Tips for maintaining healthy habits during the holidays

Christmas is here and with it, binge eating, excesses and those dreaded gastronomic regrets that haunt us every time we eat too much sweet.

From Juaneda Hospitals, after an interesting conversation with nutritionist and dietitian Alejandra Pou, a new addition to Juaneda Clinic, we want to provide you with a series of tips to achieve balance between enjoying and not losing healthy habits.

The first thing we must bear in mind is that Christmas is only five days a year and that the most important thing is to have the ability to enjoy family, relax, disconnect and not obsess over food. In addition, it is essential that we can enjoy those specific foods that we can only find during this time of year, such as polvorones or turrones. That said, it is advisable to eat a sensible and appropriate amount that manages to satisfy us without causing anxiety.

From Juaneda Hospitals we provide you with a series of tips that will allow you to enjoy Christmas:

·  Incorporate foods that we fill us up so we don’t have the need to snack between meals: add animal protein to your diet, but also plant/vegetable protein as well, such as legumes, soy, nuts, or eggs; add fibers such as vegetables, fruit, or seeds; eat solid meals instead of liquids, as they are more satisfying.

·  Be perfectly hydrated.

·  Eat in a quiet environment: it is important to chew each meal perfectly. Leptin or the satiety hormone takes 20 minutes to send the signal to the brain to tell it that we are full. If we eat too fast, we will eat more than we need.

·  Let the cutlery down from time to time. It will help us take short breaks.

·  Don’t torture ourselves by eating, find a balance instead. For example, if you eat a copious meal, the next day you can take the opportunity to go for a walk, to stroll, etc.

It is very important –and not just during the holidays– to know the difference between being on a diet and following a healthy diet.

In addition to always focusing on weight, diets always have expiration date and force you to eliminate many types of food, resulting in a limitation of your social life.

Following a balanced diet involves learning and acquiring good habits, learning to establish a weekly menu, and combining elements. A healthy diet is the one that counts colors and not calories and the one that teaches us to listen to our bodies and stop when we are full.

In addition, if you tend to retain fluids and want to avoid it during these holidays, we suggest a series of foods that will help you:

·  Do not forget to drink infusions.

·  Hydration is essential.

·  Consume foods rich in potassium: banana, beetroot, avocado, chickpeas, pistachios, etc.

·  Avoid alcohol as much as possible. And, if you drink wine, always accompany it with a glass of water.

·  Eat diuretic foods: onion, garlic, pineapple, etc.

·  Avoid foods with a high sodium content: snacks, chips, concentrated broths, cured cheeses...

·  Stick to a diet rich in fruit and vegetables.

These holidays, just worry about resting, disconnecting and enjoying. And, at the end of Christmas, there will be time to return to normal eating.

Juaneda, close to you.

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