The journalist and presenter of “Jornal Hoje”, Cesar Tralli, from TV Globo, shared on Instagram a photo of himself eating his lunch box during a break in the working day.
“‘Almojanta’ in the company. Blessed be the food you bring from home,” he wrote in the caption. In a container you will see a fortified salad with lettuce, tomatoes, olives and other healthy foods.
“I prepared it, didn’t I love?” commented presenter Ticiane Pinheiro, to whom Tralli is married. There was no shortage of comments praising the journalist’s lunch box and that they were “people like us”. “When I have lunch, I don’t just eat salad, but I would just eat this one, it has to be too good,” said one netizen.
In addition to saving money, taking a lunch box with you has advantages because the person knows exactly how the dish was prepared, such as how to prepare it. B. the amount of oil and salt used in the preparation. Here are eight tips to prepare your lunch box in a practical and healthy way:
1. Balance nutrients
Ideally, all three groups of macronutrients should be present: proteins (meat and vegetable sources like chickpeas), carbohydrates (rice, potatoes, pasta, and other pasta), and fats (olive oil, butter, meat, and vegetable oils). In addition, dietary sources of vitamins and minerals must be considered. These substances are contained in all foods, but especially in vegetables and fruit. The more colorful the dish, the greater the variety of these nutrients.
When assembling the lunch box, think about the finished dish first: carbohydrate sources take up a quarter of the plate, proteins another quarter, and the other half should be raw and cooked vegetables.
2. Make the right purchases
The basis of a healthy diet should be foods that are as natural as possible. So focus on vegetables, beans and other legumes, whole grains and tubers like cassava, potatoes and cassava.
Like Tralli, prefer fresh food
Image: Westend61/Getty Images/Westend61
When choosing meat, give preference to lean meats such as poultry and fish. Red meat, beef and pork consumption should be limited to 500g per week, which can be divided over three days. Eggs are good animalbased protein lunchbox options because they’re versatile and nutritious. Just be careful not to spoil them, which brings us to the next topic.
3. Beware of sensitive ingredients
The egg is one of them, but not only. Sour cream, mayonnaise, meat, and cream cheese have a limited shelf life, as do salads and other raw preparations, which can oxidize in the refrigerator, losing nutrients and flavor. Even rice and beans deserve attention if they haven’t been frozen first. Any moisture in the pot opens the way for microorganisms to multiply.
To prevent your lunch from going sour, keep it refrigerated until it’s time to eat. Raw salads should be kept in a separate container. If you don’t have a thermal bag, no problem: The danger usually begins after two hours at room temperature. Just pop the container in the fridge as soon as you get to work. If you don’t have a refrigerator nearby, prefer dry and natural foods: salads, muesli and oilseeds.
4. Keep an eye on the packaging
Some plastic pots, especially those that aren’t certified, contain bisphenol A. According to studies, the compound can be toxic and cause changes in the endocrine system, which controls the body’s hormones and metabolism. Bisphenol is transferred to food when plastic is heated. Therefore, when purchasing your packaging, pay close attention to whether it bears the seal of Inmetro (National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology) and is free of this substance.
Older plastic lunch boxes also require caution: they can stain and crack over time, and as food builds up inside, they can spoil and spoil the food being stored.
The lunch box is the way of eating for many people who value health and economy
Image: iStock
5. Take good care of your vegetables
Blanching is a convenient way to preserve the color and texture of vegetables. Simply soak the food in the already boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, drain and then immediately transfer to a container of ice. The thermal shock stops cooking, but water can cause some nutrients to be lost. If this is a problem, it is recommended to substitute steam for water and continue with the other steps as usual.
Remember that exposure to heat does not eliminate the need to clean the vegetables before cooking. The ideal is to disinfect them as soon as they get home. To do this, use running water, soak it in a chlorine solution — one tablespoon of bleach per liter of water — for 15 minutes, and then wash again. Dry before storage.
The habit of washing everything at once avoids waste and still makes everyday life easier. When it’s time to assemble the lunch box, you’re all set.
6. Pay attention to the right way of freezing
The freezer is an ally of the marmiter. Freezing food gives it a longer shelf life because the water it contains is turned into ice crystals, reducing the risk of opportunistic bacteria colonizing them. And contrary to popular belief, the practice does not reduce the nutrients in food.
You can freeze just about anything in readytouse containers, but there are a few tricks to maintaining consistency. For vegetables, blanching is the best way out. Noodles and other pasta should be kept with sauce. Just raw potatoes, eggs and leaves that don’t go down well in the super frozen environment.
Freezing food keeps it longer
Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto
7. The method of thawing also requires care
There are three recommended methods of defrosting: moving the meal from the freezer to the fridge and waiting, taking the frozen product to the oven, microwave, or anyway making a water bath on the stovetop, always using the appropriate container. After thawing, the food cannot be put back in the freezer because the risk of contamination is high.
8. Plan your menu
Preparing your own meals can be hard work, we know that. But you can simplify the process, and for that, planning is essential. Set aside one day a week to think about what to eat, shop, defrost what you need, and divide cooking chores among family members. It is worth planning a menu with the help of a mobile phone notepad or on paper.
*With information from a report published on 11/24/18