What should you include in your diet?

Generally, we talk about the different food groups to facilitate the task of carrying out a healthy and balanced menu, with a variety of foods. Thus, throughout the day we must have consumed dairy, farinaceous, fruits, vegetables ...

Healthy menu

Below we propose a healthy and balanced one-day menu whose components provide us with the recommended doses of nutrients that we need on a daily basis. You will see that it is a healthy and delicious proposal. Take note!

Breakfast

Banana smoothie with cinnamon and toast with sesame paste (tahini)

This provides us with a fruit ration, a dairy ration and a farinaceous ration, in addition to the extra supply of tahini seeds (we could also opt for nuts).

If we have to start the day with a little activity, like walking to work, shopping, taking children to school ... this breakfast can be a good option.

The shake made from skimmed milk and ripe banana offers us a healthy and quick alternative to take, taking advantage of the proteins and calcium in milk, the fiber and vitamins of the banana and the sugars of both. Toasts, preferably whole wheat bread, provide us with slow absorption carbohydrates unlike bananas and milk.

Tahini provides unsaturated fats and is very rich in minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and folic acid.

Midmorning

Infusion of roiboos and a couple of plums.

This intake gives us a serving of fruit.

Plums are fruits rich in fiber and sugars. Its water and fiber content contributes to providing us with a feeling of satiety, and if we add the infusion of roiboos, without sugar, we are helping our body to cope with the morning and reach food without excessive hunger.

Meal

Green salad with sprouts; sea ​​bass en papillote with potato, onion and peppers; Orange

This meal provides us with a portion of raw vegetables and one in cooked, a portion of fish, one of farinaceous and one of fruit.

Raw vegetables and fruits provide us with vitamins that lose part of their functionality in the heat of cooking. We talk about vitamin C, vitamins of group B, etc. Sprouts are also interesting as sources of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Among its vitamins we can highlight C, E, K, provitamin A and folic acid, and among the minerals potassium, magnesium, zinc, calcium and iron. In addition, it is a source of enzymes that promote digestion and have antioxidant properties. Sea bass is a very low-fat white fish, rich in potassium, phosphorus, iron and B vitamins. Potatoes provide slow-absorbing carbohydrates that also contribute to satiety.

Afternoon snack

Slice of bread with avocado and cherry tomatoes

The snack that we propose consists of a portion of farinaceous and one or two of vegetables, depending on the quantities. Avocado is considered a fruit although its composition is very different from most fruits.

It is a fruit much more caloric than the rest, therefore it is suitable as an energy snack or in small quantities. The type of fats it provides are mainly monounsaturated and it also contains potassium, vitamin C and folic acid. Whole wheat bread contains complex carbohydrates, fiber, small amounts of B vitamins, and minerals such as sodium, potassium, and phosphorus. Tomatoes, in addition to water, fiber, vitamins ... contain lycopene, a component with antioxidant properties.

Dinner

Carrot cream; scrambled eggs with asparagus, prawns and white beans; and skimmed yogurt

This dinner gives us one or two servings of vegetables, a portion of protein food (if we exceed the amount of eggs and shrimp it would be two, but we must avoid it), a small contribution of legumes (the amount should be light) and a portion dairy.

The carrot is an interesting food from the nutritional point of view due to its contribution in fiber, provitamin A (beta-carotene), vitamin E and B vitamins such as B9 or folic acid and B3 or niacin. Regarding minerals, potassium stands out. It provides us with proteins of high biological value and also some fat and cholesterol, but not enough to take away the bad reputation it had a few years ago. It also provides vitamins like A, D, E, B2, and B12, and minerals like phosphorus, selenium, iodine, iron, and zinc. Asparagus is very rich in fiber, they provide small amounts of macronutrients and instead we can highlight its content in folates, provitamin A (beta-carotene) and vitamins C and E, in addition to the minerals potassium, non-heme iron and phosphorus. Prawns are a small side dish that adds protein, some cholesterol and minerals and B vitamins to dinner. White beans, also in small quantities, provide us with some carbohydrates and fiber that give us a feeling of fullness. Finally, yogurt gives us the dairy intake to complement the day with an easy-to-digest food.

Remember that to have a healthy diet it is good to consult with specialists in nutrition and dietetics, they have a 24-hour Medical Guidance service for any questions you want to make about your health and that of your family.

• During a day we have to provide the body with the nutrients, vitamins and minerals it needs to function.
• That is why it is about balancing the contribution of all of them in the different meals that we make each day with a healthy menu.
• Doing it in a healthy and tasty way is not difficult. It is about taking into account what we need and what food provides it.

Mercè Gozalo

Diploma in Human Nutrition and Dietetics Bachelor of Food Science and Technology