Christmas: 10 tricks to improve the digestion of copious meals
Health is the best gift we can give ourselves this Christmas and nothing better than to begin with the feeding of the whole family. Christmas is the time for family gatherings around a table to taste delicious dishes, while we spend long evenings laughing, talking and sharing unforgettable moments.
This means that inevitably at Christmas we eat more than we can and we abuse the abundant menus full of fat and sugar, present in meats and sauces, sugary drinks and Christmas sweets. Without forgetting the wine, cava and other spirits present in the long nights of partying.
Most people, although we have a balanced diet the rest of the year, with the excuse of Christmas, between Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas lunch, New Year's Eve dinner and New Year's dinner, not to mention business lunches and dinners, we succumb to excesses and in a single meal we can eat 100 percent of the calories we need in a single day.
This excess of fats, proteins and sugars hinders digestion at Christmas and as a result they appear gases, reflux, heaviness or indigestion. At the same time, blood sugar can suffer significant variations, as well as cholesterol levels, not forgetting the overweight that accumulates as a result of the Christmas excesses in the diet.
10 tricks to soften Christmas digestions
The Association "5 a day" offers ten tricks and tips to spend a healthy Christmas in order to alleviate as much as possible the annoying indigestion, based mainly on the preparation of healthier menus, but no less tasty and Christmas.
1. If you go to dine a lot, eat less. If you anticipate a night of culinary excess, eat lightly to compensate and not accumulate calories. Salads, steamed vegetables and grilled meats or fish will be your allies.
2. Arrive satiated at the table. It is essential to eat less, without anxiety or excessive hunger. How to achieve it? Based on fresh fruit in the afternoon. The most recommended: apples, kiwis, tangerines, oranges, etc. Its contribution of fiber has a satiating effect.
3. Healthy and light cooking. The excess of fats, meats, alcohol and sugars of the Christmas menus, exceed our digestive system. Sometimes baked vegetables, boiled, grilled or sautéed may be the best option to accompany Christmas roasts.
4. Decoration and imagination for your dishes. If you accompany the meat with salads of tender shoots: mixed lettuce, escarole, endive, arugula, watercress, canons, etc., or seasonal vegetables such as broccoli and pumpkin, in addition to adding color and presentation to the dish, you will not overload it with calories, thus facilitating digestion.
5. Do not overdo the sauces. A careful decoration and an appropriate culinary treatment can be more successful than the copious and greasy dressings and sauces that so little benefit our body due to its heaviness and high calorie content.
6. Opt for fruits for your desserts. The desserts based on creams, sugars and liquors provide few nutrients but a large amount of calories. Nothing better than seasonal fruits such as pineapple, papaya, berries or many others that you can find in the market, and that will give color to your table, as well as incorporate vitamins, minerals, fiber and natural antioxidants into your body.
7. Little but varied. Do not give up the delicious Christmas delicacies, but limit their consumption to the indicated days; The secret is in the quantity.
8. Beware of alcohol. The toasts can play tricks on you and it is advisable to avoid alcoholic beverages. On the day after, it will be good for you to drink plenty of liquids such as water and fresh fruit juices.
9. Fiber, your best ally. Foods rich in fiber such as vegetables, fruits and whole foods, are more satisfying and help you control the amount of food you eat.
10. Give time to digestion. It is not advisable to go to bed shortly after dinner, as digestion is slower and can cause heaviness and sometimes heartburn. It is best to let go of 2 or 3 hours before bedtime ...
Marina Berrio
Advice: Association "5 a day". Association for the promotion of the consumption of fruits and vegetables.
