Nighttime came before you were even ready, but you still don’t have any plans on what you will have fordinner. How about take-out, then?
Wondering if it is time for you to sample the menu at the local Middle Eastern restaurant in your area? Is this regional cuisine considered a healthy meal choice?
Below are just some of the good reasons why it is time for you to try take-out Middle Eastern food sooner than later:
Be Wary of Your Choice of Meat
Scan the menu in any Middle Eastern restaurant, and you will notice several meat dishes, such asshawarma and kebabs. Make sure you consume these palatable foods in moderation, and if possible, optfor the leaner cuts or those prepared using cooking methods that add no or little fat such as poaching, roasting, or baking.
Be More Open to Sesame
The paste tahini is made using ground sesame seeds and contains high amounts of iron, calcium, and monounsaturated fat, which is considered the type of fat better for you. Boosted by the advantages of sesame seeds, tahini is best used as a nutritious garnish or condiment. The paste may also be thinned then served as a dip, dolloped into a pita pocket, or mixed into hummus.
Load Up on Your Falafel
The healthy humblechickpea finds itself at the very heart of falafel, another famous Middle Eastern dish. Mashed, spiced with herbs and onions, and fried using olive oil, these are vegetarian-friendly treats that are tasty when consumed alone or added toa pita pocket with yogurt sauce and tahini. A single falafel patty has around 60 calories, 50 milligrams of sodium, and 3 grams of fat.
Make Dips Your Best Friend
Baba ghanoush and hummus mix pureed eggplant and mashed chickpeas with garlic and olive oil. Chickpeas also called garbanzo beans, make hummus a great low-cal source of iron, fiber, and protein that can be almost free from fat, depending on how it is prepared.
Eggplant added to baba ghanoush can also increase its fiber content and is rich in minerals and B vitamins. Olive oil and garlic are both associated withheart-healthy benefits. Just take note that these dips may have high-fat content, depending on how these are prepared. This is a great form of fat, but it is still important to monitor the portions.
Embrace Couscous
Couscous is a type of dish that features dried and steamed durum wheat. Similar to other grains, the small yellow couscous granules can absorb the flavors of all the spices and foods around them. Just like other grains, the nutritional profile of couscous is also strong.
A single cup of cooked couscous has 9% of the suggested daily fiber intake, only 176 calories, zero fat, and 6 grams of protein. It also has low amounts of saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol.
List down all the ingredients you need and shop for them at the best Middle Eastern store Los Angeles to start preparing the most delicious Middle Eastern dishes.
