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When asthenia appears

When it becomes challenging to maintain a balanced and varied diet, it is important not to distress about it. At these times, the essential thing is to eat, at least to ensure a portion of the necessary energy and nutrients, even if it doesn’t strictly adhere to the recommendations.

WHAT DO WE RECOMMEND?

Set small goals throughout the day

Accumulating small intakes throughout the day will be more important than attempting to have hearty meals all at once. To avoid skipping meals due to the inability to go out for grocery shopping, base your diet on foods that are already prepared, ready to consume, and have a long shelf life to prevent spoilage. Below is a proposed basic pantry:

Fruits Lemons, oranges, apples, mandarins, bananas, which stay fresh for several days; canned peaches, canned pineapple
Nuts Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts.
Vegetables and mushrooms: Canned artichokes, green beans, mushrooms, roasted peppers, pickled vegetables (carrots, pickles, cabbage, onions). Fresh vegetables: Carrots, cucumber, green tomatoes, which stay fresh for a few days in the refrigerator.
Legumes Canned chickpeas, lentils, beans, and peas.
Cereals and starches Precooked rice or cups of precooked cereals (rice, brown rice, quinoa); fine oat flakes; couscous (white or whole grain); whole-grain toast or crackers with seeds, according to preference; frozen bread or rolls (varied and according to preference: whole grain, with seeds, Viennese… country bread); Mexican tortillas (wheat or corn); cookies.
Animal protein sources Low-salt tuna in olive oil; cans of sardines in olive oil; cans of squid in ink or with sauce; eggs (boil and store with their shell in the refrigerator); diced Serrano ham.
Dairy Natural yogurt; Greek yogurt; cheese wedges; cheese
Other Frozen or packaged chicken, vegetable, or fish broth; sauces and spreads (according to preference): mayonnaise, romesco, hummus
Sweets hazelnut cocoa cream, honey, jam

With minimal handling and using ingredients from the basic pantry, involving only opening and mixing, and occasionally heating in the microwave, or with fresh foods that require no more than peeling and/or cutting, nutritious meals can be prepared very easily. Below, we suggest some ideas.
 
 

For any time:
Yogurt with fruit: arrange cut fruit and nuts to taste in yogurt, mix.
Porridge: soak oats, drain, mix with milk and honey, and microwave for 2 minutes.
Mini-sweet sandwich: slice banana thinly. Spread a slice of bread with cocoa cream or peanut butter, add the banana, and cover with another slice of bread.
Mini-savory sandwich: drain a can of tuna and mix with mayonnaise and pickles to taste. Use the mixture to fill slices of bread or a roll.
Express pizza: place a base of ratatouille on a corn tortilla. Dice a small cheese on top and heat for 30 seconds in the microwave. Finish with extra virgin olive oil on top.
Quesadilla: mash or crush some white beans and mix with some cheese. Place the mixture on a corn tortilla, fold, and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Cut ice cream: crush or mash a piece of skinless fresh fruit and mix with some custard. Add a little milk, mix well, and freeze. Cut into pieces to consume with cookies.
Sardine toast: place roasted peppers on a couple of biscuits or country-style bread, accompanied by some preserved sardine fillets on top.
For lunches and dinners:
Express Russian salad: drain canned vegetables and drain the tuna. Mix with mayonnaise. It can be decorated with olives, served with crackers, or grated boiled egg on top.
Couscous with ham: mix a glass of broth with two tablespoons of diced ham and two tablespoons of couscous, and heat in the microwave at maximum power until it boils. Let it rest for a few minutes and finish with extra virgin olive oil on top.
Beans with squid: drain the beans and mix with caramelized onions to taste. Place on the base of the plate with squid in its sauce on top. Heat for 30 seconds in the microwave.
Chickpea and pickles salad: drain the chickpeas. Chop the cheese, add pickles (gherkins, carrots, spring onions) to taste, and mix with extra virgin olive oil. Chopped tomatoes or grated egg can be added.
Green cream with yogurt: warm the vegetable cream. Add yogurt and favorite seeds on top. Finish with a little extra virgin olive oil. Other seasonings can be added according to taste, such as diced ham, grated cheese, peas…
Rice with ratatouille and egg: peel a hard-boiled egg. Place the precooked rice in a bowl and add the ratatouille on top. Heat for one minute in the microwave. Chop the egg and place it on the side. Finish with extra virgin olive oil.
Vegetables with sauce of choice: drain some preserved mushrooms. Arrange roasted vegetables on a plate, and place the mushrooms with romesco sauce or another preferred sauce on the base or on the side. Season with extra virgin olive oil and consume cold or hot according to preference.
Peas with artichokes express: drain the peas and artichokes. Add diced ham and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Mix and heat for 30 seconds in the microwave.
Pumpkin and chickpea cream: drain the chickpeas and mix them with the cream as if it were a stew. Place on a plate with precooked rice on the side. Heat for 1 minute in the microwave.
Pea soup: heat broth and add peas. Blend and add bits of grated hard-boiled egg, diced ham, whole peas… to taste.

To ensure all vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals:

  • Eat one or two pieces of fruit per day
  • Mix fruit with yogurt
  • Prepare some tomatoe seasoned with extra virgin olive oil and a bit of cheese
  • Have fresh vegetables that last longer: peppers, green tomatoes, carrots… to eat as snacks as well.