, protein, fruits, and vegetables)
• Nutrients to limit (sugar, salt, saturated fat, calories)

Its main advantage is that it allows you to quickly compare similar products (cereals, ready-made meals, cookies, etc.) and make a more informed choice.

Keep in mind, however, that this is merely a decision-making tool and should be used in conjunction with a comprehensive review of the ingredients.

5. Choose whole-grain starchy foods

Starchy foods have an important place in a balanced diet. However, their nutritional value varies depending on how much they have been processed.

Whole grains retain their bran, which is naturally rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Specifically, you can:

• Replace white bread with whole-grain bread
• Choose brown rice instead of white rice
• Choose whole-grain pasta

These simple choices help you feel fuller and contribute to a balanced diet.

If possible, choose organic products to minimize exposure to residues found on the outer layer of grains.