Certain methods of cooking and some cooking ingredients create an imbalance in the diet by depriving the food of its mineral and vitamin strength or by overloading the meal with saturated fats, as happens when one constantly fries food in butter or lard. Our native traditional meals, for instance, although tasty and stomach-satisfying, provides the body with little protein and far too much fat and carbohydrate which can dramatically increase the likelihood of fatal diseases.
Many Black women, prefer to fry their chicken, and meat and boil the vegetables for too long.  It is better to use the grill, It is a fact that almost everything can be satisfactorily broiled or baked and these methods decrease the amount of excess grease and fat and are better for retention of nutrients in the food cooked. Use a meat thermometer and sometimes roast your beef or chicken. Add the vegetables to the roast about thirty minutes before serving. This will provide a more nourishing meal, save time and not leave a mess. Because we rely on vegetables for precious minerals and vitamins, here are some tips for preserving all the goodness, including colour, flavour, and texture, in vegetables.
*Do Prepare at time of cooking, not before.
*Start cooking in a small amount of boiling water.
*Cover pan while cooking.
*Cook only until tender.
*Use the liquid from canned and home-cooked vegetables.
*Cook vegetables with the skins on whenever possible.
*Don’t  Wash vegetables until ready to cook.
*Keep vegetables in a warm place.
*Soak vegetables in water.
*Stir vegetables while cooking.
*Thaw frozen vegetables before cooking.

Every individual and by extension every family, develops an eating routine and favourite dishes. This routine is almost impossible to change. It can, however, be supplemented by occasional forays into dishes and side dishes that are absent from your menus only because of lack of initiative. You probably do not really dislike salads but just always thought they were a bore to prepare. So, you systematically deny yourself the iron that all premenopause women require in large quantities and is present in dark green, leafy vegetables. The next time you have five minutes, make a quick spinach salad and dress it up with some favorite like hard-boiled egg or tuna fish. If you have this once or twice a week at lunch or dinner, you will decrease your diet imbalance without sacrificing any favorite dishes.
If you always keep in mind the four basic food groups and the need for balance amon them, and variety within them, you will go a long way to achieving fully nutritious eating habits.