Breakfasts and dinners: what to eat to take a healthy diet

A healthy and balanced diet is what allows the body to function optimally. To achieve this, it is essential that it be based on foods that promote the proper functioning of the body and avoid food-related diseases, such as obesity or cardiovascular problems. For this reason, experts recommend that diet be part of a healthy lifestyle, be rich in foods of plant origin and fiber and, on the other hand, low in animal fat, in sweets and high calorie products. This article reviews the main characteristics of a healthy diet and presents specific suggestions for breakfast and dinner.

What should a healthy diet contain?

Image: CONSUMER EROSKI

In order for the diet to be balanced, it must contain at least two servings of vegetable daily, one in the meal and one in the dinner; 2 to 3 pieces or servings of fruit per day; 2 to 3 servings of protein foods per day (meat, fish and eggs, preferably low in fat), high-fiber cereals or starches such as pasta, rice or whole-wheat bread or legumes; And avoid foods such as sugar, sweets such as jams rich in sugar, sugary drinks, industrial bakery and confectionery and pre-cooked foods.

Another aspect recommended by the experts is to distribute food intake throughout the day and therefore make 5-6 meals a day: breakfast, mid-morning, lunch, snack, dinner and after dinner after dinner. This favors self-management of intake and anxiety and also distributes calorie consumption throughout the day.

Can skipping meals or not dine can help you lose weight?

There is no study that shows that skipping a meal can help you lose weight. Although the basis of any low-calorie diet for weight control is to reduce caloric intake, it is not recommended to skip meals to get it. Experts recommend not skipping meals and distributing well throughout the day, as this can help us control hunger and anxiety.

Skipping meals can help us to be hungry before the next and, consequently, we end up snacking and eating some food not recommended. For example, no dinner can make the next morning have a great appetite or not snack can make us very hungry before dinner; And so we will end up biting something before dinner or having much more breakfast than usual the next morning.

Does eating only fruit or cereals with milk help you lose weight?

Dinner is the last meal of the day and should not be a copious and plentiful meal, especially if we are going to lie down immediately after it. The caloric control of the dinner is important if we want to lose weight. However, substituting dinner for a particular food - such as fruit or milk with cereals - can contribute to the imbalance of the diet and even to an excessive amount of calories in it.

To get an idea: a bowl of fruit with a banana, 200 g of grape and two experts can contain about 400 kcal, the same as could have a green salad with a hard egg. The same thing can happen if we replace dinner with a bowl of milk and cereal. If we control the quantities well, a cup of semi-skimmed milk with 30 g of cereal provides about 200 kcal, but if we replace the cup with a large bowl, the caloric intake can be around 400-500 kcal; So that we will be eating the same, or even more, than if we made a balanced dinner.

In addition, replacing the balanced meal with these foods may reduce the intake of vegetables and fruit (in the case of cereals) and therefore the consumption of dietary fiber, which could increase the risk of constipation. It can also cause a reduction in protein intake, a very important fact in patients at risk of malnutrition or in people with decreased muscle mass. So, skipping meals or unbalancing the diet does not help to lose weight or lead a healthier diet.

Breakfasts and dinners: healthy suggestions

Between breakfast and mid-morning a dairy (milk, yogurt or cheese) should be consumed in a starchy food (bread, toast or cereal), accompanied or not by protein food and fruit. For example:

Breakfast: coffee with semi-skimmed milk and mini bocadillo. Half morning: fruit salad. In detail: mini bocadillo with cooked ham accompanied by coffee with milk at breakfast and macedonia with pear and grapes at mid-morning.

Breakfast: tea with milk with two kiwis. Half morning: sandwich with skimmed liquid yogurt. In detail: tea with milk accompanied by two kiwis at breakfast and sandwich of ham serrano with skimmed liquid yogurt mid-morning.

Breakfast: latte with tomato sandwich and fresh cheese. Half morning: natural skimmed yogurt sweetened with walnuts. In detail: coffee with milk with bread sandwich of integral oven (without added fats), with tomato, oregano, olive oil and fresh cheese. At mid-morning, natural skim yogurt with nuts.

Breakfast: milk with breakfast cereals. Half morning: apple with sweetened skimmed yogurt. Try to choose whole breakfast cereals without honey, sugar or added fats.

A balanced and light dinner should contain raw or cooked vegetables, lean protein foods (meat, fish or eggs) and a moderate amount of starchy foods (bread, pasta, cereals and legumes). It is advisable to consult the dietitian-nutritionist about the quantitative composition, if you are on a calorie-controlled diet. Some examples:

Dinner: mashed zucchini with grilled hake. Dessert: mandarins. In detail: cream of zucchini, onion and a little potato, seasoned with salt and black pepper, all crushed. Grilled hake. Two mandarin oranges for dessert.

Dinner: complete salad. Dessert: mango. In detail: salad with lettuce and canon sprouts, cherry tomatoes, beets and carrots with a hard-boiled egg and 25 g of hazelnuts. Two whole toast. Half mango for dessert.

Dinner: steamed vegetable or lékué with chicken. Dessert: melon. In detail: eggplant, onion, carrot and tomato strips, cooked steamed or in lékué, with chicken breast to cubes. Two slices of whole wheat bread. Melon for dessert.

Dinner: tomato salad and tuna belly. Dessert: banana. In detail: salad tomato in thick slices accompanied by tuna ventresca. Two slices of whole wheat bread. Dessert banana.