No, “green” eating is not synonymous with healthy eating. Why not everything that comes from vegetables is automatically the best food choice, also for the possible consequences on health: this is underlined by a research presented at the last congress of the European Society of Cardiology, which following for ten years people without chronic diseases or cardiovascular problems has shown how useful veg foods to stay healthy are those “wholeAnd unprocessed, such as whole grains, olive oil for seasoning, dried fruit, fruit and vegetables eaten as such.
The 146 obese patients on whom a specific analysis was conducted to understand if and how diet could influence their already high risk of developing problems such as hypertension, hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia confirm this: eating more plant foods reduces the danger, but only on condition to stay away from foods that are not derived from animals but are full of calories, sugars or fats.
Traps in the pantry
Refined cereals, for example, from white bread to 00 flour, are not as beneficial as their wholemeal counterpart; potatoes, especially if fried, are not ideal if you want to contain energy and fat. But it is above all about processed foods that the differences are evident: fruit juices and sugary drinks, for example, are veg, but they are not comparable to the same fruit eaten whole in terms of energy intake, effect on blood sugar and contribution in micronutrients; lot of snack industriali they are technically vegan, but just as often they are jam-packed with sugar and fat. In short, it is necessary to learn to recognize the “traps” of the green pantry by reading them well labels when shopping: it is good to be aware that in the processes necessary to transform a vegetable or tofu into something similar to a mortadella, a hamburger or another product of animal origin, there are many substances that we might not want to find on the plate and which make the overall nutritional quality poor. In fact, to give consistency and taste it is necessary to add thickeners, emulsifiers, dyes and vegetable oils rich in saturated fats such as palm, coconut or rapeseed oil (if butter cannot be used, they are the only ones to remain solid at room temperature, essential feature for many recipes); there is often more sugar or more salt than the food to “copy”, to compensate for the taste and as preservatives.
Hidden pitfalls
Some foods can hide further pitfalls: seitan, for example, is a concentrate of gluten and there is a suspicion that the increase in celiac disease is at least in part connected to the consumption of large quantities of gluten. Even the Italian Society of Human Nutrition in a recent document on vegetarian diets pointed out that processed veg foods are “products with a high cost compared to traditional ones and that for the most part they have a rubbery texture, little taste and an aftertaste deriving from food. plants from which they originate “.
Psychological effect
Not much in short, even if for those who want to become vegan, at least at the beginning, they have some usefulness as explained by Stephanie Stanton-Fay, a psychologist at University College London: “To change your diet it is useful to be able to live almost as before: if you he can eat a food similar at least in appearance to the one always consumed, morale gains and it will be easier to abandon old habits ». Just remember that fast food and vegan-like meats are not always healthy: it is better that they remain the exception to a rule made up of simple recipes, from soups to homemade legume meatballs.