Qualitaly_113

OCT. NOV. 2019 IX the amino acid pool that we need), really useful during growth because they are responsible for the complete function of the organism (necessary in tissue repair processes and in “muscle building”), they are often forgotten because children, eating pasta, pizza and bakery products in general, are satisfied by these first and – coincidentally – no longer have room for fish and steak . The red meat burger, however, enriched with various sauces, is instead considered by many Italian families as the weekend reward, combined with the inevitable fries and fizzy drinks. Finally, there are the micro- nutrients, i.e. the mineral salts and vitamins (present in fruits and vegetables), which are fundamental for the correct functioning of all the biochemical processes that keep the body efficient and that certainly cannot be replaced by gummy sweets enriched with synthetic supplements. It is well known that children (except for a few exceptions) have a repulsion for everything that is either a vegetable or fruit, and this is also linked to the fact that more and more parents do not educate them correctly, accustoming them from an early age to eat them and then to capture their taste and smell. From weaning, our children do nothing but consume packaged foods, from homogenized to fruit puree, then on to juices containing low percentages of fruit and vegetables and added, in most cases, various aromas that drastically alter the perception of taste. If a child has drank a fruit juice rich in sugars and artificial flavours for years, he will not easily be able to drink a natural juice / extract because he will not recognize the real sour taste of orange or blueberry, for example. Another huge problem is that many schools do not help children learn proper eating habits. I often see unbalanced school menus with poor quality food supply, managed by distributors who certainly don’t care about our children’s health. And the new regulations, which oblige pupils not to bring home-prepared food due to the problem of allergies and growing intolerances, contribute to feeding a harmful cycle because children must only bring to class (or at parties in the oratory, etc.) packaged snacks on which all the ingredients are indicated. And the fact that, today, fruit as a snack in the interval is not viewed well by classmates, distancing the child ever further away from the awareness of proper nutrition. After this long introduction, let’s see how the restaurant can become a suitable place for overweight children, so that parents do not have to give up their social life. AN ‘ALTERNATIVE’ KIDS MENU Children absolutely love fried food, so they could be offered turkey / chicken cutlets or fish fillets such as sea bream / sea bass / sole etc. simply coated in quinoa flour and cooked in organic extra virgin olive oil. They will remain crisp but with this trick enormous benefits are obtained: the food will be less caloric because egg or breadcrumbs will not be used but quinoa, a pseudo-cereal with a lower glycemic index, rich in amino acids, mineral salts and is gluten-free. With this method you can also prepare meatballs of lean meat in which you hide vegetables such as zucchini, carrots and spinach. For first courses I would opt for a pasta made with a mix of flour: for example, of corn, rice and quinoa without gluten to relieve the organism subjected to high doses of food additives; or wholegrain pasta but always combined with proteins to create a well-balanced single dish, for example with a good meat or fish sauce but also combining cereals such as spelt and barley, with a lower glycemic index, to pulses in order to obtain all the essential amino acids for protein synthesis. Or opt for rice and chickpea pasta with some peas or carrots and protein-rich prawns, for example. It is known that children at the restaurant do not give up bread (often it almost becomes the complete meal), pizza and dessert. Try serving bread made with extra virgin olive oil, lentil or chickpea flour mixed with wholemeal flour and enriched with oily seeds. And again, instead of focaccia, offer farinata with water-based flour, chickpea flour and salt, perhaps with a few slices of ham or flakes of parmesan, oil and rosemary. For pizzas use wholemeal flour or traditional flour mixed with quinoa or pulse flour. Instead of mozzarella, use a light ricotta, grilled vegetables, olives and a little tomato as condiments. For the