eight steps to start eating healthy

Fruits and vegetables. Also legumes, whether dried, frozen or canned. “There’s talk of fast food, but just as fast – and much healthier – is making a good dish with potted chickpeas,” says Oliver. Our shopping cart should include rice, wholemeal pasta, chicken (not chicken sausage), fish, milk and eggs. Another basic are tomato jars. Run away from the fried tomato no matter how much the label says ‘homemade style’. What you need to buy are cans of tomatoes the only ingredient is tomato. We can fry it ourselves with a little extra virgin olive oil. In a few minutes we will have one delicious homemade sauce infinitely healthier than prepared ones.

Exile them once and for all flavored yogurts. They have four lumps of sugar for every 125 grams. “In the ultra-processed foods we see in the supermarket, sugar – Oliver recalls can appear with many other names, such as glucose, dextrose, sucrose, agave syrup, maltose …” So from now on buy yogurt natural without added sugar. If you don’t like its acidity, a trick: “Add a little ground cinnamon“Vanilla essence, crushed strawberries or ground nuts.” melt. What about the sausage? “Yes, but occasionally, not several times a week. If processed meats – bacon, sausages, industrial burgers and black pudding – are eaten regularly, or if taken in large quantities, they can cause very serious illnesses such as cancer, ”warns the book.

How many times do we not feel that for a day you eat sweets nothing happens? And it is true, but if – really – it was one day a year. The reality is that the holiday calendar includes multiple school birthdays, family reunions, Halloween, Christmas Eve, Kings, Easter, village holidays … “Your kids need to know that these sweets should be something extremely timely.And not only your children but also the rest of the family.Grandparents, for example.This requires a lot pedagogical work with the family “, Highlights the author of ‘Nyam!’ A trick: before your child goes to the birthday they have been invited to offer a lot of fruit before leaving home.

On these dates, Oliver suggests taking a look at the traditional menus. Instead of the typical pate and sausage trays, opt for a homemade hummus (chickpea paste, with a little garlic, lemon and sesame), a lentil pâté with spices or toast with extra virgin olive oil, paprika and salt. As a main course, how about a roast chicken with lemon and garlic or a vegetable curry with rice? And for dessert, combine the eternal trays of nougat and polvorones with another full of chopped fruit.

Avoid the so-called soft drinks. They are, in fact, sugary drinks. “If you take them occasionally, fine. But you have a serious problem if you habitually incorporate them into your table. It’s best to never have them at home.”

Walnuts, almonds, chestnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios … They are rich in healthy fats, They provide vitamins, minerals and proteins. A handful every day is recommended. Of course, raw or toasted. And always without salt or sugar.

The best snack for your little ones (and for you) is fruit. But ‘Nyam!’ offers more options. To prepare a healthy sandwich you can make one peanut butter, Beat in a blender until you get a paste. Spread it on wholemeal bread and add a few slices of banana. Another option is one oat bar: Mix oatmeal with milk, add a roasted apple and cinnamon powder and chopped nuts. Put the mixture in the microwave for four minutes and let it cool. One last idea: white bean hummus (beat the legumes with oil, lemon, salt, cumin and paprika) with carrot sticks. And another for more sweet tooth: homemade nocilla (Hazelnuts, pure cocoa, milk and extra virgin olive oil).

No matter how much hand you have in the kitchen, your kids will almost always prefer industrial pastry to your homemade melindros. “It’s very difficult to compete,” admits Oliver, a mother of two. “Parents need to be an example because, in the long run, these healthy habits will permeate children. To change bad habits, don’t make sudden changes. Voice slowly. And, of course, never oblige or impose“.