All of us quite often face the widespread opinion that most packaged and semi-prepared foods do not affect our health in the best way. But in the general mass of semi-finished products there are exceptions! Preparing any dish from legumes takes a lot of time. One pre-soak is worth it! Canned beans contain the same amount of fiber and protein as dried beans. However, they do not require additional cooking. When shopping for canned beans, pay attention to the ingredient list and buy the product with the shortest list of preservatives. Before eating, canned beans should be washed in running water. This simple action will remove excess salt – up to 40%, to be exact. Frozen vegetables are almost as nutritious as fresh vegetables. In addition, they are already cleaned, cut and fully prepared for further cooking. But the longer they are stored, the less they contain vitamins and minerals. Therefore, frozen vegetables are recommended to be stored for no more than one month. In addition, it is best to steam frozen vegetables, as some water-soluble vitamins are destroyed during the cooking process. Frozen berries sometimes become indispensable helpers in the fight against winter-spring beriberi! Berries can be added to various cereals, used to make yoghurts, sauces and drinks. When buying muesli bars, special care must be taken. Not all muesli bars are healthy. Carefully read the composition on the labels and buy options without unnecessary additives. Don’t be fooled by advertising! It is very good when dates are used instead of sugar in the bars. But the benefits of replacing sugar with fructose are questionable. In terms of calories, such bars are in no way inferior to bars with sugar. Often the muesli bars we are looking for are sold in the sports nutrition department or in Natural Products. Keep in mind that although muesli bars are healthy due to their high content of whole grains and long dietary fiber, they are still very high in calories. It is better to divide such a bar into two meals or treat a friend. Dry cereal is a kind of lottery. It’s always possible to get a wagon and a small cart of sugar as a supplement for a decent amount of fiber and vitamins. Try to choose the “right” cereal. When buying dry cereal, look for those varieties where one serving contains no more than 5 grams of sugar. If you wish, you can always buy sugar-free cereal and add sugared cereal to your taste. Yogurt is a widely used fermented milk product. Most yogurt manufacturers claim that their products are “natural”, free from artificial colors and flavor substitutes, and contain live lactobacilli. To believe or not to believe is up to you. In any case, carefully study the labels: starch, preservatives and sugar do not belong in yogurt. The shelf life of yogurt also speaks volumes – a natural product cannot be stored for more than two weeks.
2022-11-11