Every day we’re more aware that eating a balanced diet benefits the quality of our health and this is illustrated by the Bloomberg Healthiest Country index, which places Spain in first place as the healthiest country. One of the factors that put us at the top is the Mediterranean diet.The habit of following a healthy diet isn’t just something we think about when we eat at home, it also applies to when we eat out, so nowadays we can find different restaurant options offering a huge variety of healthy and tasty dishes.
To find out more, we interviewed acclaimed Chef Gema Penalva.
- How would you define “healthy eating”?
A good Mediterranean diet, with locally sourced products, more vegetables, more legumes, fewer carbohydrates, preferably wholegrain, and fewer fried and fast foods.
- Are you noticing that customers are tending to choose healthy options when they eat out?
Yes, and of course it’s getting more and more common, in the end good food is the best medicine.
- Have you made changes to the menu you offer in your restaurant based on the behaviour of customers wanting to eat healthily when they go out?
We opted for this type of cuisine right from the start, as we’re lucky enough to have wonderful produce in our markets.
- What kind of diets are the most popular?
I think I’d say vegetarian diets, almost all the items on our menu can be adapted to suit most people’s needs.
- So, have you noticed more people with vegetarian or vegan dietary requirements? How do you make such specific dishes so they form part of a balanced diet?
Yes, more and more people come to us asking for dishes that don’t contain meat or fish. We substitute these foods with seeds, legumes, seaweed, nuts, at the moment there are lots of foods that can replace the ones we obtain from animals.
- When you produce the menus for your restaurant do you get advice from a nutritionist?
We don’t have a nutritionist, but we are fortunate to collaborate in a Master’s degree in dietetics and nutrition at the University of Alicante.
- How do you combine the food in your dishes so they form part of a balanced diet?
We combine legumes, vegetables, meat and fish, etc., we don’t overdo the carbohydrates and we don’t use fried or pre-cooked foods, as they contain a lot of sugar.
- In terms of drinks, are you noticing any healthy trends?
In our restaurant, wine and beer are the biggest sellers, but we are finding that people are consuming fewer soft drinks and drinking more water.
- Do you use fresh local products in your recipes? Why?
Almost all our vegetables come from the local area, eggs from Muchamiel, fresh fish from the Central Market (Mercado Central) of Alicante, and we always choose seasonal produce. This is still our philosophy, we’re in the Mediterranean and we must make the most of it.
- Do you have any tips on food and eating habits for us?
I’d say we must take this seriously, a good diet along with a little bit of sport can change your life, and forget about miracle diets.
- What’s your stand-out healthy dish?
At the moment we’re serving a brochette with oily fish, bimi, tosaka seaweed and wasabi root, or a large single cannelloni which instead of being made with pasta is made with tomato water and filled with chicken in escabeche marinade.
