Zucchini e tomato puree: they are two of the most consumed foods in summer. And with good reason, because they are rich in beneficial properties such as vitamins, minerals and bioactive molecules. When eaten for lunch and dinner twice a week they can help detoxify the organism and counteract the water retention typical of the hottest months, even after periods of overeating.
Word of the prof. Pier Luigi Rossi, specialist in nutrition sciences and preventive medicine in Arezzo and author of the book “A new body. Know your healthy fat and live healthy”(Aboca), a volume created with the aim of guiding the reader on a path of knowledge to be able to avoid an excess of fat, as well as its harmful reduction, to live in metabolic, hormonal and immune health.
The doctor, nutritionist and author of the volume has personally experienced the potential of this diet. “The tomato – he explains – it contains lycopene and carotenoids, substances important for health which, after being consumed through food, enter every cell of our body. The carotenoids inside the cell are transformed into retinoic acid, which joins a receptor (a particular protein called transcription factor) to be “carried” on the DNA cell, where it governs the protein expression of genes. Without retinoic acid within our cells there is no healthy gene modulation. The grasso, for example, it is yellow because it contains carotenoids. Not having retinoic acid inside the cells means damaging the gene functions of the cells, it means exposing them to pathologies, even serious ones, and having difficulty losing weight. Eating foods containing carotenoids is therefore one vital choice and also useful for recovering a healthy weight “.
Cooked tomato and raw basil
But it is important cook foods in which carotenoids are contained. “There cooking in fact – underlines prof. Pier Luigi Rossi – favors theirs bioavailability. Suffice it to say that, with a raw tomato, only 7% of lycopene is absorbed in the intestine. With a few minutes of cooking, however, it comes absorbed for 40% “. The same thing happens to other foods rich in these precious substances. They are generally the red-yellow-orange ones, like carrots: “One raw carrot – continues the expert – gives human cells only 3% of its beta-carotene. By reducing the carrots to pulp, the percentage rises to 21% and cooking it even to 27%.
“The bioavailability of these precious substances is also favored by a right dose of extra virgin olive oil: “A tour of oil”, said in the Tuscan way. So we never forget to add it to the tomato sauce “.
Passed that would be good do at home. “The tomato sauce – adds the doctor – is a natural concentrate of lycopene, beta carotene, lutein, carotenoids, minerals used by all our cells, ensuring health and efficiency. Commercially purchased tomato sauce does not have the same nutritional capacity! Indeed, many preparations on the market contain high dosages of hidden sugar. To be avoided. It is therefore good to check the labels ”.
At the end of cooking, you can add fresh leaves of basil, very rich in C vitamin and chlorophyll. “That should never be cooked“, Suggests prof. Pier Luigi Rossi. “There is a risk that basil releases two molecules considered carcinogenic: they are the estragolo e the estragon. Even in tomato sauce, therefore, it is good to put basil only at the end of cooking and never boil tomato with basil. When basil leaves are eaten raw there is no danger of getting intoxicated with estragon and estragolo.
The properties of zucchini
the zucchini they provide a modest intake of vitamin C, vitamin A and folic acid. However, they abound in minerals such as manganese and, above all, potassium. This feature, combined with the great presence of water (which makes them ideal for summer nutrition as they help hydrate the body) e fibre makes them highly detoxifying and diuretic. In addition, thanks to the high digestibility and the will be punished, are suitable for all types of dietary regimes. Cooked in a little water, or even better steamed, and seasoned with a drizzle of oil and lemon or apple cider vinegar, represent an ideal dish in the summer diet.
The two day diet
For lunch and dinner, after the homemade tomato sauce, we move on to a dish of cooked zucchini. All accompanied by a portion of 50 g of bread made with flour of ancient grains, as the Verna grain. “Healthier than bread made with modern grains – explains the expert – since, for its cultivation, there is less use of chemical herbicides and fertilizers, which contributes to better hygiene and well-being of the intestine, as well as less environmental pollution “.
“During the day it is recommended to consume some seasonal fruits and at least one liter of water with high solid dry residue above 500 mg. This eating pattern, adopted for two days a week, is diuretic and contributes to reduce body weight. Thanks to its gene modulators, it acts on the DNA of the cells and in particular on the adipocytes and on the neurons of the hypothalamus. In addition, it puts the intestines at rest and helps to get a pleasant one feeling of well-being and vitality ”, concludes prof. Pier Luigi Rossi.
BREAKFAST: 1 cup of barley; 1 kefir; 50 g of Verna wheat bread with a veil of honey
MORNING SNACK: 1 mixed centrifuged vegetable (80%) and fruit (20%)
LUNCH: Tomato puree; a portion of zucchini; 50 g of Verna wheat bread
AFTERNOON SNACK: 1 fishing
PRICE: Tomato puree; a portion of zucchini; 50 g of Verna wheat bread
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