How delicious is a gazpacho in the middle of a hot summer afternoon? Your answer is sure to be Very, very delicious! No matter what your favorite gazpacho is, this refreshing meal always comes in handy.
Especially because it helps us stay hydrated, satiated and full of energy at a time of the year when our mood can get a little low due to the scorching high temperatures.
It also becomes a perfect excuse for an afternoon with friends on a terrace, to share with the family or to take advantage of the ingredients that this season of the year offers us, where vegetables and fruits are at their juiciest and ripest. But have you ever thought about how it can benefit or not our health?
Is gazpacho healthy for the body? Find out in the following article, where we will tell you all the properties and benefits of gazpacho consumption.
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What is gazpacho?
Gazpacho consists of a cold and thick vegetable soup typical of the Spanish summer season. and is enjoyed as a main dish or as an appetizer. It is said that the origin of this dish comes from Andalusia in the 19th century, where farm workers would take the hard bread from the previous days and soften it with a kind of soup made with the vegetables that ripened in the summer and were on hand.
Then, as time went by, more ingredients were added to the dish, making it more substantial. Such as those coming from American lands and that little by little began to belong to the Spanish cuisine. Becoming a form of union of gastronomic cultures.
The ingredients of the traditional Andalusian gazpacho are: olive oil, sherry vinegar, garlic, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion and green peppers, accompanied by loaves of stale bread or crackers.
Types of gazpacho
However, Andalusian gazpacho is not the only one that exists. With time and experiments in the kitchen, people have managed to replicate this refreshing dish with other ingredients that make it a varied and very interesting alternative to enjoy. We will show you some of these versions.
1. Green Gazpacho
As you can guess by its name, this is a modification of the ingredients, choosing only those with greenish tones such as cucumber, celery, green peppers, spinach, basil and parsley. You can even add yogurt or sugar to the mixture to obtain a gazpacho of the opposite pole to the traditional one.
2. White Gazpacho
As for this one, the color obtained is white, since the main ingredients are pine nuts, almonds, apples, abundant bread crumbs and eggs. This is considered one of the most substantial gazpachos of all and for this reason its consumption should be moderate.
3. Gazpachuelo
This alternative to gazpacho was born thanks to the fishermen of the coast of Malaga, where the protagonism is taken this time by the eggs and mayonnaise, leaving the vegetables in the background and may even be completely left out of the dish. It is also considered a very heavy dish for constant consumption.
4. Pre-Columbian Gazpacho
It can be said that this is the original version of gazpacho, that is, the traditional dish as created by 19th century peasants before Columbus arrived in America and brought with him typical ingredients from those regions. This dish was made known in 2010 by restaurateur Ada Parellada who describes the following ingredients: watermelon or melon, cherries, cucumbers, radishes, raw almonds, ginger root, onion, garlic, mint, vinegar, olive oil and salt.
5. Fruit Gazpacho
This version takes fruits over vegetables as the main ingredients. So we can have a gazpacho a little sweeter and even cooler. Ideal for dessert or on hot afternoons. It is usually made with only one fruit (preferably red fruits such as strawberries, watermelons and cherries) or you can combine them all to create a kind of creamy fruit salad. There is also a version of gazpacho with melon and mint, which are typical Spanish summer ingredients.
Is gazpacho healthy for the body?
The answer to this question will depend mainly on the ingredients in the gazpacho and how often it is consumed.. But in general terms, gazpacho offers many advantages to our organism, such as giving us energy or keeping us hydrated. It is also a substantial, varied and complete meal that can be added to a main menu without any inconvenience.
However, we must be careful with the ingredients of the dish. Gazpacho has health benefits because it is essentially a soup of assorted vegetables. But, by altering its composition and adding other heavier elements, it can go from being a healthy dish to something a bit destabilizing for our body health.
For this reason, it is important that you always it is important that you always choose to consume a traditional gazpacho made with olive oil, without extra elements such as mayonnaise or mayonnaise.without extra elements such as mayonnaise or, if it is made with fruit, without too much sugar. Instead, look for natural sweeteners such as stevia or non-processed sweeteners.
Health benefits of gazpacho
Despite the care we must take when modifying the traditional gazpacho recipe and leaning towards the healthier versions, there is no doubt about the benefits that these can bring to our organism and even that they can help its proper functioning.
Not only with the traditional vegetable version of gazpacho, but with the inclusion of fruits to the mix.
1. Natural nutrients
By its composition, we can appreciate the intake of fresh and natural ingredients of the summer season, which thanks to its level of ripeness and juiciness, show greater properties such as being antioxidants, moisturizers and vitamins. Helping the body’s functions and strengthening the cells of the epidermis, which is very beneficial when it comes to combating aging.
Another benefit we get thanks to its nutrients is that gazpacho becomes a source of healthy energy, which helps us to maintain a positive mood, reduce stress, avoid tiredness and fatigue.
2. It keeps us hydrated
As it is a typical summer food and is served as a cold dish, it has refreshing properties that not only quench our thirst, but also help prevent skin dryness and dehydration of the body caused by high temperatures and sun exposure. So it becomes a great ally of water that we can also enjoy to feed ourselves.
3. Protection against the sun
As you already read, gazpacho helps our skin to gain extra protection against the sun’s UV rays, which prevents the appearance of spots, sunburn, sunstroke and the development of cancer cells. This is because its ingredients are rich in antioxidants and minerals that help us to better withstand the heat of the season.
Another benefit to add is that we can maintain a beautiful tan without damaging our skin.
4. Strengthens the immune system
Thanks to the minerals, vitamins and nutrients contained in the ingredients of gazpacho, we can enjoy an adequate immune system to fight any type of cold or common viral infections, when the colder seasons are approaching at the end of the summer. It also speeds up our metabolism and improves the regulation of our body temperature, in a way that is pleasant to the palate.
5. Prevents diseases
Gazpacho not only cooperates with the body to prevent colds, but also helps keep our organs in perfect healthy harmony to perform their functions properly. As it is rich in fiber, it benefits the digestive and intestinal system, with its minerals it helps cellular oxygenation and prevents cardiovascular or hypertensive diseases, while with its vitamins it delays skin and brain aging.
6. Reinforces aesthetics
Due to the production of lycopene, vitamins and mineral salts, both from vegetables and in its liquid fruit salad variant, it contributes to the strengthening and nutrition of skin cells, preventing oxidation and preventing skin diseases. Such as spots or cancer caused by exposure to UV rays. In addition, vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers have anti-inflammatory properties, which helps reduce swelling and redness in the skin due to heat.
Another benefit that we cannot ignore is that it helps keep our skin beautiful, thanks to the fact that we can keep it constantly hydrated. Which is very important to keep an eye on during the summer because, it is very easy for the body, during the summer is more vulnerable in the loss of fluid.
So you know, try to choose the most traditional gazpachos like the Andalusian, the pre-Columbian or its fruit variant. Which are not only more refreshing and nutritious, but will help you not to gain extra weight during the vacations, will keep you active and protected from the tenacity of the sun, during high temperatures.
The important thing is that you can make this recipe with natural ingredients, fresh and light for the organism, which bring benefits for your body.that will bring benefits to your interior and exterior.