I am a gadget girl. I love kitchen tools that help me slice, dice and prepare healthy foods in a flash. My latest food gadget is a milk frother, which is a tiny, battery-operated whisker that enables me to froth up my milk. While my cup of java is brewing, I pour about 1/4 cup of low-fat milk into another mug, insert the frother and in seconds, I have luscious, frothy milk, which I then ladle on the top of my mug of coffee. The milk floats on top of my java like a soft, fluffy cloud, and with one sip, I feel as though I am in java heaven. Low-fat milk is my coffee creamer of choice, as it adds much-needed calcium and vitamin D to my diet.
I’m so excited about my new food gadget that I reached out to nutrition colleagues to find out what fun tools they use in the kitchen. Here’s what nine nutrition pros said:
Air Fryer
“I started using my Philips Air Fryer recently, and my whole household is obsessed with it. We have air-fried just about every veggie you could think of, plus whipped up a batch of killer chicken nuggets and breaded seafood. As a mom and nutritionist, it makes me feel great to know I’m providing tasty, crunchy, healthy choices that we all love to eat together.” — Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, founder of BetterThanDieting.com and author of “Read It Before You Eat It”
[See: 5 High-Tech Cooking Gadgets.]
Tea Maker
“As a tea drinker, I was excited to discover the Breville Tea Maker. By setting the type of tea (white, green, oolong, black or herbal) and desired strength (mild, medium or strong), it takes the guesswork out of brewing a great cup of tea. More importantly, tea contains powerful antioxidants that have the potential health benefit of reducing heart disease and cancer risk as well as help keeping blood sugar levels under control.” — Neva Cochran, MS, RDN, nutrition communications consultant
Herb-Grinding Mill
“My [favorite] tool is the herb-grinding mill. As much as I love to wield a knife in my kitchen, cutting herbs can be messy and time-consuming. Enter the mill. I just put the herbs in the mill and grind away. There is no waste, less mess and it is done in a few twists. A herb-grinding mill is a great way to add phytonutrients and fabulous flavor to meats, grains and veggies.” — Leslie Bonci, MPH, RDN, CSSD, owner of Active Eating Advice
Apple Divider
“Ever since I can remember, I have used an apple divider to eat an apple (or pear). There is something about having an apple sliced and cored versus biting into it whole that makes eating it so much more enjoyable for me. Add some peanut butter on each slice for a wholesome snack.” — Keri Gans, RDN, author of ” The Small Change Diet”
[See: Bachelor Pad Kitchen Must-Haves.]
Spiral Slicer
“I love my spiral slicer. It is a fun way to make any dish prettier with spiralized veggie accents on top. If you want to pack a nutritional punch (and lower carbohydrate profile) to your pasta dish, add sauté spiralized zucchini in place of some or all of your noodles.” — Angela Lemond, RDN and owner of Lemond Nutrition
Fruit and Cheese Cutters
“I love the fruit and cheese cutters from The Pampered Chef. They turn whole fruits and cheese into appealing shapes (including hearts) that add zing to salads and kebabs. Since we could all use a bit more fiber and water-rich fruit in our diets, these cutters make eating fresh fruit so much fun.” — Elisa Zied, MS, RDN, CDN, author of “Younger Next Week”
Microplane
“I could not live without my microplane, which I use to zest lemons, limes and oranges. A microplane allows me to add bold flavor to my salads, dressings and pastas and rely less on salt for flavor. It’s also perfect for grating fresh ginger root for stir fries and marinades.” — Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RDN, cookbook author, podcaster and food blogger at MealMakeoverMoms.com
Vegetable Chopper
“I love my vegetable chopper. One of my daily ways to take in veggies is through my Israeli Salad. Since chopping veggies takes more time than I have, my chopper does it for me in a quarter of the time if I used a knife. It’s a must if you are feeding hungry kids!” — Toby Amidor, MS, RDN, nutrition expert and author of ” The Greek Yogurt Kitchen”
[See: The 38 Best Diets Overall.]
Blender
“My favorite healthy food gadget is my Vitamix blender. I use it to make breakfast smoothies that contain both fresh and frozen fruit and fresh vegetables. The power motor can handle frozen fruit well, which allows me to make thick, creamy fiber-rich smoothies that provide four to five fruit and vegetable servings in a single glass.” — Amy Myrdal Miller, MS, RDN, FAND, founder and president, Farmer’s Daughter Consulting, Inc.
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10 Healthy Food Gadgets That Nutrition Pros Use originally appeared on usnews.com
