7 Keys To Preparing Light And Low Calorie Dinners
To comply with the recommendations of a healthy diet, we can resort to preparing light and low-calorie dinners that, in addition, can avoid the problem of heavy digestion at night.
According to research published in the journal Nutrients, eating light meals is associated with greater weight loss and a lower risk of metabolic diseases. For this reason, it is recommended to reduce the carbohydrate intake in this meal.
The trick for a dinner that is not heavy is to include vegetables and protein, ingredients that can be prepared very quickly, they are quite filling but do not bloat (unless we eat too much).
1. Stuffed avocado: light and low calorie dinners
Empty half an avocado, chop the meat and mix it with other ingredients that you like. For example, with tomato, chopped piquillo peppers, apple, fresh parsley, fresh coriander, spring onion, young garlic, sweet corn, grated carrot, etc. Serve it in the avocado rind, which doubles as a bowl. Although it may seem small, half a good size avocado can fill a lot.
2. Lettuce rolls
With the leaves of the romaine lettuce we can make fresh rolls in a very short time and take advantage of what we have in the fridge. A little cooked brown rice, avocado, peppers, onion, broccoli, kale, sprouts and sprouts, pickles (such as beets, olives or capers), grated carrots, corn on the cob, etc. will suffice.
To be able to roll them well, it is enough to use the most tender parts of the lettuce, while the parts closest to the stem can be cut into julienne strips and added to the filling, with which we must try not to overdo it.
3. Country salad
To prepare another of these light, low-calorie dinners, just follow these simple steps:
- Make a batch of small steamed potatoes and let them cool. Use 2 or 3 and keep the rest in the fridge for other dishes.
- You just have to cut them and mix them with grated carrot, onion, red pepper in strips, olives and a couple of chopped tomatoes.
- Season it with olive oil and lemon or vinegar. I also like to add tahini, which makes it even creamier.
The leftover salad can be stored in a bowl for the next day in the fridge. If you add a little vegetable mayonnaise and crush it with a fork, you get a very good and fresh sandwich filling.
These types of salad-based dinners contain fiber, a nutrient that helps reduce the risk of problems related to constipation, as stated in a study published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeuitcs.
4. Fruit salad
Use what you have and what is in season : apple, pear, melon, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, banana, etc. Chop everything up and dress it with unsweetened plain yogurt, a pinch of lemon juice and a few mint leaves. You can top it with a topcoat of whipped coconut cream with a touch of cinnamon.
The only trick to fruit salads is to choose very tasty and ripe fruits and leave them in the fridge before making the salad to keep them fresh. In addition, to get the best quality products, buy the fruits in the greengrocer or market better than in supermarkets.
5. Assorted vegetable patés
Another good option for light and low calorie dinners is vegetable patés. Also, the good thing about them is that they will last you several days and you can use them for more meals. Prepare hummus, aubergine pate, mushroom pate, etc. Add some of each for dinner with a few slices of whole wheat toast, a salad, a tabouleh, etc.
In addition, hummus also serves as a dressing. To do this, simply add a little more liquid, such as water or a sugar-free vegetable drink, to make a very tasty sauce, perfect for salads or lean meats.
6. Homemade gazpacho
The perfect dishes for a light dinner in summer are gazpacho and salmorejo. Thanks to its basic ingredient, the tomato, this delicious dish has benefits on cardiovascular health. According to a study published in the Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, consuming tomatoes regularly reduces the risk of heart disease due to its antioxidant nature.
This is due to its active compound, lycopene, which helps regulate cholesterol levels and excess inflammation. This, together, lowers the risk of heart disease.
If you usually repeat the gazpacho, before doing so, cut the cucumber into slices and let it soak with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Then drain it, wash it and add it with the rest of the ingredients.
Don’t go overboard with garlic either, or use roasted garlic. Take advantage of the days that you roast vegetables and put a couple of heads of garlic to have them ready in the fridge.
7. Broths and soups
Finally, another good idea to prepare light and low-calorie dinners is to resort to broths or soups. Start with clear broth, for example water with a couple of dried shiitake mushrooms and a piece of kombu seaweed. Add a good spoonful of miso when it starts to boil, removing it from the heat.
To these broths we can add diced tofu, grilled tempeh, half a cup of cooked quinoa, cooked brown rice or other cereal that we have already made, which are leftovers from another meal.
Prepare light dinners to improve health
Eating a light dinner, but high in nutrients, will help improve health. It is important to include vegetables and protein in the last meal of the day. Avoiding excesses will promote intestinal transit and reduce digestive discomfort before sleeping.
