May 6, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Lenten table: 6 foods that are good for health

Nutritionist, diabetes and obesity specialist Ms. Eleni Kui mentions 6 lean foods that provide many health benefits. The expert offers an indicative meal plan for the days of Great Lent.

“Clean Monday marks the beginning of Lent. If we observe it correctly, then we should avoid everything that is connected with meat, eggs, fish, milk, butter, etc. until the evening of Holy Saturday, ”says the physician. The foods that we usually eat on the days of Great Lent, including Clean Monday, are very healthy and nutritious, especially if they are combined and cooked correctly, writes news4health.gr. Below are 6 types of foods that provide many health benefits.

1. Octopus-squid-seafood

Seafood is rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, phosphorus. They are also low in fat, especially when not fried. In particular, a serving of seafood (120 g) without added fat provides about 150 kcal. On the contrary, when they are fried, they reach about 230 calories per 100 g. However, if they are combined with pasta and rice (shrimp pasta or cuttlefish pilaf), then you will have to be careful with a serving (200 g).

2. Beans – legumes

In addition to seafood, legumes take pride of place, which are amazing sources of plant fiber, valuable for the proper functioning of the intestines and, of course, have a low fat content. Their advantage is that one serving is enough to fill you up. Moreover, this feeling has a fairly long period of time. Oven-baked beans (Γίγαντες στο φούρνο), black-eyed beans with spinach (μαυρομάτικα με σπανάκι), chickpeas (ρεβύθια) are pretty good ideas. They have less than 100 calories per 120 g serving.

3. Taramas-taramosalata (roe of small fish and salad from it)

Rich in protein, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin A and D. Despite these useful elements, one must be careful in the amount of consumption due to the salt and fat they contain, in 100 gr. taramas contains 407 calories.

4. Olives

They appear on the table as an accompaniment to other dishes, especially during fasting. They are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, which is an antioxidant and has anti-cancer effects. One serving corresponds to 5-6 olives and contains 45 kcal.

5. Lagana

This is a traditional yeast-free flatbread that is baked and consumed on Clean Monday. This type of bread is good for eating with it many of the above delicacies. However, we must be careful with the amount of flour product. 1-2 slices are superb when you consider that each (30g) has about 80 calories.

6. Halva

Well, what a feast is not complete without dessert and sweets! Halva is traditionally eaten these days. The sweetness is very nutritious and contains monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids that protect against cardiovascular diseases, rich in B vitamins, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, selenium. However, you need to pay attention to the amount of consumption, since 100 g gives about 350-450 kcal, depending on whether it is a simple halva or with chocolate or nuts.

Indicative Lenten Diet Plan from a Greek Nutrition Expert

Breakfast

1 slice of bread (lagana) with honey and tahini.

Snack
1 fruit.

Dinner
1 serving of seafood – 1-2 spoons of legumes – 1 spoon of taramasalata + 30g of lagana, 5 olives and green salad.

afternoon tea

1 fruit + 30 g of halva.

Dinner
Salad – 1 small boiled potato or 120 g legumes + seafood.



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