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Ihe ọ vegetableụ vegetableụ akwụkwọ nri na puree dị mma ọ dị mma?
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It is important to note that, in the list of ingredients, we do not find potatoes, starches or flavor enhancers
The purees and creams that are already packaged and we can buy in any supermarket are easy and very fast options that can solve a lunch or dinner. But although a priori seem like a good option (a healthy vegetable dish), we must bear in mind that we are dealing with a processed food.
So are they good options? Patricia Nevot, dietician-nutritionist at the Júlia Farré center says that everything depends on the ingredients in the product we choose. «Nowadays you can find purees and creams in suitable packaging, as ingredients appear: vegetables, water, olive oil and, if anything, salt. But there are also others where there is also butter, cream or cheese, powdered milk, potato … or a long list of additives, “he says.
To know if we are facing a healthy puree or not, it is essential not only to look at what ingredients it contains, but also in what order they appear on the product label, because as is already known, the The first ingredient will be the one with the highest content in the creams or purees, and the last ingredient the one that is in less quantity. “We must hope that the first ingredient is the vegetable the packaging tells us it is; If you buy zucchini cream, you should find zucchini as the first ingredient, not another ingredient, ”explains the professional. It also warns that, if they have used oil, we must make sure that this is olive oil, preferably virgin. “With regard to salt, if it has, the ideal would be around 0,25g of salt per 100g of food and not exceed or reach 1,25g of salt per 100g of food”, says the nutritionist.
Is it healthy if it has potato?
On the other hand, he warns about creams or purees that have potato or starch in their ingredients. If so, it should always be at the bottom of the ingredient list. “On many occasions they add the potato or starch not to give texture but to lower the cost and thus reduce the content of vegetables,” he says. It also recommends avoid buying creams and purees that have flavor-enhancing ingredients among their ingredients such as monosodium glutamate (E-621). “You also have to discard creams or purees where there is a long list of ingredients and it is not because they have used a lot of variety of vegetables,” he adds.
And the packaged broths?
If we talk about choosing a ‘healthy’ packaged broth, we are faced with a case very similar to that of purees and creams. In this case, it is remarkable to look at the amount of salt in the broth, as this is usually very high. ‘They will generally have about 0,7-0,8 g of salt per 100 ml. If they exceed this amount, we would be looking at a product with a lot of salt “, explains Beatriz Robles, dietician-nutritionist and food technologist.
When looking at which ingredients are best for us, Robles’ recommendation is to see if the ingredients in the product are the same with which we would make a broth: vegetables, meat, fish, extra olive oil … “If we start to see many ingredients that we would not use in our kitchen, such as meat extract, colorings or flavor enhancers, it is better to opt for another broth”, he recommends.
Regarding what type of creams are the best, the nutritionist’s recommendation is to opt for those that only contain vegetables. «The objective of the cream is to consume vegetables, so it does not need another food group such as chicken. At the nutritional level, it is not providing us with a necessary extra, because later in lunch or dinner we will include an adequate source of protein (chicken, turkey, egg, tofu, legumes, fish, etc.) “, says the professional. Regarding the purees that contain cheese or other dairy products, he says that it is not necessary, as it also makes the creams or purees more caloric and have a higher saturated fat content.
It can give the feeling that purees and creams that are packaged in glass jars, or can be found refrigerated, are healthier. Patricia Nevot says that “as a general rule they are.” “It is easier to find options with more suitable ingredients or fewer ingredients in those creams that come in glass jars or we find refrigerated in supermarkets than those of briks,” he reiterates. Even so, to finish, remember how important it is to always look at the ingredients of the packaged products that we want to consume. «You have to look at everything, and not opt for the packaging, the brand or the place where we buy it», O kwubiri.