In these tense days in Israel, when the head is busy with the news and the ear is attentive to every sound that might be a siren, the kitchen is not always the place where we want to spend time. There are people for whom cooking and baking calm them, but for others it is the opposite, I admit that this is what happens with me.
If you are among those looking for quick solutions – something that can be prepared in a moment, eaten with confidence, and perhaps even taken with us to the protected space if we need to. Simple and modest food, that does not require preparation time and contributes to the right satiety when we are hungry. It is possible to prepare a meal in a few minutes, without effort and without investment, that includes all the food groups and vitamins that are needed. A meal that will contribute to great satiety (both physically and mentally), and even one that is suitable as a meal that can be prepared in the morning and taken to work or another place and eaten during the noon hours.
My idea is "A meal in a pita".
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I am not referring to a small or mini pita, nor a light pita, but a completely regular pita. The veteran, soft and plump pita, doughy and flexible, that comes out of the oven and spreads an intoxicating morning smell for the beginning of a successful day. Our veteran and classic pita contains about 200 to 220 calories.
From a nutritional perspective, I can compare it to the carbohydrate portion of the meal.
How does this happen? The pita is made from wheat flour. Pasta in its many shapes and colors is also made from wheat flour, also the popular side dish – ptitim, and note: Couscous is also made from wheat flour, white flour in most cases.
There is no nutritional difference between pasta, ptitim, couscous or pita.
So all that remains to do is match the number of calories to the portion and one pita equals 6–7 tablespoons of a side dish for the protein portion. 6–7 tablespoons is even less than a full plate of pasta or couscous, and therefore the pita meal menu may contain fewer calories and be suitable for weight loss.
What else is needed so that the meal in a pita will be nutritionally balanced?
Protein portion
Chicken breast, or a can of tuna, or a thick block of Bulgarian / Tzfatit cheese, or yellow cheese, or a plant schnitzel, pastrami, or beef meatballs.
Vegetable salad
As a source of vitamins and dietary fiber. A salad can be a regular finely chopped Arab salad, or a cabbage and carrot salad, or a purple cabbage salad, or a lettuce salad. And yes, it is possible and desirable to mix between different types of salads.
The vitamins in the salad are important for the absorption of the iron or calcium found in the protein portion, and the dietary fiber contributes to a longer feeling of satiety.
Fat portion
A tablespoon of tahini or hummus, a teaspoon of mayonnaise, a tablespoon of avocado. All of these are important for the absorption of the vitamins that exist in the salad that we added, and the fat portion is also important for emphasizing the flavor of the meal: Most flavor and aroma compounds are fat-soluble and are felt better when they are added to the meal.
A balanced meal in a pita
Examples of a balanced meal in a pita that includes all the food groups and contains only about 400 calories:
- A pita with 100 grams of chicken breast, vegetable salad and a tablespoon of tahini.
- Shakshuka pita: With 2 eggs, tomato slices and pepper.
- A pita with 200 grams of slices of 5% Tzfatit cheese, and cabbage and carrot salad with a teaspoon of mayonnaise.
- Sabich pita: With 2 hard-boiled eggs, slices of fried eggplant, a tablespoon of hummus, 3 slices of potato, parsley and chopped onion.
- A pita with a regular plant schnitzel (or two vegetarian burgers 99) and purple cabbage salad with a teaspoon of mayonnaise.
- A pita with tuna salad: Hard-boiled egg, half a can of tuna, a teaspoon of mayonnaise, pickled cucumber, tomato slices.
- A pita with shawarma (100 grams), and chopped vegetable salad.
The most recommended – whole wheat pita
The regular and classic pita is made only from white flour – flour from wheat grains whose outer shell has been sifted out. Since the shell contains most of the dietary fiber and vitamins, and also minerals such as potassium, zinc, magnesium and iron, once the shell is sifted out the nutritional value is lost.
Whole flour is flour that is ground from the entire wheat grain and therefore contains all the advantages: Fiber, B vitamins and minerals. In addition, it creates satiety for a longer time because the dietary fiber delays the digestion process. There are whole wheat pitas in regular size and also in mini size (and then it is possible to have 2 of these instead of one pita).
No advantage – spelt pita
Spelt wheat is considered one that has undergone less genetic engineering, and it may contain more protein and less gluten.
It still contains gluten and is not suitable for those who avoid gluten, and still the protein in it is not high quality and should not be counted as part of the protein – if counting. This is protein that is not used for building our body ("completely not").
White spelt flour does not contain many advantages compared to regular white wheat flour. A pita made from whole spelt flour is similar in its nutritional value to a regular whole pita, the advantages are not significant and there is no need to insist on spelt.
Gluten-free pita
Such pitas are suitable for those sensitive to gluten. Usually they are made from sifted starches (without shell), and in terms of satiety and nutritional value they are similar to a regular pita.
Light pita
Light pitas contain a lower number of calories mainly for the following reason: They weigh less. Either they are smaller, or they are thinner and in any case their weight is lower. They will contribute to a shorter satiety, but when one wants to combine a larger quantity of pitas – at least psychologically they are preferable.
In my menus in which there are 4–5 sandwiches from light bread during the day, it is possible to replace the bread with a light pita. A menu that contains 4–5 pitas during the day sounds filling and satisfying by all opinions.