8 tips to cook healthier dishes

As an Army chef, you are cooking for troops who are often undergoing rigorous training regimes and it is essential for them to maintain a healthy diet to support this. When preparing food the aim is to support their nutritional needs with healthy, balanced and satisfying dishes.

To make your dishes as healthy as they can be, always remember to use more of the following:

• Starchy ingredients, such as our, rice, barley, bread, potatoes, semolina and pasta

• Wholegrain cereals, such as porridge oats, wholemeal or brown our, granary our and sweetcorn

• Fruits and vegetables in both sweet and savoury dishes. Use fruit instead of sugary foods and use vegetables instead of meat

• Milk and water in the dish

And use less:

• Fat. Cut or drain it o meat and leave any vegetables, potatoes or salads ungarnished

• Sugar. Leave out dusting and icing dishes, replacing it with some of the ingredients listed above

• Meat. Add more vegetables as a substitute and add stock to sauces and stews to add flavour

• Salt. Use just enough to make the food taste good, but no more! Substitute salty ingredients with acidic ingredients or spices and make sure to brown food properly