Cooking Classes / healthy eating

Healthy Italian Food

You can read, like me, the works of Ivan Pavlov, Hebert M. Shelton, William Hey, Desire Merien and any articles or books you find on the subject. I am not an expert on the field. I am writing just general information, mainly based on the Italian national guidelines for healthy eating.

A balanced diet is essential for the growth and wellbeing of children (and adults). A bad diet, in the long run, will affect the body. Being overweight, diabetes, heart problem (England has one of the highest percentage of deaths by heart attacks) are just few of the consequences.

What shall we do then? Follow the 3 simple rules underneath and keep reading the page to understand a little bit what food is about and use it properly.

Rule# 1 Cook your food.
Production, transformation and preservation of foods, often include unhealthy substances. Preservatives, chemical food colours, chemical antioxidants - all used to preserve, colour or alter the taste of foods - (some of them come under the labels E249,E252,E300-E303,E306-E309) - are dangerous. They could lead to the formation of cancerous or toxic substances in our bodies.
Click here to try our FREE quick, easy, healthy Italian recipes. We update them every Tuesday.

Rule# 2 Choose seasonal products.
The so called "out of season" products are produced in an unnatural way. This includes the use of preservatives and other such products.
Nature is wise. Watery and fruit and vegetables rich in Vitamin A grow in the summer to hydrate our bodies during warm temperatures. Oily fruit and vegetables that are rich in vitamin C, grow in the winter to protect our bodies against the cold.

Rule#3 Combine the right foods together.
Digestion is the process that changes food into nutritional elements. The process is different if we eat carbohydrates or proteins. If these latter are eaten together, digestion is compromised and food can stay in our body (without being properly digested) up until 70 hours. These intoxicate our body, leading to overweight and other health problems.

It is therefore important to have carbohydrates and vegetables in a meal and proteins and vegetables in a different meal. Generally speaking is better to have carbohydrates for lunch, as they are the main source of energy which we need during the day.

There are six different energy categories in food:

1) Carbohydrates. These are the main source of energy and are, generally speaking, cereals ♦ rice ♦ pasta ♦bread ♦ pulses ♦ tubers ♦ honey ♦ fruits ♦sugar cane. 

2) Proteins. These are essential to building muscles, and include meat ♦ fish ♦ eggs ♦ raw meats ♦ milk ♦ cheeses. 

3) Fats. They have a high concentration of energy, and therefore we need to use them in small quantities. We find them mainly in olive oil ♦ butter ♦ margarine ♦ cheeses ♦ raw meats ♦ chocolate ♦ desserts ♦ sweets ♦ pastries.

4) Vitamines. The main ones are:
Vitamin A. It is good for our eyes, hair, skin and teeth and we find it in: veal's liver ♦ carrots ♦ blue cheese ♦ eggs.
Vitamin D. It is good for our bones and teeth. We find it (mainly) in salmon ♦ avocado ♦ porcini mushrooms ♦ eggs.
Vitamin E.  It protects our body from free radicals, helping us against cancer. We find it (mainly) in turkey ♦ raw peppers ♦ celery.
Vitamin B1. It transforms carbohydrates into energy. White sugars and white flour are called: "vitamin B1 thieves". We find it (mainly) in pork steak ♦ chicken breast ♦ sunflower seeds ♦ whole bread ♦ chick peas.
Vitamin B6. It is mainly important for the growth and development of children. We find it (mainly) in shrimps ♦ salmon ♦ veal ♦ banana ♦ carrots ♦ sprouts ♦ avocado ♦ potatoes.
Vitamin C. It protects many vitamins in our body and helps preventing colds. We find it (mainly) in ribes ♦ broccoli ♦ papaya ♦ fennels ♦ kiwi ♦ oranges.
Folic Acid. It helps metabolizing proteins and the formation of new cells. We find it (mainly) in beef's liver ♦ chicken's liver ♦ green beans ♦ spinach ♦ chick peas ♦ fennel ♦ fresh strawberries.

5) Minerals. We find them mainly in vegetables.

6) Water. We find it mainly in vegatables and fruits. 

You can learn more about healthy Italian food from one of our Italian cooking courses. We offer Italian cookery courses covering a wealth of different subjects including healthy Italian food options, so get in touch to see what our latest Italian cookery course could do for you.