There is an opinion that tasty food and healthy foodare in different planes. Most people are sure: healthy dishes cannot bring pleasure. It is time to dispel this misconception. The Russian Academy of Medical Sciences is already sounding the alarm: 30% of people over thirty suffer from obesity, excess weight is observed in 60% of women and 50% of men. And the main reason is not at all in promiscuity, as some believe. Psychologists are sure: food addiction in physically healthy people is caused, first of all, by stress. The stronger and longer it is, the more often the desire to "eat away" troubles arises: we know that such a "medicine" will act much faster and more effectively than the real thing. At the same time, many understand that "food relaxation" will not lead to anything good, and they try to pull themselves together, if not limiting the amount of food, then at least switching from high-calorie dry food to healthy snacks. The problem is that healthy eating in the public consciousness is more associated with hospital food than with haute cuisine. Believe me, once you break this stereotype, things will go much better. In fact, there are a lot of great recipes for those who want to lead a healthy lifestyle. The main thing is to follow two principles: cook from natural products and, if possible, use gentle methods.
Correct snacks
To avoid breaking down, between the main mealsNutritionists advise to have several filling, but not too large snacks. If we are talking about the office, then this can be any seasonal fruit - apple, pear, tangerine, persimmon, banana. By the way, there is an opinion that this tropical guest does not contribute to slimness, but one banana contains only about 70 kcal. At the same time, the nutritional value of the fruit is very high, and the nutrients it contains help to improve mood, increase concentration and reduce fatigue. It would also be a good idea to keep on hand snack bars made of yogurt and cereals, or dried cranberries, papaya cubes, dried apricots, nuts, rich in B vitamins. They will not only relieve nervous tension, but also enrich the body with B vitamins, vitamin C, potassium and fiber. The only thing is, when buying dried fruits, you should give preference to hermetically sealed fruits rather than loose ones - this guarantees that the products do not contain mold fungi, bugs and bacteria. In principle, to raise your tone, you can even eat a chocolate bar. The main thing is that it is real - from cocoa powder and cocoa butter, and not counterfeit, stuffed with low-grade tropical fats. Having received a piece of the right chocolate, the body will begin to produce serotonin, called the hormone of joy, and andanamide, which reduces anxiety. In addition, the product stimulates the brain, helping to raise self-esteem, which is also important during stress.
We go for groceries
Avid cooks are absolutely sure thatEvery dish can be made interesting, tasty and healthy if you cook it yourself, with imagination, love and, of course, from natural products. Following this principle, to buy quality meat, fruits and vegetables, you should go to reputable farm stores. This will ensure that your grocery basket will not contain fruits stuffed with pesticides, hormones or antibiotics. When it comes to finished industrial products, the task becomes more complicated. You will have to be especially attentive to their composition in order to avoid purchasing goods with artificial additives - dyes, flavors, thickeners and preservatives. It will also be necessary to take into account possible changes in the recipe of popular products, which some manufacturers resort to out of a desire to save money. For clarity, let's consider a product that is literally in every home - ketchup. A popular sauce with this name can be natural, such as the well-known Heinz, that is, made from tomatoes, natural vinegar and spices. At the same time, there are also "ketchups" on sale made from less expensive ingredients - vegetable or fruit puree, which has been given a "tomato" taste, smell and color using synthetic components. It is clear that we can only talk about the benefits of the product in the first case: after all, natural ketchup, as we know, contains, at a minimum, a large amount of the powerful natural antioxidant lycopene. But sauce made from zucchini, apples or pumpkin cannot boast of this. Wanting to buy natural products, you need to be careful, because there are many examples of such substitution of some ingredients for others in order to obtain maximum profit. In particular, it is no longer a secret for anyone that some manufacturers use tropical fats instead of milk fats, and soy proteins instead of meat proteins. In order not to fall for such a trick, carefully study the packaging: the manufacturer is obliged to indicate all the components used on it. For example, quite often surrogates end up in dairy departments: cottage cheese and sour cream, which are passed off as natural products, turn out to be just cottage cheese and sour cream "products" in composition, close to real "fermented milk products" in taste and consistency. In them, the ingredients intended to become a source of calcium for our body are replaced by tropical vegetable fats that have nothing in common with milk. In order not to become a victim of possible forgery, you can use the available information about the results of official quality checks of products and buy goods under brands that have received good reviews from experts.
Cooking delicious, prepare useful
When the refrigerator is filled with everything you need,it's time to create a culinary masterpiece - tasty and, at the same time, healthy and nutritious. Of course, it would be desirable to give up the deep fryer forever in favor of a steamer. However, it is clear that radical changes will most likely lead to a quick breakdown and the previous diet. Therefore, to begin with, it is worth finding a worthy compromise, for example, switching to dishes baked in the oven or stewed in a "duck pan". Having carved out a free minute and giving yourself a little time, you can remember the dishes that we devoured with both cheeks as children, but then somehow forgot about them in the daily hustle and bustle. Pickle soup, mushroom soup, chicken broth with homemade noodles, sorrel cabbage soup, borscht - admit it, it sounds like music. And after all, cooking does not require special talent, and the benefits for the body are a whole sea. And what second courses were served in those days when people ate with feeling, with benefit, with arrangement! Buckwheat porridge with liver and sour cream gravy, vegetable stews in pots, stewed pork with potatoes or beef with prunes and bay leaves... And homemade desserts will be no less delicious, but much healthier than store-bought ones: apples baked in the oven with honey and nuts, cottage cheese casseroles, pumpkin with cinnamon or even apple pies. It is not a pity to spend the whole Sunday on them: while you knead the dough, prepare the filling and sculpt one masterpiece after another, you will get so much positive energy that all worries and troubles will recede into the background. By the way, cooking can turn into an exciting hobby and an interesting way to spend your leisure time - master classes for those interested are periodically held in many classic restaurants. Perhaps this will become the outlet you have been lacking all these years.
