the analysis sheet in close-up

The calorie content as a percentage of daily requirements and the calorie content of the dish (in kcal/portion)

Information on calorie content is of course important, because it helps you prevent the quantity of energy you consume “ballooning”. Nevertheless, if you look only at the calories you can’t be sure of a balanced diet. You could in fact get 100% of your daily energy requirements by eating ten chocolate bars and nothing else… but if you did, that would hardly be a balanced diet, and it certainly wouldn’t give your body everything it needs to stay healthy.

That’s why the nutrition pyramid is such a useful tool: it gives you quick and simple guides for putting your meals together without getting your nutrition wrong.

The DIETEO nutrition pyramid for each dish

Next to each recipe you will find an illustration of the DIETEO pyramid for the dish*. This enables you to assess what the dish provides in terms of the recommended daily allowances for each food group.

Each whole bar (layer) stands for the recommended amount (so in this case, 100%) for the food group. The coloured part of this bar indicates the percentage provided by the dish in question. The DIETEO pyramid accordingly gives you information at a glance about the quantity of nutrients the dish provides, and also about how much more you should ideally be eating in the same day.

Let’s look at an example: suppose a recipe provides 60% of your daily requirement for vegetables. So you know you need another 40% that day; you definitely should be making up that amount of vegetables at another meal (for example, by eating some more raw vegetables with your midday sandwich, or nibbling on a vegetable snack).

Along the same lines, if a dish contains very little dairy produce and/or fruit, it would be useful to eat, for instance, a low-fat yoghurt or some cottage cheese and fresh fruit for dessert or as a snack, to restore the balance. Or, if you have had a lunch based on a large amount of meat, fish or eggs, go for a hot vegetarian evening meal, so as not to exceed the recommended amount.

Ideas from DIETEO– For a “better balance”

What might go best with this dish to make it a bit more balanced? Ideas from DIETEO ….

A balanced day’s nutrition is built on the dishes and food consumed over 24 hours. That means your breakfast, elevenses, lunch, evening meal and any little nibbles in between (so easy to forget); they all count. Ideally, every food group ought to be present in each main meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner). That is why nothing need be absolutely forbidden in a balanced diet; it all depends on how much, how often: on moderation. If your midday meal contains too much fat, then you will need to compensate for that in your other meals by avoiding sauces, fried food or fatty meats, for example. Of course, the composition of each of your meals matters in helping you keep balanced … and if that’s hard to follow when you barely have time to gobble a meal on the hoof, this is where EXki, DIETEO and CIRIHA come to the rescue, by helping you compose balanced meals in a flash!

For each dish you choose (a filled baguette, a soup, a tart, &c.), you’ll find on the sheet for that dish some “DIETEO Ideas”. These will suggest various accompaniments to enable you to balance your meal in a moment.

For instance: you want to try a lentil soup? We recommend a select sandwich to go with, some unsweetened fruit juice and a low-fat yoghurt, to make a balanced meal.

Quality

On the basis of criteria worked out by nutritionists*, certain nutritional properties are attributed to certain foods: rich in starch, optimal provision of good quality protein, light dish, &c. This can help you make your choices with the backing of expert knowledge!

Ingredients

The complete list of ingredients for each dish is set out on the sheet, for your information, with complete transparency.

Nutritional composition

You will also find the amount of protein, lipids/fats and carbohydrates, as well as fibre, per 100g. Nutritionists advise us to choose meals that provide a good dose of carbohydrate (mainly in the form of starch - contained in pasta, bread, potatoes, dried legumes,…) for usable energy, with a moderate amount of fat. If you want to pick at random and still watch your figure, one good tip is to compare the protein content of the dish with its fat content. If there’s much more fat than protein, you should be aware that this product probably contributes considerable quantities of fat to the meal you’re putting together.

DIETEO’s nutritional labelling on the shelves

To help you put together light, healthy meals in a flash, starting right in the store, you’ll find that the labels on Exki dishes give the calorie content per portion as well as the calorie content as a percentage of daily requirements. The guidance you get from DIETEO’s nutrition sheets will also enable you to refine your choices.