Surviving excess food at Christmas

| During these dates there are special lunches and dinners, with friends, with colleagues, with the family ... How to survive Christmas?

It is almost inevitable not to succumb to the temptation represented by a colorful appetizer, a succulent stuffed turkey or a tray full of polvorones, marzipans and other sweets. So what should we do to do not regret the Christmas meals when we observe changes in our silhouette? How to survive Christmas?

Being careful with the quantities, not overdoing it, serving small portions and being selective will allow us to enjoy Christmas meals without regretting later. When the range of products to choose from is abundant, the key is to limit the portions, choose what we like the most and forget the rest.

How to survive Christmas and be picky about Christmas food

It is advisable to always consider these tips:

• Attention to quantities. As we say in dietetics: nothing is good or bad, it all depends on the dose. Well, the big problem at Christmas is the quantity. We eat caloric foods in large quantities. The key is not to repeat or snack, but to control the amounts and not eat much more than a regular meal.
• Choose what we like the most and discard the rest. Learn to choose what we want the most, limit our intake to two or three options and forget the rest.
• Drinks also give us a lot of calories. Drinks (with the exception of water) provide a large number of calories that, in addition, we take almost without realizing it. It is necessary to control the amount we drink, especially if it is alcoholic beverages, try to quench thirst with water and use wine or cava as a companion for pleasure.
• Make less caloric meals. If the preparation of Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas lunch is in our hands, we can choose to prepare a less energetic menu. The starters can be grilled prawns or steamed mussels instead of canapes with pate, foie or cheese spread. Toast with smoked salmon or caviar should not be served with butter, margarine or cream cheese. The Christmas stock may contain more veggies and lean meats and less bacon, and the pasta should be a side and not stuffed. Instead of sweets, a light natural fruit is better, such as one in syrup.
• Choose the least fatty dishes and discard the sweets. Choosing vegetable first courses, avoiding fried foods and sauces, choosing a good baked or grilled fish before a stew or a fatty meat in sauce, substituting sweets for a fruit or fruit salad and controlling the drink, are easy tips to follow and very useful.
• Doing physical activity. We must always perform to keep fit. If, in addition, we increase our calorie intake, the last thing to do is decrease our level of exercise. If we usually do sports, during Christmas it is advisable that we find the time to continue doing it. If we do not normally do it, it is good that we do not wait for the new year to propose it, we better start doing it before.
• Try not to extend the desktop forever. The eternal after-hours, with the trays of nougat, polvorones, marzipan, wafers, alfajores ... are the biggest problem in Christmas meals. It's hard to resist such temptation. Eating slowly, savoring each bite, not being carried away by gluttony and knowing how to say enough will help fight against temptation. In addition, we can remove the sweets to continue chatting quietly or go for a walk to better digest the food.

Don't forget physical activity

During Christmas, the tendency is to forget physical activity and replace it with meals, shopping, family gatherings, etc. The higher calorie intake added to the lower energy expenditure causes a clear increase in weight.

For survive christmas, we must not neglect the activity. If, for different reasons, we cannot continue with our routine, it is necessary to find a way to continue exercising the muscles with family walks, games with the little ones, etc. If we are one of those who are not usually active during the year, it would be a good idea not to leave exercise for New Year's purposes, but to start as soon as possible to counteract the extra calorie consumption that nougats will bring us.

What you should know

• The key is to control the quantities, choose what we like the most, savor each bite and not get carried away by gluttony.
• It is convenient to carry out physical activity, to keep fit and to compensate for the increase in calories consumed.
• It is advised not to abuse alcoholic and sugary drinks.

Diploma in Human Nutrition and Dietetics Bachelor of Food Science and Technology