Weight loss tip number 76 is for dieters who are just getting started. Coach Tadris Parker has personally tested this recommendation and a hundred other health tips commonly shared in the running and fitness world. Listen to the audio clip below to hear his take on this tip: bake, don’t fry. Learn all about this at Keep Calm and Run To The Best You!

Bake, don’t fry. You'll save calories and lower your risk of heart disease. If you need it crispy, try an air fryer to avoid the oil and grease.

Tip 76. Bake, Don’t Fry (weight loss)

For most Americans, weight loss is a worthy health goal, but it’s hard to get it done! Many of us live in a culture where job schedules and youth sports push us to embrace drive-thru convenience meals and processed foods. Home cooking is definitely the right move if you’re meal planning for weight loss, but your success really depends on what you’re making and how you’re making it.

Food Prep for Weight Loss

There are loads of weight loss recipes and healthy eating resources online, but proper meal planning requires more than choosing diet-approved dishes. When you’re planning your meals with the goal of losing weight or maintaining your current size, you have to consider your cooking methods. You could set out to eat more fresh produce but if your plate is piled up with asparagus, which was sauteed in butter, you’re not eating so clean. If your reaction is, “eh, tomato, to-mah-to,” then consider the difference between a deep fried mozzarella stick and a fresh mozzarella slice on a wheat thin. The way we prepare and cook our ingredients really does matter!

The hierarchy of healthy cooking methods is as follows:

There’s some great info we found from Henry Ford Health about why “bake, don’t fry” is a very good rule of thumb. Henry Ford Health warns us to avoid these three cooking methods for very specific reasons:

• Avoid grilling - Charred bits are linked to cancer, due to the chemical reaction that occurs when cooking over an open flame

• Avoid frying - Frying is the worst cooking method we know of, unless you have an air fryer. It adds over ten times the calories.

• Don’t overcook your food - Overcooking your food, especially using too much water in a pot, steals away the vitamins and nutrients from the food and leaves it lacking in taste and substance.

Overhaul Your Health

If you’re concerned that your cooking methods are stripping vitamins and nutrients from your food, or concerned that your food’s quality is low to begin with, also consider taking a supplement. Here are the vitamins and supplements recommended for those practicing IF (intermittent fasting) or any diet / weight loss method.

Are you ready to ease up on processed foods and adopt the cooking methods that maximize your health? Let’s get you started with the Whole30 or one of our other top 4 diet plans! Reach out to Coach Tadris for some direct coaching, or join the Run-Walk-Run Club to immerse yourself in a community of health-focused locals who will show you the way to weight loss and clean eating!

Listen To Podcast

At Keep Calm and Run To The Best You, we are actively helping people from all walks of life to get healthier and happier in the body they’ve got! We’ve collected advice from professionals, combed through archives, and gathered insights from our group members. Click here to see the rest of our 101 health tips about running, intermittent fasting, and weight loss.

Find support and accountability at Run/Walk Club

Coach Tadris Parker educates and motivates people at all levels of intermittent fasting and mindful eating.

Email coachtadris@gmail.com with questions about our Run/Walk Club, running events, or health programs.

Get support and accountability on your journey to better health in a casual and fun setting: Join the Run/Walk Club!