You don't need to run away from your favorite holiday dishes; come to understand how to eat everything you like, but WITH BALANCED.
For cultural reasons, all parties, ceremonies, and various moments in life are marked by abundant food and full of memories. Every year, New Year's Eve parties, get-togethers, Christmas and New Year's meetings are significant challenges to every type of diet.
Last year, due to the uncontrolled covid-19 pandemic, face-to-face meetings were postponed to avoid crowding and increased risk of infection. Now in 2021, with the majority of people vaccinated and the number of deaths caused by the virus decreasing, the meetings have retaken place.
According to Dr. Andrea Pereira, a clinical nutrition physician at the Albert Einstein Hospital, a specialist in the areas of Obesity and Oncology, this is a time when everyone wants the tables to be full of affection, and this is usually demonstrated through various types of food.
"Human beings are the only animals that eat for many reasons, and our food choice is based on religion, biology, physiology, economics, sociology, marketing, and emotional aspects. This is reflected in our daily lives when hunger is the least reason for us to eat", says the expert.
To maintain balance in these situations, what to do? Running away from the parties? No, this is not necessary. The important thing is to try a little bit of everything, without repetitions and exaggerations. Some tips that Dr. Andrea leaves are:
1. Try to put vegetables, fruits, and vegetables on the plate, along with other foods, as the presence of fiber will reduce the absorption of fat and bring more satiety
2. Stay active during this end-of-the-year period: ride your bike, go for a walk. This will increase your caloric expenditure and your metabolism.
3. Alcoholic beverages are caloric, so they should also be consumed in moderation, remembering that women are more susceptible to the effects of alcohol than men
4. If you couldn't stand it, eat everything and drank them all, try to be more balanced the next day, giving preference to vegetables and fruits, in addition to less caloric foods
5. Try to convince the family to cook and share this homemade food. These dishes will certainly be healthier than industrialized and ultra-processed products
6. Don't overdo it with salt and sugar
7. If there is a lot of leftover food, freeze and distribute it among everyone. Avoid wanting to end it all the next day
8. Avoid going all day without eating before the parties, because that way you will be more hungry and tend to pick up everything that is more caloric first and in larger quantities.
Many people say that the important thing is to pay attention to what you put on weight between New Year and the following Christmas, that is, throughout the year, and not between Christmas and New Year, but losing weight is not a task. Easy.
"The best thing is not to overdo it because getting back to weight later will be a challenge. So, enjoy the moment with your loved ones, talk, exchange affection, but go to meet people and be happy, with balance and without exaggeration to start 2022 very well", concludes the physician.