The best ideas to help restaurants serve healthy dishes

THE BEST IDEAS TO HELP RESTAURANTS OFFER HEALTHY DISHES
DIARIODEGASTRONOMIA.COM08 / 08/2015
It may be a challenge for restaurants to meet the demand for healthy meals outside the home. Healthy foods and beverages have become a prominent trend throughout the economic downturn and is the second requirement of customers after the best quality / price ratio.

Some customers believe that healthy dishes are not tasty, something that should not be forgotten in the preparation of the menus so that the flavor is never compromised. This will cause customers to repeat and therefore increase the profitability of the letter.

There are many ways to use the ingredients, the preparation methods and the products of a new menu that will make the offer healthier and even more attractive.

In this sense, Unilever Food Solutions' team of chefs, nutritionists and salespeople helps chefs and restaurants offer tastier, healthier and more profitable menus. These are some of the ideas that this team of professionals offers to help make the current letter healthier1.

Basically

Use fresh ingredients
Increase the variety and options, offer healthy dishes along with other more indulgent options.
Try to promote the control of the rations in a subtle way. For example, spoons and plates should not be too large.
Serve the dressings, juices and sauces separately so that customers can choose the quantity.
Promote healthy options by placing the healthiest dishes in a prominent place of the buffet.
Use different colors, shapes and textures to add excitement to the dishes.
Offer colorful appetizers such as salads, soups and crudités.
Fats / Oils

Substitute products with a high saturated fat content - such as butter, butter, tallow, coconut oil with a creamy consistency, ghee oil or palm oil - for foods containing unsaturated fats such as sunflower oils , olive, peanut or sesame, soft and liquid margarines and low fat mayonnaises.
To cook, use heat-stable refined vegetable oils such as canola, soy, corn, olive, peanut, or soft and liquid fats, and use a spray to apply instead of pouring directly from the bottle.
Use light coconut milk instead of coconut milk of creamy consistency.
Use lean meat such as roast veal, venison, pork loin, lamb fillet, skinless chicken or turkey breast.
Cut the visible fat from the meat and remove the skin from the poultry.
Use lean and fatty fish. Fatty fish is a good source of fat. Use seafood and white fish such as cod and haddock and fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel.
Try using nuts, seeds and legumes as an alternative source of protein. They are a source of good fats and a cheap alternative.
Use alternatives or low-fat or skimmed dairy products such as semi-skimmed milk, whey, skimmed yogurt or alternatives with low fat content of cream, cottage cheese, ricotta, feta or mozzarella.
When sautéing, use a small amount of vegetable or sunflower oil and then add water for steaming.

Sugar / fiber

Increase the fiber content of the dishes using brown rice, pasta and noodles, whole grain bread or seeds.
Add vegetables to the main courses in the form of sautéed vegetables, stewed or steamed. They will add color and reduce meat expenses.
Offer more desserts made up of fruits such as fruit salads, yogurts with fruit or fruit compote.
Offer other potatoes than French fries, such as roast potatoes, new boiled potatoes with skin, lightly crushed potatoes and even sweet potatoes baked in the oven, or mashed potatoes with semi-skimmed milk, herbs and spices or horseradish to give them more flavor.
Be careful with the addition of sugar, syrup and honey to the dishes, better to use 100% fruit juices or fruit concentrates.
Salt

Reduce the amount of salt added during cooking. To compensate, use herbs and spices that will give it an intense flavor. Add lemon juice or a little vinegar to season a dish and a good pinch of black pepper instead of adding more salt.
Be careful with products with high salt content such as soy sauce, anchovies, olives, capers, pickles, cheese, ham, bacon, yeast extract, prepared meats, meat and Smoked fish ... a little is a lot in regards to the taste.