Functional Ingredients for a Perfect Sandwich

If you stop to think of the word "sandwich" almost immediately, in the collective imagination, the vision of a classic greasy hamburger with stringy cheese appears. Junk food imported from the United States, a symbol of the young people of the 80s.

Just as it happened in the midst of industrial development in the United States, here too, the habit of replacing a meal (generally lunch) with a sandwich is becoming more and more popular.

We have gone from the simple piece of bread with prosciutto or mortadella, or the even simpler grandma's afternoon sandwich with butter and sugar, to real gourmet sandwiches.

Because if before we were satisfied with the classic slice of meat with stringy cheese, tomato, cucumber and salad, now the demand demands more and more refinement in the ingredients used.

But can a sandwich be considered a healthy food? Of course, yes, just use small precautions that will help you create a balanced sandwich that will respect taste and nutrition.

A food is defined as functional if: "in addition to its nutritional properties, its ability to positively influence one or more physiological functions, helping to improve health and reduce the risk of the onset of diet-related diseases, is scientifically demonstrated".

So here is a small example to compose a functional sandwich.

Starting with bread: by working a mix of unrefined wholemeal flours rich in fiber, oats, with the addition of cereals, you will obtain not only a hearty bread, but also a product with a low glycemic index. This will promote slow absorption without glycemic changes, thus prolonging the sense of satiety. This is especially useful if you are on a diet so as not to fall into the afternoon "cheats".

If you want to use vegetables, you should always prefer those that are in season, cooking them as little time as possible. Boil for no more than 10 minutes so as not to lose all the organoleptic properties of the vegetable. The most suitable way to prevent the loss of mineral salts is steaming.

Instead of the classic mayonnaise, you could use a beetroot sauce rich in vitamins, minerals and iron, which is useful in cases of anemia.

If canned legumes, such as peas, are used, there is a statement on the box that identifies the month of harvest and the canning. The closer the periods, the more it means that the legumes have not undergone processing (drying or freezing) and this determines the quality of the product. However, it must be remembered that for preservation, they are inevitably richer in sugars.

The protein source, in addition to the classic meat burger, could be salmon or soy burgers. Both elements are rich in omega3, an essential fatty acid, with an anti-inflammatory and hypotensive function to counteract cardiovascular diseases. In the case of salmon, for example, cooking is always important. A fatty fish can be cooked on the griddle, a lean fish will prefer to be cooked in water. If these foods are put in a sandwich, a good cooking method is foil, which allows them to retain the juices without losing their organoleptic properties.

We could go on and on considering the varieties of food that our land offers us. In summary, to obtain a perfect sandwich that can reconcile taste and functional foods, you must always keep in mind 4 points:

1) Seasonality

2) Cooking

3) Freshness of the product

4) Variety