Sometimes even those who are on a diet and attentive to the line can give themselves a bite to street food. With some tricks however. Here are the advice of the nutritionist
The street food attracts more and more fans and gourmets and, as revealed by an investigation conducted by Coldiretti / IXè, one in two Italians eats it. Panelle, arancine, fried pizza, arrosticini, kebabs and other specialties, besides being good to taste, are fast and cheap solutions, especially for those who do not have time to cook or are around for work or holiday. They are, in fact, practical to eat and have very low costs. But street food is it good for those who are attentive to the line and to health? Let's clarify with the help of the doctor Federica Piccolino, nutritionist biologist.
Does street food make you fat or not?
"Street food is certainly very convenient and can be a valid alternative for those who do not have much time to eat. Unfortunately, however, most of the food we have available is highly caloric and strongly unbalanced towards fatsExplains the nutritionist. "If you follow a healthy and balanced diet, street food consumed in moderation and occasionally it can represent the gratifying exception. If consumed routinely, however, it is likely to be a problem for the line. For example, a simple one piadina with raw ham, has a higher caloric intake compared to the classic pasta dish: in fact, it provides about 600 kilocalories. The advice for not quarreling with the scales is not to exceed the street food and to limit the consumption to one or two times a month ".
How to choose it quality
"To make choices that are as close as possible to health, you need to be very careful to the ingredients and the cooking method. Fried foods, sauces, and very fatty meat, even if prepared with quality raw materials, are not a healthy solution. A sandwich perhaps integral or 5 cereals with vegetables and lean protein sources it can instead be an excellent fast and healthy alternative .
What to order
«When choosing street food it is important to read the ingredients, which must be exposed by law, and follow some simple rules: the fresh bread it is certainly preferable to bread in a sandwich box and sandwiches. The use of fresh vegetables it is absolutely not to be underestimated with respect to the pickles. Attention, moreover, to cooking: for example an excessive roasting of bread can lead to the formation of acrylamide, a carcinogen that can damage DNA ".
What to avoid
"When we think of the most negative aspects of street food, they immediately come to mind burgers, hot dogs and kebabs. In reality, even if they are very tasty, they are rich in saturated fats and salt, which are consumed in excess of line and health enemies. But even if we stay in Italy we must be very careful about what we choose to eat on the street: the most classic supplì or arancini, a slice of fried pizza, a sandwich with porchetta or a "cuoppo" of fried fish in fact they are all accumulated from a very high caloric level and a strong intake of fats, cholesterol and salt. These are foods that are absolutely not to be banned, but must be consumed in moderation and always within a balanced and varied diet .
Which dishes to prefer
"In order not to burden too much on the line, the choice could fall for example on takeaway salads, which also include the inclusion of cereals (type cous cous or quinoa), or on one wholemeal sandwich with vegetables and tuna or, again, on a slice of pizza margherita.
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When to eat it
"The advice is not to overdo it too much with street food, even if quality, especially because eating in a short time is never ideal for digestion and to have a sense of constant satiety that helps us not to spizzicare over the arc of day. If you could opt for one of the healthier alternatives, let's say that once or twice a week it could be a good compromise, always remembering to balance well the other main meal of the day with vegetables and fats of good quality, while once or twice a month the most greedy and tasty foods advises the expert.
Better for lunch or dinner?
«In general it is preferable to opt for street food at lunch, as the necessary digestion time is generally longer. Also, lets balance the macro and the micronutrients well more lacking with dinner, a meal in which we generally have more time to cook and eat. Physical activity and movement, moreover, it allows to dispose of excess calories more easily .
The extra tip: rebalance the other meals of the day
"Balancing other meals is very important because it allows you to keep it anyway healthy eating during the day, despite the hurdle. For example, if our street meal will be too unbalanced on carbohydrates (as with a sandwich or a slice of pizza) or on fat, it will be important to bring it to the table lean proteins and vegetables at the next meal. If you have opted for a crepe, instead, it is better not to overdo the sugars for the rest of the day ".
Would you like to know more? Discover in the gallery the other expert's suggestions for eating street food without getting fat
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