After a long workday, it's tempting to grab a quick bite, but dishes like dumplings or sausages with a side often bring extra calories, heaviness, and hunger soon after eating. Fitness trainer Lera Logunova shared simple ways to change your plate in a couple of minutes to get energy instead of a desire to sleep, reports infohub.kz.
"I came home from work, tired, boiled dumplings, topped with mayonnaise—quick, filling, but two hours later I'm reaching for tea with cookies." A friend told me this scenario from her life. Dumplings, sausages with mashed potatoes or pasta—these are the staples of a quick weekday diet. The main problem here isn't the "unhealthiness" of these foods, but the plate composition," notes the trainer.
What's wrong with such a plate: low satiety with high calorie content: fatty meat (sausages), dough or starch with an oily sauce give many calories in a small volume. Complete lack of fiber: without vegetables, hunger returns very quickly.
How to upgrade such a plate in 2 minutes: "For example, on the plate were 20 dumplings plus two tablespoons of mayonnaise. Result: about 750 kcal, small volume, heaviness in the stomach, and cravings for sweets after a couple of hours. We change this to 12 dumplings plus half a plate of fresh vegetables (or sauerkraut), add a sauce of Greek yogurt with herbs and garlic. Result: about 450 kcal, visually huge portion, satiety for three to four hours, and lightness," said Logunova.
What to replace sausages with? The trainer notes that sausages seem like a quick fix, but in reality they often contain more fat than pure protein. As a result, there are many calories, but satiety won't last long. A replacement for sausages could be tuna in its own juice. "Open a can, drain the water—you get pure whole protein to go with potatoes or pasta without any cooking. You can also take ham from turkey or chicken fillet. Choose an option with a good composition (where fillet is first and fat content does not exceed 3–5%)," she explains.
Eggs (poached, soft-boiled, or scrambled) can also replace sausages. They cook in 3–5 minutes, provide excellent satiety and quality protein. Additionally, you can bake turkey or chicken tenderloin once every three days and keep it sliced in the fridge—an ideal replacement for any sausage.
"Food should give energy for life, not a desire to immediately lie down and sleep," believes the fitness trainer. Earlier, Logunova explained how salt helps proper nutrition and why its deficiency is dangerous for workouts.