Where's the Veg?

Eating lasagne in a pub is a typical example of this; it comes with chips and garlic bread. Perhaps you might also serve this yourself at home. Now, I'm no advocate of low carb diets, as carbohydrates and in particular wholegrains are an important source of nutrients, but serving three lots with one meal, what's that all about? I would have thought a nice green salad would have been a better side dish. Admittedly there will be some veg lurking in the lasagne - some onions and tomato or at the very least tomato puree and you might get the likes of peppers, courgettes and mushrooms in a veggie version - but in my book, that doesn't mean you can skimp on the side salad or veg.

Not only are salad and vegetables rich in fibre, various vitamins, minerals and other plant components beneficial to health, but they add very few extra calories to a meal. The larger portions of richer food than we tend to eat when we go out mean that we are already consuming more than usual, but add chips and garlic bread and you can easily consume an extra 500 calories. Even if you aren't overweight this is an issue, as over the course of a year have this many calories in excess of your needs only once weekly and you will gain half a stone. Fair enough if you monitor what you eat and your weight regularly, eating a bit extra from time to time doesn’t hurt; but many of us aren’t in such good control as this.

Although you might not like to make a fuss and ask for an alternative side dish with your main course, many pubs and restaurants will gladly swap you something else that they serve with other items on the menu. So if your lasagne, shepherd's pie or curry comes with chips, why not consider switching these for something greener?



Photo by Rubyran via Wikimedia Commons