Research shows that people who maintain their diet have improved physical and mental health. A well-balanced diet provides essential nutrients, such as vitamins, proteins, omega-3 fatty acids, minerals, and antioxidants, to keep your body strong and healthy.
Eating well can ward off a wide range of chronic health conditions, maintain healthy body weight, elevate energy levels, promote a good night’s sleep, and enhance brain function. When you eat healthy food and perform regular exercise, you can protect your body against non-communicable diseases, such as:
- Cardiovascular conditions
- Hypertension
- Live disorders
- Kidney disorders
- Diabetes
- Respiratory conditions
- Stomach disorders
- Cancer
- Stress, depression, and anxiety
- Etc.
However, it isn’t easy to maintain your diet because it requires motivation and consistency. For example, if you eat healthily for one month but start consuming junk food again, your body will undergo metabolic changes, increasing the risk of the health conditions mentioned above.
However, the good news is that you can still eat your favorite food items without compromising your health using an air fryer. Air fryers are an excellent way to prepare delicious and healthy food. Not only do they allow you to maintain your diet, but you can also eliminate food restrictions.
What is an Air Fryer?
Summary
An air fryer cooks by circulating hot air around the food. It has a heating element that works as a stovetop burner. The heating element is located above the food. The machine uses a fan to move the air around the food.
As a result, the food comes out crispy on the outside and tender or moist on the inside. Air fryers are a healthier alternative to traditional deep frying machines because they use no or little amount of oil during the cooking process.
Bear in mind that an air fryer itself is a relatively small machine that sits on your kitchen’s countertop like a crock pot. You can plug it into an electrical outlet. Avoid sitting it on a stovetop because it can lead to damages, including smoke and fire hazards.
In addition, the appliance contains a basket to hold the food item, a heating element to produce heat, and a fan that moves or circulates the hot air. Some air frying machines come with digital control panels, while others have dials and knobs.
Can Air Fryers Help Maintain your Diet?
An air fryer uses less oil than deep frying machines, resulting in food with less fat content and fewer calories. It does not involve cooking large quantities of oil at high temperatures, leading to safe and healthy cooking than deep frying. Preparing food items with an air fryer can result in easier clean-up than deep frying machines.
Air-fried foods are healthier because it does not contain a lot of fat and calories. The machine does not submerge the food in oil. Instead, it requires you to add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to achieve crispiness, brownness, texture, and deliciousness efficiently and quickly.
On the other hand, deep-friend food items are higher in fat content and calories. For instance, when you use a deep fryer to fry a chicken breast, it will contain 30% more fat than a roasted chicken of the same amount.
Many research studies have concluded that air-fried foods contain 75% to 80% less fat content and calories than deep-fried foods. Deep frying requires at least three cups or 750 milliliters of oil, while air frying requires about one tablespoon or 15 milliliters of oil.
It means deep-frying machines use 50 times more oil than air frying units. Because the food does not absorb all of that oil, deep frying machines lead to wastage. Contrarily, an air fryer can cut down fat content and save time, oil, and electricity, making it a more energy-efficient appliance than deep fryers.
Air Fryers can Improve Your Health
Not only does an air fryer help you maintain your diet, but it also improves your overall health and wellbeing. For example, when you cook French fries in a deep frying machine, you will use more oil, leading to high-fat content and calories.
Consequently, you are at high risk of developing hypertension due to high blood cholesterol levels, diabetes, and obesity, particularly fats accumulated in your abdomen and hip areas.
On the other hand, when you cook French fries in an air fryer, it will produce the same crispiness, color, and moisture with less fat and calories. Therefore, an air fryer is a much better option if you want to maintain your diet and health.
Studies show that air fryers can prevent the risk of acrylamide compounds. These are carcinogenic compounds that can cause cancer and tumors. Acrylamide is produced due to high heat during the deep-frying process.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer reports that acrylamide can cause different types of cancers, including breast, prostate, blood, and liver cancer. Your body converts this compound into glycidamide that can alter your genetic makeup and cause mutations, leading to many chronic conditions.
However, you can eliminate this risk by using an air fryer instead of a deep frying machine. Some research studies highlight that air fryers can reduce the acrylamide formation risk by 90% than deep frying machines. Moreover, you can cook various food items in an air fryer, including:
- Frozen French Fries
- Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
- Crispy Potatoes with Spicy Mayo
- Fried Pickles
- Zucchini Sticks with Marinara Sauce
- Beef Jerky
- French Toast Bread Pudding
- Bacon and Pepper Breakfast Hash
- Spicy Chicken Breasts
- Lemon and Herb Panko Crusted Cod
- Pork Loin with Vegetables
- French Bread Pizza
- loaded baked potatoes
- Beef and Broccoli
- Homemade Fish Sticks
- Fudge Brownies
- Baked Apples
- Chicken wings
- Chicken breasts
- Sweet potato chips
- Roasted chickpeas
- And many more
You can eat all these items when cooked with an air fryer because most of these are junk foods that become healthy due to reduced fat content and fewer calories. Thus, an air fryer is an excellent way to maintain your diet and improve your health.
