Everyday nutrition tips for the Lebanese table

The same questions come up in every home: what should I have for breakfast? Is honey better than sugar? How do I cut salt without the dish losing its taste? Here are short, practical answers written for the Lebanese kitchen and no other.

A breakfast that lasts until noon

A manoushe alone fills you for an hour and then hunger returns. Add protein — an egg, labneh, white cheese, hummus — and vegetables like cucumber, tomato and mint, and fullness will last until lunch. Oats with yoghurt, raw nuts and fruit are an excellent alternative for late risers.

Salt in the mezze

• Lemon, sumac and za’atar give a dish a sharpness that replaces half the salt.
• White cheese and olives: soak them in water for an hour before serving.
• Pickles are a side, not a main — two spoonfuls are enough.
• Do not salt the salad before tasting; fattoush needs less than you think.

Sugar or honey?

The calories are similar, but honey tastes sweeter so you use less — that is its real advantage. The mineral difference between white and brown sugar is negligible. The simplest rule: cut all sweetening, and keep desserts for one day a week.

Fibre and friendly bacteria from our kitchen

Yoghurt, kishk and home-made pickles are traditional sources of friendly bacteria, and garlic, onion, leek, banana and whole-wheat bread feed those bacteria. A plate of mujaddara or lentils with salad and a glass of yoghurt brings both together.

Fish twice a week

Sardines, salmon and trout are rich in omega-3 and low in mercury. Sayadieh with fresh fish or tinned sardines on a salad — either does the job. Anyone who dislikes fish finds some omega in walnuts and flaxseed.

Losing weight without harshness

• Half a kilo to a kilo a week is a realistic goal; faster than that comes back.
• Do not remove a whole food group — bread is reduced, not banned.
• There is no "wrong combination" of foods that produces instant toxins or fat.
• Thirty to sixty minutes of movement most days of the week makes more difference than any diet.
• A supplement accompanies the plan; it does not replace it.

Food safety in the Lebanese summer

• Wash your hands with soap and water for twenty seconds before cooking — the cheapest prevention there is.
• Raw meat wrapped at the bottom of the fridge, and separate boards for meat and vegetables.
• Leftovers into the fridge within two hours or thrown away; in the heat, one hour.
• Raw kibbeh and uncovered hummus do not last long on the table in the heat.

Iron for constant tiredness

Pallor, fatigue, dizziness — iron is the first thing to check. Sources: lean red meat, chicken, fish, with lentils, beans and spinach. Lemon on spinach improves absorption; tea straight after a meal reduces it. A test with the doctor before any iron supplement.

Children: breakfast and school snacks

A child without breakfast concentrates less and complains of a stomach ache by second period. Milk, whole-grain cereal and fruit are enough. For snacks: yoghurt with strawberries and banana, a handful of nuts and dried fruit, carrots and cherry tomatoes, toast with peanut butter, or a clementine they peel themselves.

Family time at the table

A family meal without screens several times a week teaches children more about food than any lecture. Involve them in planning and cooking — whoever makes the salad eats it.