I have decided to dedicate this blog post to the subject of nutrition. As I am Lebanese, I have decided to write this post about Traditional Lebanese foods with the aim of educating my readers about the nutritional content of popular traditional mezza dishes.
The foods on the infographic above are commonly consumed by Lebanese people on a regular basis so I thought that it would be quite interesting to find out the macronutrients of each dish and list them from highest in protein to lowest.
Among this list are the amounts of fat, carbs, and calories of each popular dish. I thought that this would be a useful Infographic for my Lebanese audience in particular as Lebanese culture is a social one and eating in line with physique goals is quite difficult due to that reason. We center our social gatherings around food and it can be difficult to eat clean with that element of our culture. Regardless, I hope that this knowledge of macronutrients found in Lebanese foods can help you make choices that are in line with your muscle building goals.
So, my Lebanese friends, here is a list of foods that you can safely consume at your outings and at home without feeling guilty as these are all high-protein dishes. You will find that these foods are quite calorific yet reasonably so as they are high in protein as well and some pretty low in carbohydrates or fats.
For my English readers, I have listed the translations of these foods below so that you can eat for your physique/health goals at any Lebanese restaurant that you may go to.
Lebanese to English Translations:
Shish Taouk: Lebanese Roasted and Marinated Chicken.
Kofta: Minced Meat Balls with Spices and Onions.
Kibbeh: Lebanese dish made of ground meat (lamb or beef) spices, bulgur and minced onions.
Falafel: Deep fried chickpea/flava round patties served with tarator sauce.
Beef Sambousek: Lebanese dough pastry filled with beef.
Fassoulia W Lahme: Lebanese bean stew with beef or lamb,
Hummus: A popular Middle Eastern dip made from chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic.