Today, let's take a look at some smart tips for a healthy and tasty cuisine to Torna in forma again.
Let's start with a few tips on oil. Anyone who follows a weight-loss programme knows very well that although oil is an ally of our health, it must be measured because it is rich in calories.
So what can we do with sautéed mix or make tasty salads or season the food we cook? Here are some practical tips.
Sautéed mix
Let's start by talking about sautéed mix. In fact, contrary to popular belief, sautéed food can also be prepared and eaten when dieting, but remember:
do not exceed the quantities of oil indicated in your dietary plan;
care must be taken to ensure that the oil does not burn, i.e. it does not reach the so-called 'smoke point', thereby developing substances that could be carcinogenic.
The smart tip: for sautéed food I recommend using a WOK pan, i.e. a pan with a more concave bottom than normal ones, which will allow the oil to concentrate all in one bottom. In this way we will have a higher oil thickness which will reach the smoke point later.
The kitchen brush
The kitchen brush can also be useful when preparing food au gratin. For example, we could prepare a chicken breast with a light breadcrumb coating by first brushing it with a little oil and then adhering it to the breadcrumbs.
Can you eat breaded food while dieting?
The answer is yes, as long as we make our own breadcrumbs. We do not buy ready-made breaded foods, as they may contain added oil and cheese. Remember to reduce the carbohydrate content of the same meal.
Alternatives to using oil
Very often oil is added in abundance when cooking food to prevent it from drying out and losing its tenderness. So how can we reduce calories without sacrificing tenderness? We have two alternatives:
Salads
Being on a diet certainly doesn't mean eating bland salads, we always use oil in the quantities indicated in the diet plan.
Smart tip: the dispenser spray for homogenous salad seasoning.
We can season with oil, vinegar and spices which we can add in free quantities. Spices are also good substitutes for salt. As we know, we must consume salt in reduced quantities, both because it encourages high blood pressure, and because, although it does not make us fat directly because it has zero calories, it contributes to fluid retention and therefore to the formation of cellulite.
Alternatives to fatty condiments
An important note should also be made about fatty condiments such as cream, butter and margarine, which are not recommended during a diet.
However, if we sometimes want to prepare a first course that uses cream, we can easily replace it with low-fat yoghurt, Greek yoghurt or light cream cheese.
The volume of our first courses.
Still on the subject of pasta dishes, I would remind you of the concept of volume. In order to have more satiety, our plate must be quite voluminous. Obviously, this does not mean eating a big plate of pasta, but being clever about filling the plate with lots of vegetables.
For example, what would fill me up more between a simple pasta with pesto and a pasta with pesto, courgettes and cherry tomatoes? Definitely the latter, because the amount of fibre will not only fill the dish at first glance, but also our stomachs.
Half-full or half-empty plate?
To aid the sense of satiety also in your eyes, I recommend that you pay attention to the size of the plates you use. Certainly, the same amount of food will be perceived as larger on a small plate and smaller on a large plate, even though the amount of food is the same.
The sight of a full plate will give us a perception of more food and therefore more satiety.
Beautiful and good dishes
The last piece of advice is to pay attention to the presentation of the dish. Make a beautiful dish that is pleasing to the eye as well as to the palate. Remember that eating well is an act of love towards ourselves.
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