The wave of light food is gradually taking root in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and has a tendency to spread to second- and third-tier cities, and more and more people are recognizing the importance of light food, which is low in fat, low in calories, and low in salt and oil, and has been favored by a lot of weight-loss people, fitness professionals, celebrities, netizens, and white-collar crowds.
01
The new definition of light food
Light food ≠ vegetarian
Vegetarian food refers to a diet that is based on plant-based ingredients only; light food ingredients basically only include high-fiber, low-calorie parts of plant-based ingredients, but also includes high-protein, low-fat meat, seafood and aquatic products.
Light food rejects high-calorie cooking
The main cooking methods of light food: cold, boiled, steamed, baked and so on, to ensure the health of the ingredients. Try not to use seasonings to highlight the flavor of the ingredients themselves, and even if they are used, they are very small and healthy natural seasonings.
Light food is not to let you eat full
Tasteful light food is generally strict control of calories and labeling of ingredients, and at the same time will be based on the amount of food eaters and the basic metabolism every day to provide a meal portion, basically to ensure that the 6-8 points can be full.
02
The popular ingredients of light food
Light food has certain requirements for ingredients, but the principle is low-calorie, low-fat, low oil, high-fiber, high protein, etc. If there are professional fitness friends around, the food they ate every day in order to keep fit is basically very close to the ingredients of light food.
But as a light food, in addition to the common ingredients, there are still some pushy ingredients that are highly respected.
Vegetable ingredients
Vegetables are definitely the mainstay of light food, but not all vegetables are the first choice for light food, such as potatoes, although tasty, but contains carbohydrates, light food is generally not a priority. Instead, leafy vegetables that are well hydrated and rich in fiber and vitamins are more popular.
Basil In Taiwan is known as nine layer tower, belonging to the green leafy vegetables, basil leaves have a stimulating flavor, stomach and digestion.
Collard greens, similar in appearance to cabbage, are a foreign vegetable and ornamental variety. Crisp taste, thick fiber, more satiating.
Okra, also known as "foreign peppers", looks like chili peppers, containing mucus, slippery taste, a slight fishy flavor. Okra is a very popular ingredient in recent years in young food.
Colorful peppers Bright color, taste crisp and sweet, no spicy flavor, low calorie while still rich in nutrients, the most important thing is to make the dish looks good.
Fruit ingredients
The fruit ingredients for light meals are also somewhat delicate, light flavor, rich in nutrients, low sugar fruit is the favorite of light meals.
Avocado is rich in protein, fat loss and muscle growth, beauty and anti-aging, which is simply tailor-made for light food ingredients.
Guava is rich in water, dietary fiber, the important thing is that the calorie and fat content than the apple is also lower than half, how can light food less it.
Animal ingredients
Light meals do not exclude meat, but the requirements for meat are still relatively high. In addition to high-quality beef, other red meat will not appear in the light food. In addition, salmon, shrimp, shellfish and other seafood or river food that contain high quality protein and low calorie are the first choice for light meals. Eggs are also a common ingredient in light meals, but usually only the egg white part is taken.
Staple food ingredients
The staple food ingredients of light food are mainly coarse grains, which are rich in fiber, help to promote gastrointestinal peristalsis to help digestion, and stay in the stomach for a longer period of time, so that there is a sense of satiety. We often hear of oats, sorghum are very common light food ingredients. In addition to this, there is also the recent big hit of quinoa, which has almost become a must-have ingredient for light meals.
Quinoa is native to the Americas, it is unique in that quinoa as a plant contains only animal ingredients contain complete protein, but also a variety of amino acids that the human body can not be synthesized, the content of fiber is also very amazing, natural health food.
03
Light food food style
Light food from the West into our country, the style of food is still in the Western style of simple food style. Simple production, focus on matching, nutrition and health are the main characteristics of light food.
Salad
Simple, easy to eat, healthy and fashionable, salad is the highest proportion of light food style. In China, salad has become almost synonymous with light food.
But light salads are not the same as regular salads! The biggest difference is the use of salad dressings, light salads do not use high-calorie, high-fat mayonnaise, Thousand Island dressing, etc., instead of healthy vinaigrette, the flavor is more refreshing, and do not have to worry about excessive calories. In addition, chia seeds, flaxseeds and other light seasonings are often added to the salad.
Sandwiches and burgers
Sandwiches and burgers, the granddaddy of light meals, are also an important food style for modern light meals. However, compared to traditional sandwiches and burgers, light meals are made with whole wheat pastry and are smaller in size, and the food in the center is made from vegetables or high-protein fish or chicken instead of fried red meat.
Drinks
Light drinks are mainly freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, with no added sugar or other additives, and are best enjoyed unfiltered, mixing the juice with the residue. Wheatgrass juice, which is popular all over the world, is a good example of a light drink. In addition, skimmed milk, yogurt and mineral water are also very common in the light food drink.
Light Chinese food
Light Chinese food is actually similar to vegetarian food, but it does away with the heavy oil and heavy flavor of vegetarian food. To simple steaming, cooking, frying and grilling, focusing on less salt and oil, the main food is also brown rice, buckwheat and other main.
04
Pros and cons of light meals
Proper light meals can also serve the purpose of weight loss and pleasure. However, light food, especially fresh vegetable-based food is mostly water, although there is a sense of satiety, but it will cause other nutritional intake is insufficient, resulting in malnutrition, affecting health. It is not suitable for children and pregnant women in particular.
In addition, light food is now being misled by many people into a misunderstanding. They think that light food must be organic ingredients, imported ingredients, high-grade ingredients; claiming that light food is the most fashionable way of life, etc., which brings a lot of trouble and unnecessary waste to many people. In fact, the essence of light food is the pursuit of a healthy, balanced and nutritious concept. If you are overly obsessed with rules and regulations, you will lose the fun of light eating.
-Picture from the network, infringement and deletion-
END