The ideal diet to lose weight after the holidays (without health risks)

You're thinking of putting on on a diet
because you feel weighed down and you have gained a few kilos between Christmas and New Year lunches and dinners? First of all, don't feel guilty if you have tasted the typical delicacies of the Christmas tradition; and then: call to flash diets that promise to do lose kilos in no time that for, they are recovered later with interest.
But here are some tips from the nutritionist on how get back into shape And lose weight in a healthy and balanced way. In any case, it is preferable not to get on the scale before the end of the month.

Eat better and don't gain weight

After the holidays we take the opportunity to start eating better to feel good and not gain weight suggests Dr. Stefano Erzegovesi, nutritionist and psychiatrist, expert in preventive nutrition and eating disorders. As? Between the foods we prefer but which make us fat and the foods which are good for us but we don't like, the expert points out, there is a “third way”, to be followed all year roundwith an enormity of foods that are tasty and good for your health, without “self-punishing” by giving up the pleasure of good food.

No carb diet: is eliminating carbohydrates necessary?

To lose weight, we can eliminate carbohydrates – even for a short period – without pasta and bread?
The belief that carbohydrates make you fat and that proteins and fats make you lose weight makes no sense – warns the doctor and nutritionist -. true that when you cut out carbs, At first you lose weight quickly: the body burns a little fat (and that's fine) but the problem is that an imbalance is created, it tends to dehydrate, therefore eliminating a lot of liquids; you have a feeling of slight digestive discomfort, so you feel sick ideal condition for
feel little hunger And lose weight, but only for a few weeks or months.
Then the organismsstressed by a “no carb” diet”, ready to start some food binges which we have given up. AND the lost kilos are regainedas well as putting your health at risk.

How to detox naturally

What advice for detoxify naturally? Dr. Erzegovesi summarizes: First: have dinner by 8pm and then Don't touch food until 8
of the morningthat is when you have breakfast, basically fast for 12 hoursa time that largely coincides with sleep. S
Second advice: reduce during this period the three categories of foods we abused during the Christmas holidays, that is animal proteins, saturated fats, sugars i.e. refined carbohydrates; therefore, in addition to avoid alcohol and sweets (or consume small doses if you really can't), the consumption of meat, cured meats, eggs and cheeses must be reduced. Third tip:
increase portions of vegetables (also to be consumed as an appetizer, instead of as a side dish, so as to quell hunger), cwhole grains, legumes and fruitwhich means focusing on the presence on the plate, from a nutritional point of view, of fiber and antioxidants.

For those who feel the need for a light dish after the holidays, the expert recommends the Kitchari Cleanseanatural detox with rice, light legumes and spices (recipe here).

Mini intermittent fasting 12.12pm

A mini fast, technically called, may be useful for a few days intermittent fasting 12.12pmthat is you eat within a 12 hour window And for another 12 hours you do not touch food, that is not water (or other unsweetened liquids, such as herbal teas or). Practically, we have dinner by 8pm (or 7pm) and we remain fasting until 8 (or 7), when having breakfast.
A few days of fasting for 12 hours (
(
most spent sleeping) and good sleep are the first natural detoxifier to regenerate us – underlines Erzegovesi –. This intermittent fasting, in fact, is aopportunity to improve the body's self-cleaning mechanisms that are activated overnightabove all at a cerebral level to eliminate pro-inflammatory waste, accumulations which over the course of tens of years (as scientific studies demonstrate) could be linked to degenerative diseases of the central nervous system.

Never skip breakfast

First of all, the expert advises, never skip breakfast. Do one breakfast with there right amount of whole grain carbohydrates and fibre allows
to have the right energy without hunger pangs around 11am – points out Dr. Erzegovesi –. After the holidays you can have a breakfast with an anti-toxic effect using, for example: fermented milk (yogurt or kefir), to feed the probiotic component that re-educates our intestinal bacteria, whole grain cereal of your choice (for example a slice of real wholemeal bread with a little jam or wholemeal oat flakes or wholemeal toast), a drink rich in antioxidants (such as coffee, tea – especially green – or vegetable infusions, for example lemon or ginger), one portion of fresh fruit which
you can add – to feel full – even a small amount of dried fruitfor example walnuts, almonds or shelled hazelnuts (about 15 grams, just a spoonful).

What to prefer for lunch (even outside the home)

At lunch you can start with a vegetable appetizer (
approximately 300 grams) which has a satiating and detoxifying effect – advises Erzegovesi –. For portions, half of the dinner plate should be filled with vegetables, the other half
on the one hand with
there pasta (60-70 grams for women, 70-80 grams for men, ed) – preferably whole or even with white flour, prepared for example with tomato – , the other side with legumes which are non-animal proteins rich in fibre; or you may prefer a single mealfor example pasta and beans or chickpeas, or rice and lentils or peas.
At the end of the meal, if you don't have abdominal bloating problems, you can eat it fruit whole, which has a lot of fiber and antioxidants (and not fruit juices), otherwise you can eat it as a mid-morning or afternoon snack.
Self we eat lunch outside the home preferable to bring your own meal. If you really can't, you can opt for vegetables and a few slices of wholemeal bread on which to spread, for example, a chickpea or lentil cream, suggests the nutritionist.

What to eat for dinner

Can you eat pasta for dinner? It depends on type of carbohydrate
– replies Erzegolesi –. The further we go into the night, the more we tend to become insulin resistant, so the most suitable carbohydrates should be preferred, with low glycemic loadthat is, whole cereals which are the grain cereals. An example of possible meal: spelled, barley or millet soup, or a bit of wholemeal polenta, or a plate of dry Venere rice or, if we prefer pasta, it should be eaten whole (always with the right portions, like for lunch). To follow: a dish with proteins, so if we ate legumes at lunch, in the evening we eat fish, especially “blue” fish – such as mackerel, anchovies, sardines – which is excellent for its anti-inflammatory effect. As an alternative to fish you can choose (less frequently) between eggs, cheese or meat, possibly sustainably raised.

How much weight do you lose?

Does this diet allow us to lose weight? Erzegovesi replies: It helps us lose weight in a stable wayallows you to set the processes in motion detoxificationbest train the intestinal bacteria that activate the metabolismstimulate satiety avoiding nibbling between meals. However – warns the nutritionist – let's not imagine a drastic drop, for example one kilo a week; but graduallyover the course of a few weeks, we will return to our ideal weight. a diet that everyone can do because it allows you to detox from Christmas excesses without completely depriving yourself of a nutrient such as carbohydrates; we will only eat, at least for a few months, less refined carbohydrates and less fat.

Herbs and spices

They can be added to dishes herbs and spices, such as oregano, chili pepper, basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, turmeric. Erzegovesi explains: They make it better glycemic loadL'antioxidant effect and that detoxifyingso I'm one sort of additional “drug”. that we can put in every meal.

Sweets (without exaggerating) at breakfast, and not after meals

Can those who can't do without sweets eat them without exaggerating? Suggests Erzegovesi: If they remained leftover panettone or sweetslet's eat them at breakfast when our impact with insulin and the glycemic load Very more favorable also paying attention to the quantity, therefore: one small slice of panettone or pandoro or a small portion of dessert, no more than 50 grams.

Snacks, prefer healthy ones

Better to avoid them too snacks classics. The expert advises: Yes, you can drink a coffee or teawhich are drinks rich in antioxidants, eat fresh or dried fruit (a small handful, about a tablespoon).

Alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) drinks

As for drinks, recommended drink lots of water which, as Dr. Erzegovesi reiterates, helps eliminate toxins from the body and hydrate it. However, sugary drinks (even artificially) as well as alcohol should be avoided and, if you really prefer, women can drink one unit of alcohol per day, i.e. uno glass of wine or a small beer (33cl), the men two units of alcohol (2 glasses of wine per day or two small beers). It is still considered an unhealthy amount, but not so toxic.

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