By simply selecting the right ingredients, making healthier substitutes and choosing the proper cooking techniques, you can increase the amount of nutrients contained in your meals.

* Start with the salt content in your food. Even if you reduce the salt content by half, this will not affect the taste to any considerable extent. Instead of salt, try adding any spice, sprinkling some herbs or adding citrus juice or vinegar. You could try adding onion powder or garlic to any soup or sauces. Some people prefer a mixture of paprika, onion, garlic and a few parsley flakes in their meat.

* Also watch out for the sodium content in your food. If you use quite a bit of canned, processed or preserved vegetables, your sodium intake will be quite high. You could instead go in for canned or preserved foods marked ‘low-sodium’ or just try the frozen variety instead. Compare the tins of different companies and pick up the one that lists the least amount of sodium in its nutrition facts. Of course, the best option is always to go in for fresh vegetables.

* Your blood pressure and your cholesterol levels can be very effectively controlled by using tomatoes, onions, herbs and vinegar as well as using low-fat sauces and low-fat salad dressings. Try substituting full cream products like yogurt or sour cream with fat free or low-fat alternatives.

* You can best preserve the nutrients in vegetables by quickly steaming them or just stir frying them instead of frying or even boiling. Do not cook at very high temperatures since the heat and excess liquid can simply remove all the valuable nutrients. Even while stir frying or grilling, you should use non-stick cookware or a spray. Roasting or poaching are also good alternatives. Avoid open-flame grilling since this is supposed to produce compounds that may give rise to cancer. Finally, cooking in the microwave may be one of the healthiest ways of cooking since it does not take long to cook the vegetables and there is no need to add any extra fat.

* You should increase your fiber input by using whole grains instead of highly refined products. Try whole-wheat flour, brown rice, barley and oatmeal.

* Add fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet whenever possible. For example keep some cut and shredded vegetables ready in to add to salads, in casseroles, and to stews and soups. For added flavor, try adding chopped yellow and red peppers. Excellent alternatives to heavy gravies or sauces accompanying meat dishes are fruit chutneys and vegetable salsas.