Lekkie święta – co jeść. Dr Hanna Stolińska, dietetyk kliniczny

Light holidays – what to eat. Dr. Hanna Stolińska, clinical dietitian

Many of us gain weight during the holidays. Usually, the main culprit is not actually the more caloric dishes, but our overeating. In addition, there are bad eating habits from before, such as fasting and poorly chosen diets, and disaster is inevitable. A light Christmas? Yes, it is not irony 😊 learn a few tips.

We should always eat healthily. Eat regularly, have breakfast within an hour of waking up, and focus on vegetables. Even if the Christmas Eve dinner is larger and fattier than what we usually eat, we will not gain weight if we have been eating rationally and healthily so far.

Healthy eating habits are very important, and we should remember them every day. It is known that the holidays are a special time, and we usually sit at the Christmas Eve table for a long time. It is easy to overeat then, which can lead not only to extra pounds but also to heartburn and intestinal upset.

On Christmas Eve

In the morning, eat a normal meal, such as sandwiches or oatmeal with fruit. Lunch should also be light, such as groats with vegetables, without protein like fish, because there will be plenty of it for dinner. A salad will also be a good choice. Depending on what time dinner is, you can snack on vegetables and drink water an hour beforehand. At Christmas Eve, start with less energy-dense dishes, such as borscht, Christmas Eve cabbage, and fish in jelly, and only then have pierogi and fried fish (preferably without breading). Do not end dinner with cake—save it for the next day. On the I and II day, for breakfast, have roasted meat, fish, and vegetables, but no bread. For lunch, have meat with vegetables so that you can treat yourself to a piece of cake afterwards. For dinner, make a light vegetable salad. Stick to the principle of variety and moderation in eating. It is worth thinking about how bad you will feel after overeating and whether it is really worth reaching for another portion of food when you are already very full.

MODERATION IS KEY! Try a little bit of everything.

Prepare lighter versions of traditional holiday dishes. Light dishes do not have to lose their taste.

Fried fish → Baked fish, fish in jelly, Greek-style fish without pre-frying in breadcrumbs

Cream-thickened soup → Yogurt-thickened soup

Mayonnaise vegetable salad → Yogurt or light mayonnaise vegetable salad

Herring in cream → Herring in natural yogurt

Fried pierogi → Boiled or baked pierogi

Christmas Eve compote sweetened with sugar → Christmas Eve compote without sugar or with a sugar substitute

Maccaroni with poppy seeds and sugar → Maccaroni made from whole-grain flour

Cakes?

It is hard to imagine the holidays without them. However, try to limit yourself this time. Do not eat more than one piece—choose a yeast cake or cheesecake, or at most, a small piece of poppy seed cake or sponge cake. Definitely give up cakes and pastries containing cream. Try to make healthier cookies or cakes, for example.

Oatmeal cookies

Number of servings: 20

Ingredients:

2 cups of oatmeal

1 large 200g natural yogurt

1 egg

30g dried poppy seeds

30g dried mulberries

30g goji berries

Cinnamon

4 tablespoons of honey

wheat bran

flour for thickening.

1. Combine all ingredients, thicken with flour or bran, or thin with yogurt.

2. Spoon the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in the form of small cupcakes.

3. Bake at 180°C for about 30 min. Preheat the oven beforehand.

When preparing the holiday table, try to include as many vegetables as possible

You can serve pieces of cucumber, bell pepper, and radishes on platters, and next to them, in a bowl, sauces made with natural yogurt, for example, with garlic or herbs. Also prepare vegetable salads with a small amount of olive oil or oil. You will be able to enjoy such snacks in unlimited quantities.

Holiday dishes are not only tasty but also very nutritious. Fish provides valuable omega-3 fatty acids and high-quality protein. Carp also contains phosphorus, vitamin A, and vitamin B6. Vegetable salad is a serving of vegetables, but it is also worth preparing other combinations with them. Christmas Eve cabbage is low in calories and provides plenty of fiber for good intestinal function—just like dried fruit compote. And borscht is a good source of iron and folic acid.

Preparing traditional dishes in a healthier way will allow us to enjoy the holiday season with our family without compromising on taste or negatively affecting our health.

And for those who overeat despite everything, here is how to make it easier to digest larger-than-usual portions of food:

Peppermint improves intestinal function and helps expel gas. Mint tea should be drunk immediately after eating, especially heavy dishes. It can also be taken in drop form, which has an antispasmodic effect on the smooth muscles of the intestines and relieves stomach pain;

Sage counteracts excessive fermentation in the intestines and has an antispasmodic effect on them. It should help if we feel overly full;

Lemon balm has a calming and soothing effect. It should be drunk in combination with mint;

Caraway stimulates the secretion of digestive juices and has antispasmodic and carminative effects. It can be drunk as an infusion or used effectively in preparing dishes. Adding caraway to heavy dishes will make them easier to digest;

Anise has an antispasmodic effect and is recommended for colic, indigestion, and bloating. In infusion form, it is also effective for helping with nausea;

Ginger has many benefits—it helps relieve headaches and nausea, aids digestion, and has antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory effects. It can be eaten after a meal or brewed—simply pour boiling water over freshly grated root, strain, and it is ready.

How to maintain a low-calorie diet during the holidays?

Try to eat a meal before going out for a family celebration. If you do not leave the house very hungry, you will eat less during the family gathering.

During the party, reach mainly for vegetable-based dishes at the table, which will provide significantly fewer calories and give you a greater feeling of fullness. Who said that a light dish cannot also be a salad made from fresh vegetables?

Put small portions on your plate. The rule of eating less, but more often, will surely help you control your appetite.

Try to eat slowly. The slower you eat, the greater the chance of feeling full after eating a smaller portion of food.

Drink plenty of fluids – tea, water. Drinking fluids before a meal will reduce our appetite.

Remember that alcohol is also a source of empty, unnecessary calories

Feasting together is a great opportunity for interesting conversations. Do not forget about this. If you focus on the conversation – you will eat less and your figure will not suffer.

Reminisce with your family about funny stories—laughing burns more calories and exercises your abdominal muscles.

Get up from the table often, help serve dishes, and you will distract your thoughts from food and get moving a little.

After a meal together – go for a walk! Try to encourage your whole family to do so too. After a walk in the fresh air, you will feel much lighter.

Do not spend the holidays in front of the television with a remote control in your hand; instead, move around more at this time and organize a family trip to the ice rink. If you have such an opportunity after the holidays, go skiing, for example.

In the morning after Christmas Eve, try to do some short exercises, work your abdominal muscles—such exercises will stimulate the intestines and get them working.