Dietitian reveals the cooking mistakes that are making you FAT - from using too much olive oil to adding extra sauce
- A Sydney dietitian has revealed five common unhealthy cooking mistakes
- Susie Burrell shared her tips on what to avoid doing while trying to slim down
- She said don't use too many sauces, add too much protein or cook in butter
A dietitian has revealed the five most common unhealthy cooking mistakes that can make you gain weight.
Sydney-based expert Susie Burrell took to her blog to share exactly what you need to avoid doing in the kitchen if you want to slim down.
'While home cooked food is generally more nutritious and lower in calories than takeaway and restaurant meals, it can also be exceptionally easy to overdo things in the kitchen without even realising it', she said.
So which major mistakes are you making?
Sydney-based expert Susie Burrell (pictured) has revealed five common unhealthy cooking mistakes that make you gain weight
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Not measuring added fat
'While some types of oil are better for us, like extra virgin olive oil, it does not mean that you can consume unlimited volumes of it,' Susie said.
She explained that many of us 'use the free pour method' and actually have no idea how much oil we are using.
You can control your fat consumption by measuring your oil intake and 'at most use one tablespoon per person you are serving'.
Using too many sauces
Most of us add seasoning to flavour our meals, but Susie says that mixing three or four different sauces adds calories, salt and sugar.
'Certain cuisines including Asian and Mexican dishes often suggest using a myriad of sauces and seasonings to flavour up the meal', she explained.
'Remain mindful of the portions of sauces you are using by always measuring out the recommended amounts and where possible limit any dishes to just one or two'.
She explained mixing three or four different sauces adds calories, salt and sugar to your meal and should be avoided (stock image)
Too much protein
If you cook more meat, fish or chicken than you actually need, you will mostly likely eat it all.
Susie said: 'The issue with this style of eating is that we consume far more protein than we need at the expense of low calorie, nutrient rich vegetables.
'One of the easiest ways to slash calories from your day is to minimise your protein portions and bump up your intake of vegetables and salad'.
Cooking in oil or butter
Most people will add some oil or butter to their frying pans when cooking their meat or vegetables.
'Another ingenious option is to use baking paper as a lining for the pan to cook fish and sausages without any added fat at all', Susie explained.
'In the case of mixed dishes, baking paper helps to marinade the protein in any sauce you may be using to give your protein plenty of flavour minus any added fat'.
Susie also said that adding extras such as feta or avocado may make your meal taste great, but they also increase the calories (stock image)
The added extras
While adding extras - such as feta, avocado or even gravy - to your meal may make it taste great, it also increases the calories.
Susie recommends adding lower fat and calorie options such as plain yoghurt and cottage cheese.
'Take control by adding only one extra to meals and measure out your portions of high fat sauces and toppings such as cheese and sour cream', she said.
