How to Make Everyday Meals Healthier: Check Out Six Tips

In the rush of everyday life, it can sometimes seem difficult to find the time to eat healthy. But trust me: With simple tweaks to your routine and a little planning, it’s possible to maximize the nutrients and flavor in every dish. With the help of the Erasto Gartner Hospital team, we’ve listed six ways to make your daily meal healthier.

In addition to fresh fruits, oats, chia or flax seeds, it is important to eat Healthy sources of protein At breakfast.

“Replace sausage with healthier options like homemade patties with tuna or shredded chicken and replace ultra-processed cheeses with fresh or semi-processed cheeses, which are high in protein but lower in sodium and additives,” recommends Rebecca Elbert, a dietitian in the hospital’s nutrition department. Erasto Gartner Nutrition Service. See? Cheese bread doesn’t have to leave the table: substituting raw materials really makes a big difference to the palate and the body.

How do you make your daily meals healthier for lunch and dinner? The golden rule here is to increase the amount of vegetables in the plate, and it is preferable to do so. those harvested in their natural season.

Eat whole grains, lean meats like chicken and fish, and other proteins like eggs, legumes, and tofu; after all, this is also a way to bring more health to the table. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is best not to exceed 500 grams of red meat per week. So, how about reserving that amount for a special recipe?

Each food contains specific nutrients that can be enhanced depending on how it is prepared. According to nutritionists, this concept is called Bioavailability“It’s a measure of how much of a specific nutrient is available to be absorbed and used by the body after it’s consumed,” Rebecca explains.

According to the expert, The bioavailability of nutrients can be improved depending on the technology used in preparation. Below, we share tips on how to make everyday meals healthier—which you can put into action the next time you head to the kitchen. Let’s go?!

1. Collect whenever possible.

It’s not just about flavor, as tradition dictates that you include a few slices of orange in your feijoada. Science explains the conventional wisdom: Foods rich in vitamin C are the perfect pairing for those rich in non-heme iron, such as beans and lentils.

“They work together to increase the body’s absorption of this substance,” says Rebecca.

2. Steam

When in doubt between frying, roasting or sautéing, a good tip is to steam your vegetables. This will ensure that these foods retain more of their vitamins and minerals.

To add more flavor to the preparation, the secret here is to use spices to add flavor.

3. Prioritize healthy fats

According to the expert, adding a source of healthy fats (such as olive oil) to meals helps absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as carotenoids, which are essential for protecting the skin from free radicals. These are found in orange and red foods such as pumpkin, tomatoes, and carrots.

4. Soaking legumes

Before cooking beans, lentils, chickpeas or peas, cover them with water and soak them for at least eight hours. Then drain and use the new water for preparation.

“By soaking legumes before cooking, levels of phytic acid and other anti-nutritional compounds are reduced, making these nutrients more available and improving the body’s absorption of them,” explains the nutritionist.

5. Cut it in advance

Some foods, when cut 10 to 15 minutes before cooking, become healthier. These include broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, from the genus Brassica L., as well as alliums (garlic, leeks and onions).

According to the nutritionist, this allows the enzyme MyrosinaseNaturally present in the food itself, it activates the bioactive compounds in the ingredients. But be careful: heat can prevent enzyme activation, so avoid cooking these foods for long periods of time.

6. Planning is essential.

If cooking time is scarce during the week, it is important to set aside at least one day for “quantity” preparation. What about Sunday? Set aside part of the day and prepare enough portions for several meals.

According to Rebecca, lunch boxes should contain a portion of protein, a whole carbohydrate and plenty of vegetables. Another tip is to cook the latter in a simpler way – that way it’s easier to change the seasoning throughout the day.

Everyone has a signature recipe. The one that, after making it a few times, you can make with your eyes closed; that the whole family knows no one else does it the same. Pine risotto, banana pie, carrot farofa. Whatever dish you’re most proud of, it can now take you to the stage of the Bom Gourmet Awards 2024.

Generations That Block: Your Recipes with Erasto Gartner It’s a competition held by Bom Gourmet in partnership with Erasto Gaertner Hospital. To participate, simply send us a recipe that, in addition to being delicious, also helps promote health. Here, we’ll share tips on how to combine these two concepts. Easy, right?

From the recipes registered until July 28, the Bom Gourmet team will select five recipes that will be tested and evaluated by a technical jury. If your recipe is voted the best, get ready to take the stage at the largest gastronomic award in southern Brazil on August 26! Click here to make your registration.

Located in the city of Curitiba, it was inaugurated in December 1972. It is a center of excellence in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, teaching and research in oncology, and is currently the largest cancer center in Paraná, a reference in southern Brazil.

It is a pioneer in the development of minimally invasive techniques for cancer control and is currently the state’s leading bone marrow transplant center. It has a large and modern technology park, is the first in the region to implement a robotic surgery program and offers this procedure to patients in the Unified Health System.

It is also the first center in the South of the country certified to perform Car-T cell therapy. It serves more than 70,000 patients annually and performs more than 2 million procedures. In total, the hospital has 212 beds, including intensive care units and 25 beds dedicated to bone marrow transplantation.