Dr. Davide Minisci explains how to prepare a tasty and balanced snack at the same time, for us and for our children
«Staying at home does not necessarily mean spending whole days sitting on the sofa eating anything that happens within reach: even between the walls of your apartment you can do a minimum of physical activity with some equipment or through the online advice of apps and video courses ; just as it is possible to continue following a healthy diet, perhaps revised and corrected for our new lifestyle, certainly more sedentary ". The goal is to take advantage of these days of isolation to take care of ourselves, educating and educating our children also from a food point of view. Or at least so suggests Davide Minisci, doctor and nutritionist, who invites us to reflect on the half-forgotten meal that all of us have been rediscovering in recent weeks: snack. Yeah, just that afternoon snack that many of us hadn't had since high school days, or that had been replaced by a quick snack in front of the office distributors. «The snack has always been an integral part of Mediterranean dietContinues Dr. Minisci. "But some little care is needed to not turn it into a counterproductive binge of calories."
A balanced snack
"For our children snack can also mean bread and Nutella, but we must remember that we are of another age. And another metabolism . The nutritionist's advice is clear: keeping sugar and fat at bay is essential, especially now that our chances of moving and dedicating ourselves to physical activity are very limited. «In general, the afternoon snack, or the snack, should guarantee us a contribution of about 5% of the daily calories. Around 150-180 kcal in total . A fruit or a fruit salad therefore, ideal solutions remain, perhaps with the addition of low-fat yogurt, 0% fat. Other possible alternatives are a Greek yogurt with a teaspoon of honey and some seeds or dried fruit to increase the protein intake. "Even a toast with turkey or cooked ham can be great, especially for those used to going to the gym," says Minisci. "Or a cereal bar, which can become a practice even when we return to the office."
The snack for the little ones
A pinch of extra goodies is certainly not a problem for children, who can very well enjoy a traditional snack based on bread, chocolate and so on. «Staying at home with mom and dad, however, can become a precious opportunity for experiment with new foods", Suggests the expert. "We must remember that the little ones look at us in search of an example: then let's try to make them passionate about fruit, or to make them rediscover the wonder of a simple bread with jam". Go ahead also for homemade cakes, provided they do not contain excess cream and butter; or pancakeas, to be enjoyed with the usual maple syrup. «We also try to offer some juice, or maybe a fruit smoothie made with partially skimmed milk. For the rest, room for imagination. And yes, if every now and then we want to join the snack of our children we don't have to feel guilty: a sgarro from time to time is not a problem, on the contrary, it is a cure-all for our mood .
