Messy messages circulate on the net, on social networks and in various virtual groups that tell how messy and untidy the house is, at the time of smart working and the emergency that forces home.
A little 'is ironic, ironic and joking about it. A little no. This moment is really difficult and complicated: it is not easy to organize for shopping and then, once the fridge and pantry are full, the food is not always balanced and without waste. Here having some suggestions can be really useful.
The vademecum
The vademecum proposed by the dieticians and nutritionists of Robin Foood Onlus and by the Banco Alimentare Foundation, dedicated to all those who do not have a diet already prescribed and want to organize themselves well in order to feed themselves in the right way, avoiding waste and making effective shopping . The idea was born from the sharing of a project that precedes this emergency: it is the cultural, educational and social project strongly desired by the Banco Alimentare Foundation and developed with the scientific contribution of Robin Foood Onlus and the support of Carrefour. It is a question of supplying many families in difficulty with nutritionally correct food.
"At this difficult time – says Carla Lertola, President of the Robin Foood Onlus Association and Medical Surgeon in Food Science and Dietetics – we thought of giving our contribution by sharing important food culture information".
The basis is to distribute meals well throughout the day, even when the rules of normal life are all subverted by an extraordinary situation: "There should be 5 meals and they should be punctuated and regular," explains the dietician.
There are breakfast, two main meals and two mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks. "If we can eat in a healthy and balanced way, introducing and distributing nutrients in the correct way, nutrition already provides us with everything the body needs, including vitamins that strengthen the immune system," underlines Carla Lertola.
Organize meals and food
In the vademecum you will find how to organize a typical day from the food point of view. Here she is:
For Breakfast: 1 portion of a high carbohydrate food such as rusks, cereals, preferably dry biscuits and 1 portion of protein choosing from cow's milk, yoghurt or vegetal drinks based on soy, oats, almond.
Snacks: a portion of fresh fruit, preferably in season.
TO lunch and dinner: a high carbohydrate food, choosing from possibly wholemeal bread, pasta, rice, polenta or potatoes and co .; a portion of a high protein food, varying between legumes, fish, white meat, red meat, fresh, aged cheeses, eggs and salami. For red meats, eggs, mature cheeses and salami, it is necessary to limit yourself to once a week; fresh cheeses and white meat twice a week, legumes and fish three times a week; a portion of fresh vegetables, possibly in season or, alternatively, frozen.
You shouldn't go overboard with the seasonings and it would be better to prefer extra virgin olive oil.
As regards the portions Robin foood has prepared a very clear scheme.
The suggestion is to use a unit or volume calculation, taking the size of your hand as a reference.
The portion of bread and meat should be as large as your hand. Pasta, rice and sandwiches as big as your own punch. Matured cheese: 2 fingers.
Last useful tip: the shopping list.
In the vademecum they drew up a real shopping list. The quantities indicated are the average for one person, so if it is the expense for a family of three they will be multiplied by three. The idea is to provide a tool that allows you to make a quick shopping, where all the essential foods for health are present.
SHOPPING LIST
1-1.5 liters of cow's milk or vegetable drink
1 packet of biscuits, rusks or breakfast cereals
1-1.5 kg of bread, pasta and rice
3 cans of small legumes or 1 pack of dried legumes
0.5 kg of fish already cleaned
200-250 g of white meat
100-150 g of red meat
50-70 g of cold cuts
2 eggs
100 g of fresh cheese
50 g of aged cheese
3-3.5 kg of vegetables
2.5-3 kg of fruit
extra virgin olive oil, one bottle (which will naturally last more than a week)
Dr. Lertola is keen to point out that “of course, nothing prevents you from buying other food items as well. This list represents the bare minimum for a sober, healthy, balanced and waste-free diet, which is more important than ever at the moment ”.
And for those who also want to know what Carla Lertola, who is a dietitian doctor, cooks, there is also her facebook page "in this difficult moment, good food can help take care of us (and our loved ones) and distract us at least a little during these long days at home. Those who know me know that I am not very social, but I have decided that every day I will propose an idea / recipe for a dish that I myself will prepare and eat during the day. It is my way of being together with the people I love whether they are relatives, friends or patients. Obviously they are all light recipes and I hope so tasty".
Barbara Roncarolo
March 2020
photo credits: Alexas_Fotos
