translated from Spanish: Not everything is lettuce: what to eat in a low calorie diet in winter

According to a report by the United Nations Organization P ARA Food and Agriculture (FAO), 34.4% of the Chilean population over 15 years old has high rates of obesity, being the second country of the OECD with the highest rate of obesity.
With the advent of winter and the coldest months, the consumption of warm food increases and this does not necessarily have to be a high calorie consumption, according to Juan Cristobal Reyes, instructor chef of the School of Nutrition and Dietetics of the U. Andrés Bello.
“It seems that when we hear the phrase ‘ hypocaloric diet ‘ we automatically think of lettuce, spinach and tuna. Clearly on low temperature days for no one is pleasant a cold dish at lunchtime. Therefore, there are many alternatives to take a balanced diet and thus ingest the amount of calories needed for our day to day, “he warns.
The expert stresses that “consuming vegetables does not necessarily mean only eating lettuce or cold green leaves, but it can be soup preparations and, more specifically, vegetable stews and creams, which are complemented with a portion of white meat or, Simply ground hard-boiled eggs are a nutritionally balanced alternative and, above all, comforting. ”
According to the instructor chef of a UNAB, “practically all vegetables we can make creams. For example, pumpkin cream, carrot and ginger cream and the very classic cauliflower cream or the cream of broccoli and peanuts, “he recommends.
Another alternative that Reyes suggests is legumes which, combined with cereals such as pasta or rice, form an excellent source of essential amino acids. “A balanced diet should contemplate the usual consumption of legumes (2 times per week) and, in the case of a hypocaloric diet, can be perfectly considered as an entry,” he explains.
“Finally, the vegetable stews, where we can occupy carrots, Italian squash, eggplant, onion, tomatoes, spinach, chard, etc., will only be limited by the availability of the products and our imagination,” concludes the expert.

Original source in Spanish