The most effective trick to limit the 'damage' of Christmas buffets and binges is ancient and also very 'cinematic'. A couple of apples eaten before sitting down at the table are enough, as Mami advised Rossella OHara in 'Gone with the Wind' because, in the case of the heroine played by Vivien Leigh “it's bad to arrive hungry at dinner in society”. In our case the remedy “helps limit portions and temptations. You feel less hungry and it is a trick that works a lot, as I have experienced with my patients over the years”, she explains to Adnkronos Salute the nutritionist and phytotherapist Ciro Vestita.
Apples and herbal teas, the nutritionist's advice
With the apple system “which in this period are also in season and very tasty, you basically eat half of them without realizing it”. Another important help comes from herbal teas, which also allow us to hydrate, drink more and deflate”, he adds. The most useful in this period” are those based on mallow and karkadè. These are two mallows, i.e. plants of the same family with similar properties”. Karkadé may also be preferable “for its pleasant flavour. It can be drunk hot but is also pleasant cold.”
Its characteristics, like those of mallow, make it perfect for 'anti-binge eating' because “karkadè is very rich in mucilage. Therefore, drinking a cup of it stops hunger as the mucilage gives a sense of satiety. Furthermore, this infusion promotes diuresis with a strongly 'deflating' effect”, adds the nutritionist underlining how, in this period, “being too punitive at the table is not necessary and can even be counterproductive. There is some exaggeration and, in this case, herbal teas are beneficial thanks to the effect of the reduction of liquids”.
The one day 'fast' diet
If then the revelry of the pre-Christmas celebrations – with the toasts in the office and among friends – and the dinner tables on the 24th and 25th are immediately visible on the scales, adding one or two kilos to our usual weight, on Boxing Day we can try to remedy this with a 'fast diet', “non-punitive” of a day based on fruit.
“There are essentially two products to choose in this period. First of all apples, very rich in water-soluble fibre. And then kiwis, which have few calories, much less than oranges for example. We can eat even a kilo of these fruits on the 26th, without adding other foods. We will have a sense of satiety, a high diuresis due to the presence of potassium and we will stock up on a large quantity of vitamin C, useful for protecting against colds and seasonal viral diseases”. For those who cannot tolerate the acidity of fruit, “it may be useful to choose an exotic fruit, papaya, which has a high 'buffering' power against gastric juices. It can now also be easily found in supermarkets and has a rather low sugar intake “, he concludes.
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