How to make healthier meals at home

It puts you in control of what goes into your food and body. Making healthy home-cooked food doesn’t have to be hard. Small changes can have a big impact on your heart health. Over time these changes will become easier and fit in with your regular routine. 

Plan ahead 

You don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen to make a healthy meal. Planning your meals is a simple way to save on time and effort. 

Start with a plan 

Think about what you could prepare ahead of time. You can cut vegetables the night before and store them in the refrigerator or cook something for use the next night (e.g. pasta sauce).   

Involve the whole family 

Getting your family involved in meal planning and preparation can help. Ask them to choose their favourite meals from our heart healthy recipes.  

Shop with a list 

Make sure healthy ingredients are always on hand at home by shopping with a list. Being focused on what you need can also save time in the supermarket. Older kids can help by writing down the ingredients from the recipes they have chosen. 

Batch cook 

Making a big batch of one dish is more efficient than cooking every single night. Choose a meal that can be packaged separately and frozen. Our freezer-friendly recipes are great options to pull out when time is tight. 

Meal plan on a budget 

There are plenty of recipes with inexpensive ingredients. You can also find what you need for less, by: 

• Buying in-season fruit and vegetables (perhaps try your local farmer’s markets) 
• Shopping in bulk 
• Looking out for sales.  

Build a heart-healthy pantry 

Eating at home allows you to make small changes, which together make a big difference. Having these foods in your pantry, fridge, or freezer means you have everything you need for healthy meals at home. 

	Pantry	Fridge	Freezer
Fruit and veg	Fresh fruit and vegetables Tinned fruit (not in syrup)  Tinned vegetables (no added salt)	Fresh fruit and vegetables	Frozen vegetables – peas, corn, mixed vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower  Frozen fruit – berries, passionfruit, mango pieces etc.
Wholegrains	Rolled oats  Wholegrain breakfast cereals  Wholegrain bread  Brown rice   Wholemeal pasta  Couscous  Quinoa  Polenta  Soba noodles  Wholemeal flour	Fresh noodles  Fresh pasta
Protein	Canned legumes varieties (no added salt)  Canned fish in olive oil or water – tuna, salmon, sardines  Lentils (no added salt)	Fresh fish  Fresh meats  Tofu  Tempeh  Eggs	Frozen fish fillets – tuna, salmon, sardines  Frozen poultry and meats
Dairy	Powdered milk  Long life (UHT) milk	Fresh milk  Fresh cheese  Fresh yoghurt
Fats	Healthy oils – olive, canola, peanut, sunflower oil  Nut butters (no added salt)  Unsalted nuts and seeds	Margarine  Avocado  Olives
Flavour	Dried herbs and spices  Pepper  Chilli Garlic  Ginger  Vinegars	Lemon juice  Lime juice  Fresh herbs

Heart healthy food swaps 

Healthy cooking methods 

The way you cook your food matters. The cooking methods below are the healthiest options: 

Steaming  

Steaming is one of the easiest ways to cook vegetables. Place a steam basket over a saucepan of boiling water then fill the steam basket with fresh or frozen vegetables. Cover with a lid and let your vegetables steam for a few minutes until tender.  

Poaching  

Poach delicate foods like eggs, fish or fruit by submerging them into gentle simmering liquid (e.g. water, vegetables and spices). Poaching is not the same as boiling, so be sure to maintain a low heat.  

Stir-frying/sautéing  

Stir-fry plenty of vegetables in a frying pan on high heat using a small portion of olive, canola, sunflower, soybean or peanut oil. Top it up with a splash of water as you cook.  

Roasting  

Put lean meats in a baking dish with a rack. Add 1 to 2 cm water and some herbs to the bottom of the pan for extra flavour. Substitute deep-frying with roasting in the oven on a lined tray or grill tray.  

Casserole/stewing  

This is a convenient method of cooking meats at a low temperature, generally for a longer period of time. Take the time to trim the fat off of the meat before putting it in a casserole dish with some vegetables and legumes.  

For more simple meal ideas check out our heart healthy recipes.

Heart healthy recipes