How to prepare the Healthiest Meal in the World

June 22nd, 2012

Appliance Talk Ovens & Cooking Recipes

A team of scientists has designed what is being hailed as ‘the healthiest meal in the world,’ able to satisfy all 222 health claims accepted by the European Food Safety Authority.

While it took 5 years for the EFSA to narrow the 44,000 health claims submitted by its member groups down to just 222, it took the UK’s Leatherhead Food Research Group only a week to design what it has termed Leatherhead Airline Meal Formula 222.  This ‘supermeal’ is fairly light, simple and healthy, but isn’t bland and boring rabbit food, either.

While designed to serve as a replacement for the reheated stodge typically served aboard commercial airlines, the meal could easily be served at home, provided you have the right appliances handy.

Fresh and Smoked Salmon Terrine – with ALA and DHA for brain and heart function

Confession time – I did not know what a Terrine was prior to writing this.  According to Wikipedia, this French ‘forcemeat’ loaf is similar to a pâté, made with more coarsely chopped ingredients and usually served cold or at room temperature.

The process of making your Terrine can be sped up by using a food processor to reduce your salmon pieces to the right consistency, while at the same time combining them with any other ingredients you may choose to include (this recipe recommends using butter, natural yoghurt, chives, lemon juice, salt and pepper).

Then it’s just a matter of leaving the lot to set in your fridge overnight, or the freezer if you’re in a hurry, though you could end up with results of a different consistency.

Mixed Leaf Side Salad with Extra Virgin Olive Oil Dressing – for cholesterol claims

Okay, this part’s the ‘rabbit food’ that so many people worry about.  But if you use good quality ingredients, such as fresh veggies and extra virgin olive oil, you won’t need to add anything extra to make it taste great.  It’s the same principle of how a really good steak doesn’t need to be covered in tomato sauce – it tastes just fine when perfectly seared in its own juices.

Having a supply of fresh vegetables on hand without having to visit the shops every day requires a fridge with a good-sized vegetable section, and adjustable temperature and humidity settings to keep veggies at optimum crispness.  Putting your salad together can be made easier with the help of a food processor to combine and dress the ingeredients all at once.

High Fibre Multigrain Bread Roll – for 17 claims around fibre, folate and arabinoxylan

This is pretty simple, really.  If you wanted to, you could pick up a dozen of these things at your local baker and be done with it.

But where’s the fun in that?

Any number of bread-making recipes are available that require nothing more exotic than basic ingredients, such as yeast and a variety of grains, and a reliable oven.

Though if you wanted to get complete control over every aspect of the baking process, there’s the option of using a bread maker to sort out a roll quick and proper.

Chicken Casserole with Lentils & Vegetables –  for iron absorption, vitamins and minerals

We have reached the main course!  Yes, lentils are a bit dull, and remind people of Neil from The Young Ones, but when combined with chicken and some other choice vegetables, they combine into something much greater.

Traditionally, preparing a casserole involves combining all the ingredients and baking them in the oven, but you can also prepare something similar on the cooktop, though this would technically be closer to a stew.  My personal favourite technique would be to use the slow cooker so you can get the preparation of this part of the meal out of the way early on, then look after the other elements while the scent of chicken and lentils slowly wafts through the house.  Especially good during winter.

Live Yoghurt Blancmange – for cholesterol, gut health and blood glucose control

Unlike Terrine, I was a little bit familar with Blancmange prior to this blog.  At least, I’d seen its name used as a synonym for things that were white and wobbled.

While your typical Blancmange is made from milk or cream and sugar thickened with gelatin or cornstarch, the Leatherhead Food Research Group specifies using natural yoghurt instead, for added health benefits.  You can heat the ingredients as required on the cooktop, then refrigerate them alongside the Terrine until they set.

The Group recommends serving this topped with walnuts (to improve the elasticity of blood vessels) and a sugarless caramel-flavoured sauce (to keep blood glucose levels low and help maintain tooth mineralisation).

Cranberry, Raspberry & Elderflower Sports Drink – for energy, vitamins and electrolytes

As the description specifies a ‘sports drink,’ I get the feeling that this was intended to be a commercially-produced product, easy to include on an airline menu.  That doesn’t mean you have to go out searching through the fridge of the local 7-Eleven though – you can still whip up a serviceable substitute at home.

We’ve recently looked at juicers right here on this blog, and found that the fastest option for transforming a mixture of berries into a healthy and nutritious juice was a cold press juicer such as the Coway JuicePresso.

Pure Spring Water – to offset dehydration

Nothing much to prepare here – just drink the stuff.

If you’re not interested in picking up a bunch of commercially-produced bottles of water for the fridge, you can use a handy filter jug to keep some of your home’s tap water chilled and filter out its impurities.

If preparation isn’t your strong suit, some fridges include a water fountain built right into the door, often alongside an ice dispenser to add some extra chill.

But for the ultimate in filtered and chilled water convenience at any time, a convenient Billi or Zip tap can be installed in your kitchen.

Optional extras

While not part of the ‘core’ supermeal, the Leatherhead Food Research Group did add a few extra foods to deal with the few remaining health claims.

These include a mixed berry Meal Replacement Shake for those watching their waistline (you could whip up something similar at home with the help of a blender), a Hot Chocolate drink containing melatonin to relieve the symptoms of jetlag (your kettle and microwave can help prepare something like this, as can a boiling filter tap), sugar-free chewing to freshen breath and neutralize plaque acids after the meal (better get this one from the shops), and charcoal tablets to reduce excessive flatulence (!).

No word yet on vegetarian or vegan alternatives to the more meaty or dairy-filled sections of this meal, or gluten-free replacements for coeliac diners (perhaps Rowie Dillon can come up with a few?), but overall, the Leatherhead Airline Meal Formula 222 is an intelligent design for a healthy meal.