Gastronomy and nutrition come together at an event organised by Universidad Europea and Sodexo
The best of gastronomy and nutrition came together this Tuesday at Universidad Europea in an event organised by Sodexo and the Vice-Rectorate for Students and University Life, with the participation of the prestigious chef Pepe Rodríguez.
The event included a round table discussion, moderated by the Director of Communication, Sergio Calvo, with the participation of Pepe Rodríguez, Sodexo's executive chef, as well as doctors Andrea Calderón, Sara Sanz and Luisa Solano. Afterwards, the chef led a masterclass with nine students chosen by lottery, with whom he prepared a pumpkin cream with pickled mussels.
At the round table, Pepe Rodríguez highlighted the importance of having a society that is aware of the need to follow a good diet: "What I would most like is for the people who watch me on television, apart from having fun with the programme, to learn the value of eating well", because, as he pointed out, "it is necessary to change our mentality. It will benefit our health, we will eat healthily".
The colloquium highlighted the importance of educating children about healthy eating from an early age: "It is essential to include food and cooking so that children can experiment with food from a very early age and learn to eat in a healthy way", said Dr. Sara Sanz.
For her part, Luisa Solano, has demystified a belief that is in the imagination of many people: "We have carried out scientific research on ECO and ORGANIC products and we have not found any statistical indicator that supports us in being able to state that these foods are healthier than conventional ones. From a nutritional point of view there is no difference in terms of macro and micronutrients.
Participants at the round table also highlighted the problems that have arisen with price rises: "I always maintained the idea that eating healthy could be cheaper than eating badly. But I am finding it increasingly difficult to sustain this idea because, now with rising prices, it is very difficult for a large family or a family with few resources to eat healthily", said Dr Andrea Calderón. To combat the high inflation suffered by the food sector, she has recommended "a diet with a greater tendency to go green helps us because the cheapest protein is legumes, followed by eggs or dairy products, which are much cheaper than meat or fish".
Pepe Rodríguez reveals his culinary secrets to nine students
After the round table, Sodexo's executive chef, Pepe Rodríguez, offered a Masterclass to nine randomly selected students. In it, he gave them the opportunity to learn some of the secrets that have made him one of the best-known chefs on the national scene.
The students were able to see how the chef prepared a pumpkin cream with pickled mussels. As well as asking him questions during the cooking time, they had the opportunity to get to know his vision of cooking: "Cooking is a living language that is constantly changing. There is nothing dogmatic about it. We have to try to keep many things from tradition, but others will change or disappear".