Useful fast food: types, types, recipes

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

With the modern pace of life, many are thinking about how to reduce the time for cooking or visiting catering establishments. Fast food stalls are very helpful. Of course, such food is very difficult to call he althy. Here in the assortment are walking dogs, hamburgers, french fries. Someone swallows another portion without hesitation, but most people are well aware of how such nutrition affects he alth in general and the figure in particular. But does fast food always mean bad food? Is there a he althy fast food?

All eyes on the cast

Indeed, one size fits all recipes for snacking is impossible. The very concept of "fast food" today has become synonymous with something of poor quality, fatty and very high-calorie. And also cheap. There is one, and it is around in abundance. But he althy fast food is also hardly a rarity. After all, fast food is limited by time, notcomponents.

Show a little imagination - and you can concoct dozens of options for snacks, spending just a few minutes on each. At the same time, they will be made from high-quality, selected products. Of course, such a he althy fast food will appeal to even the most strict adherents of a he althy lifestyle.

Global experience

USA is considered the birthplace of hamburgers and french fries. But you need to understand that here, too, the consumer is offered a plug, both price and quality. If you want fast and cheap - take a cutlet fried in butter, with a wheat flour bun and mayonnaise. A huge amount of fat, cholesterol, carcinogens. Ready to pay more - so you can buy a rice or bran cake filled with selected vegetables with chicken breast sprinkled with olive oil. All over the world, he althy fast food is appreciated for its simplicity. And these snacks are very time-saving.

Salad bar and more

Let's push the boundaries a little. Indeed, for many, this concept is limited to a cutlet and a sausage in a bun. But the list does not end there. In Japan, fast food is sushi, selected and fresh fish. In Spain, tapas. In France, it is customary to snack on vegetable-based salads. But that's not all. This concept includes soups and sandwiches, rolls, juices and smoothies. There are enough options to understand that not everything fast is harmful. Plus, eating he althy can be delicious.

Choose a manufacturer

Today, all over the world, more and more new points are opening where he althy fast food is prepared and sold. You should not count onprices will be low. Most often, these are restaurant-level establishments, where not only dishes are on top, but also checks for service. At the same time, great attention is paid to the choice of products. They stay fresh, unspoiled by frying, canning, or freezing. The principle here is simple: the less processing they receive, the more useful properties they retain.

A competent menu consists of fruits and vegetables, dairy and sour-milk products, meat and fish. That is, meals should contain a set of proteins, vitamins and minerals, carbohydrates and a small amount of fat. Many people think that eating sandwiches is bad. And if you use fresh bread and grilled chicken for them? Add creamy cauliflower soup and vegetable salad to this. It turns out an excellent menu, light and satisfying.

Examples in the piggy bank

Let's think again, why is it not good to eat fast food? Most often because the dishes served are overloaded with fats and do not contain fresh vegetables and fruits at all. We correct this shortcoming, and the minus in the assessment changes to a plus. So, three whales of he althy and fast food:

• Soup. Of course, we are not talking about a heavy, rich stew on a pork bone. No meat and fish broths, only water and vegetables. You can flavor them with cream, cheese, spices. There can be a lot of options. Cream soup of cauliflower, lentils and carrots. How about potato and celery chowder, tomato gazpacho, or pumpkin and corn soup?
• Salad. The basis is green vegetables, and olive oil can serve as a dressing. Of course, we are not talking aboutmayonnaise. You can add almost any ingredient - boiled meat and fish, cheese, vegetables and nuts.
• Sandwich. There is also room for creativity here. The main thing is to choose a worthy foundation. Try to give up fluffy buns on wheat flour and yeast. Better choose bran cakes or sourdough bread.

Studying the world restaurant experience, it is difficult to understand why eating fast food is not he althy. On the contrary, a balanced menu gives a chance for a productive day without digestive problems.

Salads

Only at first glance, they do not fit the role of an afternoon snack. Take a lunch box or other convenient box, put a fork with you. And you can cut the vegetables into neat sticks so that they are convenient to take with your hands. Either way, your body will be grateful. For example, chop apples and carrots, beets and radishes into large straws. It remains only to sprinkle with lemon juice.

In 5 minutes

Now let's learn how to cook he althy fast food at home. Salad recipes can be supplemented indefinitely. This is fertile ground for experiments that never end.

• Beijing salad. The basis here will be the cabbage of the same name. All ingredients are taken in arbitrary quantities to satisfy your needs. The salad includes hard cheese, cabbage, oranges, onions, celery. Sesame, vegetable oil, lemon juice, pepper, ginger are added for better taste.
• Vitamin salad of radish and cabbage. To do this, you need to chop in equal quantitiesjulienne cabbage and grate radish. Add natural yogurt for dressing.
• "Carrot Miracle". Shred carrots. It needs to be slightly mashed so that the salad is more tender. Now cut the apples into thin strips, you can use a grater. They should be sprinkled with lemon juice so that they do not turn black. A great option for a snack, especially if you add a little walnut.
• Mozzarella and eggplant salad. It takes a little longer to prepare, but judging by the reviews, this is a very popular recipe. He althy fast food should meet the needs of your body and cover the need for nutrients. You will need a few eggplants, 200 g mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. Additionally, prepare apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Eggplants need to be cut into circles, put on a baking sheet and bake in the oven. Put them in a salad bowl, chop the rest of the ingredients and add the dressing. This is no longer just a snack, but a full meal.

Yogurts

What could be easier and he althier? It would seem that a solution has been found. You just need to go to the store, buy the coveted jar and the snack is ready. But most products in supermarkets contain a large amount of dyes and preservatives. Their shelf life is such that all beneficial microorganisms should have died long before the jar hit the table. But the benefits of fast food depends on the quality of the products used. Therefore, there is nothing left but to cook it at home.

This will require milk (not rustic, but not skimmed), butalso sourdough. It is usually sold in pharmacies. Dry powder should be mixed with milk and left overnight. In the morning, it remains to pour the finished yogurt into a convenient jar with a lid and take it with you. You can also add fruit to them and freeze the mixture in the freezer. It turns out an alternative to dessert.

Pancakes

Many are beginning to question whether they should be considered a he althy snack. Why not? Of course, cheap eateries may contain low-quality cooking oil, but if you trust the cook, then it is quite possible to please yourself with such a dish. Pancakes are fried in a dry frying pan, which reduces their calorie content. Let's give ready-made recipes, and you yourself decide whether fast food of this kind is useful:

• Pancakes on rice water. To do this, you will need a glass of broth, two glasses of flour (you can take a mixture of wheat and rice, flaxseed), 4 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, a pinch of s alt and a teaspoon of sugar. Mix all the ingredients, from this mass we will bake pancakes. Boiled rice with raisins or low-fat cottage cheese will be an excellent filling.
• Pancakes can be stuffed with boiled chicken and vegetables, fruits, cottage cheese and herbs. Such original rolls can be taken with you on the road. They are delicious, nutritious and light.

Sandwiches

Where would we be without them, if we are talking about fast food? Is it good or bad to eat sandwiches? It all depends on the ingredients that are chosen for their preparation. It is better to exclude sausage, and use butter in minimal quantities. Then sandwiches are a great option for an afternoon snack.

Bulku withoutWe change regrets for pita bread or whole grain bread. Not sausage, but boiled or grilled chicken will go into the filling. You can replace the fish, it will also be very tasty. Top with fresh herbs, cucumbers and tomatoes. If you use sauces, then choose yogurt, not mayonnaise. It turns out a full meal with a sufficient amount of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Enriched with fiber and vitamins. At the same time, it is also very tasty.

Spanish fast food

If there is an institution in your city that offers classic treats for this cuisine, then you should definitely try fast food there. He althy dishes are served here as gourmet snacks that you will definitely want to eat tomorrow. These are a variety of tortillas and hot sandwiches, croquettes with cheese, hot dogs based on dry-cured sausages. Instead of the usual mayonnaise and mustard, a special sauce based on tomatoes and basil is used here. It includes a dozen more secret spices that chefs don't reveal.

All varieties of stuffed tortillas can be either exclusively vegetarian or familiar to the average person. Fish and white meat are cooked on a special, metal board, which is heated over an open fire. The process practically does not require the addition of oil. At the same time, the meat turns out juicy, with a golden crust.

Roll with lavash

It may well claim the title of the most useful fast food. Thin pita bread made from rice or corn flour is a source of valuable carbohydrates. It's not a sweet bunwhich provides a huge amount of calories. Of course, rolls are only useful when you use quality filling ingredients.

Fried chicken and mayonnaise, even combined with greens and vegetables, is a bad option. Therefore, preference should be given to grilled or boiled meat. And of course, spice it up with fresh vegetables, a good bunch of lettuce and other greens. Makes a great snack or even a full meal.

Pizza

It can also be different. Thick cheese sauce, ketchup and mayonnaise, smoked meat all create a rich taste, but are completely unhe althy. Therefore, we learn to choose only what your body needs. The rules here are simple: when choosing a pizza, ask not to use mayonnaise and ketchup, ask that the dough be thin and put a lot of vegetables. The result is a fairly he althy lunch that will not be able to undermine your he alth. The main thing is not to eat the whole thing at once. It is better to add salad or soup to a slice of pizza.

Dessert is not taboo

He althy food and sweets don't go well together. Especially if these are store-bought margarine cakes with preservatives. Examples of he althy fast food allow you to make an afternoon snack the most interesting meal of the day:

• Jelly dessert. A sea of options and obvious benefits for the body. You will need gelatin, yogurt or kefir, bananas or any berries. You can also take fruits, but for this it is advisable to bake them and grind them into a puree. Further, everything is very simple. Let the gelatin swelldissolve in a water bath and add to yogurt. Put a fruit pillow in the mold, and pour the future jelly on top and refrigerate. Instead of yogurt, you can take curd mass, and bake a thin biscuit for the base.
• Homemade cupcakes are also a good option. Take wheat flour as a base, and replace the butter with sour cream. More berries and fruits - and you get a wonderful dessert.
• Or you can just cut apples and pears, oranges and grapefruit into cubes. Add some natural yogurt to this and the dessert is ready for the whole family.

What and how much to eat

We continue to consider useful types of fast food. Don't waste time and fill your cookbook with fresh ideas. After all, so often we are faced with the problem of what to take with us to work as a snack. Sausage, sausages, biscuits and sweets are fast and convenient, but not he althy. But you can do without a lot of time, but at the same time, even on the road, eat right and he althy.

It would seem that fast food and he althy food are two incompatible concepts. But that's just how it seems. The main thing is to understand what this or that product carries in itself. Potatoes are a source of valuable substances. But the same product, frozen with special additives (sold in bags, already cut into cubes) and fried in oil, is a completely different matter. He will not give anything good, except for a portion of fat. Try on everything that you are going to eat. Butter, cheese, lard - at first glance, sources of a colossal source of fat, but theyneeded by the body, just in small amounts. But breaded chicken is better not to eat. In extreme cases, peel the meat from the top layer.

Smoothies

Listing the types of he althy fast food, we got to drinks. Smoothies are nutritious smoothies that are only gaining popularity today. They do not last long in thermoses, so they are unsuitable for travel. But as a snack for a picnic or for work - a great option.

How to make fast food he althy? Do not add harmful ingredients to it. In this case, it is sugar, chocolate, caramel, cream, ice cream. Of course, with them the drink will be tastier, but the very meaning of a he althy snack is lost. The optimal ingredients will be low-fat cottage cheese, kefir. You can use egg whites and yolks, bananas and berries. Do not give up on a variety of vegetables. The basis for a smoothie can be a protein shake. It's a great source of protein without the extra calories. Another plus of a smoothie: among berries and vegetables, you can mask an unloved, but necessary and he althy vegetable.

How to reduce the harm from fast food

If you still went to a traditional fast food cafe, then you need to think carefully before placing an order. The key point for you is the following: eat and cause minimal damage to your he alth. How to get there:

• Don't order a ready meal. These options are made more affordable by adding cheap and unhe althy ingredients.
• Choose not pies and sandwiches, but soups and salads.
• Instead of french fries, order baked vegetables.
• Anything deep-fried is bad. Consider grilled food.
• If only hamburgers are available, don't eat the top bun. It is usually soaked in sauces.
• Choose pizza not meat, but with vegetables and mushrooms.
• Choose still water for drinks.

Are there any contraindications

Be that as it may, even he althy and he althy fast food is dry food. Smoothies are an exception, but so far the tradition of their preparation in our country is not very developed. Therefore, if you have problems with the digestive organs, then it is better to forget about this method of satisfying hunger. Many are convinced that you can only take pies and similar dry rations with you from home. But nothing like that. Nobody bothers to buy convenient lunchboxes for soup and porridge. Grab a thermos of rosehip tea. Do not be ashamed to stand out from the crowd, you can decide for yourself whether fast food is he althy. Let your colleagues stand in line at McDonald's, and you can spend this time quietly on a bench in the park.

Instead of a conclusion

From an economic point of view, a he althy fast food restaurant is more expensive. Take, for example, the need to use olive oil instead of margarine. In addition, all food should be cooked just before consumption. Semi-finished products are no longer so useful. But otherwise, the cost of raw materials can be compared with those in ordinary fast food establishments. And of course, high-quality, tasty and he althy food attracts customers, and they will come again. Much of the menu is fairly easy to replicate at home. Enough to havedesire and a simple set of products. Try it and soon you won't have sausage and burgers on your table either.