For years,dried fruit has been demonized. Now, however, it's very trendy. How did the perception of it as a "calorie bomb" go to "good for you"?
There are no foods that are good for you or bad for you, but we can assume both statements are true, staying somewhere in between. Dried fruit by definition is almost devoid of water, has a high fat content, and therefore a very high caloric density. The positive connotation of consuming dried fruit is linked precisely to the presence of fats, particularly essential fatty acids, which play a positive role in our body, for example, on the cardiovascular system.
It is known that walnuts are the most caloric, followed by hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, and peanuts. Which dried fruit do you recommend and why?
The recommended serving of dried fruit according to the guidelines for a healthy population is 30g per day. My recommendation, as with all foods in general, is to vary your food choices as much as possible. The small differences in dried fruit in terms of calories aren't that significant when compared to the portion you consume. We should also eat according to our tastes and not just according to the numbers.
Among dried fruit, pine nuts are the ones with the highest protein content (31.9 grams of protein per 100 grams). Can you explain why there's such a rush to follow a protein diet? Does a lot of protein make you lose weight? Let's dispel this myth together?
Protein absolutely doesn't make you lose weight. Just consider that proteins and carbohydrates have the same caloric intake for the same weight. If a calorie deficit is what helps you lose weight, then how can proteins help you lose weight while carbohydrates don't, given that they provide the same amount of calories? The rush to high-protein diets stems from years of poor communication in the food industry, fueled by food companies and large-scale retailers who have insisted on a series of products labeled PROTEIN that often don't make sense.
Iron deficiency. It's become a daily occurrence. Grandma would tell us to eat meat. Do you agree with her advice? Is it true that we could compensate with grains, nuts, and legumes? Of all the foods, chickpeas contain the highest amount of iron: 2.2 mg per 100 g.
The association between meat and iron is certainly true, but we shouldn't limit ourselves to that, especially in light of today's sustainability issues. A vegetarian and vegan diet can easily ensure adequate iron intake, as long as it's varied and balanced. Iron sources such as green leafy vegetables and legumes should be included. To improve the absorption of iron from plant-based sources, I recommend seasoning with lemon, which, thanks to its vitamin C content, improves the bioavailability (the ability of plant-based iron to be absorbed by the body).
A study by researchers at the University of Baton Rouge* found that whole grains and legumes play a very important preventive role.
Furthermore, researchers confirm that fiber helps with intestinal regularity, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and above all, gives a feeling of satiety!
So, what do you recommend to achieve a feeling of satiety?
The feeling of satiety is influenced by several factors, so there are no tricks to achieving satiety. You should never try to cheat this natural perception but rather indulge it within limits. Starting your meal with vegetables, which certainly have a significant amount of fiber, is a way to bring on the feeling of satiety earlier. Not only the fiber contained in plant foods and whole grains, but also fats like olive oil, due to their long transit time through the stomach, contribute to the feeling of satiety.
If you had to sum up your book, "Without serenity, it's not worth it," in just one sentence, what would it be?
There's no point in embarking on a comprehensive lifestyle change if it itself pollutes our daily lives and causes us to lose serenity with unnecessary restrictions and limitations, without teaching us anything to improve in a sustained manner over time.
You are a very empathetic and introspective doctor: what do you recommend as a first rule to your patients?
Does loving yourself and taking care of yourself mean choosing the right foods? Are legumes and dried fruit the right foods?
Loving yourself means, above all, choosing yourself, choosing what we like best, including paths towards dietary and non-dietary lifestyles that are better for our health. However, it always starts with putting ourselves first to understand what's really right for us and what isn't. There are no right foods for everyone;
eating is what matters, and it encompasses many things, not just the nutritional aspect.
Give a recipe to answer the three typical excuses patients give: "I don't have time, I don't feel like it, and I don't have the imagination."
For "I don't have the imagination": dried fruit can be chopped and added to breading for fish and meat. Or added to salads to make the meal more nutritious and flavorful.
Dried fruit is also excellent as a snack, always chopped, on top of yogurt or fresh fruit, perhaps with chocolate.
For "I don't have the time or the inclination": just stock up on legumes;
you can prepare a lot of them and they'll be ready to use in a variety of ways the following days, without having to go back to the stove.
*A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Sources and further information:
https://www.fondazioneveronesi.it/magazine/articoli/alimentazione/cereali-integrali-e-legumi-ecco-il-piatto-completo-la-salute
