When it comes to building lean muscle mass and sculpting a body that would make any bodybuilder proud, you want to prepare nutrient-rich and healthy meals that feed your form. It’s not near as difficult as you might think to cook and create highly nutritious meals that taste great too. Here are some secrets to cooking healthy meals.

Stock Up On the Right Ingredients

The old saying of “you are what you eat” rings just as true today. If you want to keep your body, mind, and nervous system happy, you need to feed them with nutritious foods. Therefore, the first secret to healthy cooking is to stock up on the right ingredients. Forget about buying processed foods that are full of sugars, sodium, and preservatives. Fill your fridge and cabinets with fresh fruits and vegetables, lean cuts of meat, whole wheat and low-fat dairy products, various types of beans and legumes, and spices. This way, you will have quinoa to add to soup stock, fresh tomatoes to dice up and add to whole wheat pasta, or low-fat milk and cheese sprinkled with your favorite spices to make a sauce for fish or pork. Frozen fruits and vegetables are also great for those times when you’re in a rush. You can also prepare a large pot of beans and brown rice on the weekend and then use them for quick, nutritious meals through the week. Mash the beans and rice together, add diced green onions, pimentos and red peppers, and fry them up in a little olive oil for a quick, tasty treat. You can also add them to a blender and create a protein and carb puree to add over meat dishes. By using a variety of healthy foods for your daily meals, you will be supplying your body with good sources of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats.

Keep Healthy Additives On Hand

There are a variety of delicious additions which you can buy and throw into a soup, salad, or bowl of cereal. Not only do such extras add flavor, but they also pack an additional nutrient punch to your meal. Buy such nutrient-packed items as kale, spinach, and Swiss chard to add to salads and soups for extra vitamins, fiber, and phytochemicals. Get some flax seeds to grind up and mix into pancakes, oatmeal, or smoothies for fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. Also, try a mixture of nuts (unsalted) to add crunch to salads, soups and pastas for additional vitamins, minerals, omega-3s and fiber. Also, be sure to include a variety of healthy oils which you can use to cook your nutritious meals with and add as toppings and flavors to salads, tuna fish, and other foods. Extra-virgin olive oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil are good for cooking while walnut oil and toasted sesame oil are excellent for adding a bit of flavor to finished meals.

Use the Right Tools

The right appliances and cookware will make cooking healthy meals easier and more enjoyable. Anyone in a fitness program and preparing healthy meals should have two invaluable items: a quality food processor and blender. With these two appliances, you can practically do everything with your food except cook it. With the food processor, you can slice, dice, and puree a variety of foods and then place them in the blender for a vitamin-packed shake. Add a clean, high quality whey protein and you are ready to feed some serious muscle mass. You should also have a good set of knives for cutting, non-stick or cast iron frying pans for sautéing (you actually want to stay away from fried foods), and deep pots for boiling. Stocking your home with nutritious foods and good appliances and tools along with some tasty, healthy recipes will set you on the path to building a fabulous physique through cooking healthy meals at home.