The latest food trend breaking the internet is the “Balkan Breakfast.” Popularised on TikTok, it features videos of enthusiasts munching on a mouthwatering spread of raw vegetables, bread, feta cheese, and cured meats. Although this is not a traditional Balkan diet, it is drawing interest due to its potential health benefits.
What makes the Balkan Breakfast grab attention is its significant fiber content – essential for good health. A typical adult needs around 25 to 30 grams of fiber every day. Regrettably, the average American’s daily intake falls short at about 15 grams. The Balkan Breakfast could be an appropriate pick, ensuring you get about 10 to 20 grams of fiber from the vegetables and bread. This fibre intake boosts heart health, aids digestion, and helps keep blood sugar levels under control – constituting a powerhouse of benefits.
However, an abrupt increase in fiber can sometimes cause digestive issues like bloating, gas, and cramps. Therefore, if you decide to try out the Balkan Breakfast, make sure you approach it gradually. Start off with small portions of vegetables and increase the intake as your system adapts to fiber escalation. Along with this, drink ample water and consider roasting the vegetables to help with digestion.
While the Balkan Breakfast is, in many ways, a healthful meal option, one must be cautious about its salt content. Some videos show participants dipping raw vegetables into salt bowls before each bite. If you have to monitor your sodium intake due to a medical history, be careful with this trend. Even for those with no restrictions, remember that the recommended sodium limit for adults is less than 2,300 mg per day – roughly equivalent to a teaspoon of table salt. Thus, if you are opting for this meal, it might be wise to moderate the salt and also reduce intake of high-sodium items like cheese and cured meat.
The Balkan Breakfast might look tempting with its delectable spread of feta cheese and cured meats. However, note that one ounce of feta cheese contains around 323 mg of sodium, compared to 28 mg in the same amount of part-skim ricotta. And, one sausage link can deliver about 570 mg of sodium. Moreover, cured and processed meats are recommended to be minimized as they carry increased cancer risks.
Fear not! The Balkan Breakfast can still be a healthy part of your diet. Just select lower-sodium options and manage portion sizes. If you relish eating vegetables and have no heart health concerns, you might savour this meal once in a while.
If you’re considering incorporating Balkan Breakfast into your daily meals, you have ample scope to customize ingredients to suit your health preferences. For instance, you can swap white bread with whole wheat bread or a higher fiber variant. Instead of processed meats, you could opt for other protein sources like eggs.
American adults usually fall short on the recommended vegetable intake, with only about 10% meeting the appropriate portion size. The Balkan Breakfast could be encouraging for people to add more veggies like peppers, cucumbers, and onions to their diet. And as you relish the raw vegetables, also ensure they are thoroughly washed to remove any germs causing foodborne illnesses.
Thus, if you’re thinking of giving the Balkan Breakfast trend a whirl, consider choosing a low-sodium cheese, select an unprocessed protein, and chew your vegetables thoroughly. This hearty breakfast trend presents an enjoyable approach to increase fiber and vegetable intake in your diet. Just remember, when you try it out, take it slow with fiber-rich ingredients to avoid any potential tummy troubles, and fine-tune the meal to meet your health requirements by choosing lower sodium alternatives and whole-grain bread.
