• GEMA GARCÍA MARCOS

    @gemagmarcos

Updated on Tuesday, December 21, 2021 - 16:29

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  • DIET Infallible tricks to avoid getting fat at Christmas

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About 60 million dollars. That is the amount that, according to 'The Economist', Mariah Carey entered until 2019 thanks to her 'All I want for Christmas is you'. "I don't care about the gifts under the tree. All I want is to have you to myself," Carey sings. A beautiful wish that, if we take into account the number of searches on Google, does not correspond to the deepest longing of half humanity for

the only thing that they want for Christmas,

beyond having a good time with the family without arguing about who wears it. First course or Fulanito's management, is

not to gain weight between three and five kilos

that, according to the European Medical Institute of Obesity (IMEO), we Spaniards throw ourselves above average during these dates.

The breakdown of this 'figure' is straightforward.

Exceeding more than 1000 Kcal, above the recommended calories, can lead to an

increase of 80-90g of fat per day and up to one kilo per week

.

What's more,

each binge

that we get between the chest and back can be around

2,000 or 2,500 Kcal

., Almost the equivalent of two days of a normal diet.

Well, turned into a much more tiresome and repetitive tune than the 'All I want for Christmas ...', we fall again, year after year, into the trap of 'what to do to get fat at Christmas' when we

know perfectly which one is the answer

.

"In nutrition,

the rules of the game are always the same

and, despite the fact that most people are aware that certain foods and meals are fattening, they do not change their attitude, nor do they set limits", reflects Rubén Bravo, an expert in dietetics and gastronomy and spokesperson for the IMEO.

The subject is quite curious.

Obviously, we are aware that, at Christmas, a universal truce is not signed so that

fat, sweets and alcohol

- in high doses and all together - stop blowing up our diet (and health) but we cannot help but get carried away .

"Weeks before Christmas arrives, patients begin to come to my office, asking me how to manage the one that is coming," says Javier Fernández Ligero, pharmacist and nutritionist.

The first thing he tells you is precisely the opposite of what you can read on the internet: "There is no specific diet for Christmas, as it is being 'sold' everywhere now. The important thing is to have

a good nutritional structure throughout the year

that allows us to manage Christmas meals in a correct way ", he points out.

KEY DAYS

What's more, he continues, these larger meals should be very few ... in theory: "Actually, the key dates are Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve, the Three Kings and Three Kings dinner, which are times to enjoy with the family. and friends. These

six intakes

, over almost a month, should not make a difference in analytical parameters or improvement of body composition. "

The problem is that "many times, we make the mistake that on the 25th we already threw overboard all day. On the 26th we eat the leftovers. On the 27th we peck at the nougat that grandmother has brought and on the 28th, to celebrate the holy innocents. , We eat our aunt's cake. In this way, we generate a caloric surplus so brutal that it ends up producing a

generalized inflammation

, an

increase in the fat percentage

that will later be difficult to eliminate. Let's enjoy these dates, but with the head ", Javier Fernández Ligero asserts.

Also that the celebrations start each time earlier. "We have adopted the American calendar and

Christmas starts practically after Thanksgiving

, November 25, with the lighting of the lights, the sale of Christmas sweets, business meals, etc.

Christmas should be limited

, in terms of feasts,

at the classic six days

to those almost six weeks that have been 'institutionalized' now, "adds Manel Puig Domingo, MD, PhD. Professor and Head of Endocrinology and Nutrition service. Germans Trias i Pujol and Research Institute Hospital (IGTP)

To this should be added two other small details, continues Puig Domingo, "the accumulation of food that comes into the house -to which we would have to add those we consume outside of it-, which is much greater than during the rest of the year and that

intake social

that pushes us to finish everything we have on the table ".

We prepare an

excess of food

that stimulates repetition.

"We enter a dynamic of social-alimentary behavior tending to binge that usually ends in indigestion."

In this scenario of social ingestion, "the only thing we can do is try to be aware of this and manage it strategically."

A strategy that begins with a correct planning of the shopping list.

"Buying the right thing will reward our pocket and our health", emphasizes the clinical nutritionist of the IMEO Carmen Escalada that advises "to prepare the right rations, according to the number of diners, thus avoiding eating leftovers during the following days, letting ourselves be carried away by 'before to bust than to throw '".

RICH AND HEALTHY MENU

To turn our Christmas menu into one, just as tasty, but lighter in calories and healthier, we should forget about "starters such as patés, foie gras, puff pastry, toasts or salty cakes, which provide us with more calories and are more heavy at the level of digestion ", recommends nutritionist Mireia Elías. Instead, we can opt for "a seafood salpicón, avocado and prawn salad, vegetable skewers, smoked salmon with boiled egg, Iberian ham, white asparagus, anchovies with capers and prawns or prawns to share". More nutritious, with

high-quality protein and healthy fats

, these alternatives are "lighter and won't get us to the next dishes so satiated."

Of

first

, you can prepare "a homemade soup, minestrone soup or fish such as sea bass saffron, lightly creamed vegetables, watercress and avocado or truffled chicken would be perfect for the occasion."

In this way, in addition, we ensure "an

extra supply of fluids

, since at this time of year water is always a great forgotten."

In

second courses

, there are many possibilities, as long as we use

protein as a

base

.

Grilled lobster or scampi with romesco sauce, roasted scallops or turkey stewed with chestnuts would be, according to the experts at IMEO, the perfect choices for a second dish whose base should always be protein.

For

dessert

, we would be right with "a homemade fruit-based recipe, such as skewers with mini dark chocolate chips, a fruit salad or sorbet".

We can also make nougat, which are healthier and more natural than purchased, "using natural or roasted nuts, dehydrated blueberries and dark chocolate."

And, be

careful with

alcohol,

because those little wines with which we water the Christmas delicacies provide us with a lot of

empty calories

(a glass has about 75 cal and

10.4

grams of pure alcohol) to which we would have to add those of cava , the gin and tonic on duty, etc.

To try to control our most primitive instincts when facing these banquets, the nutritionist Javier Fernández Ligero offers us a simple trick.

"Take a couple of slices of pineapple or papaya because, in addition to helping us improve digestion with their enzymes, it will produce a certain

feeling of satiety

that will help us sit at the table without that anxiety to eat that dominates us in these situations ".

A living craving that we can also try to calm thanks to techniques such as

'mindfulness'

.

Or, in other words, trying to enjoy each bite fully being what we are tasting at that precise moment without thinking about the next delicacy that we are going to eat.

Instead of doing the boa, we could also use it very well to move a little more before and after the feast. "Physical exercise is the most effective way to influence our metabolism, taking into account that approximately 40% of the weight of an adult man and 30% of the weight of a woman is made up of muscles.

Leading an active life will not only improve our metabolism, but also our muscle mass that will help us burn more fat

, so that would be a good Christmas purpose.

We can go to the gym, go for a walk with friends, dance with our children or our partner, do some team activity or outdoor sports, such as skiing, cycling or paddle tennis, use the stairs instead of the elevator, walk on foot. short distances instead of taking a car or public transport ", they explain from IMEO.

In this sense, Fernández Ligero adds that "the next day, we can practice

intermittent fasting

which, accompanied by a good walk on an empty stomach, will not only prepare our digestive tract for the next intake, but will also help us to stimulate our thyroid, activating our metabolism to increase calorie burning. "

Moral?

All we should want for Christmas is to strike a balance between enjoyment and health.

And forget about miracle diets!

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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