Guilt-free Christmas: healthy tips to enjoy the most important menu of the year

It has become a tradition that in December notes are taken on equivalences and how many kilos Peruvians gain on average at the end of the festivities. We see in various social networks and media that a slice of panetón It is equivalent to some breads with jam, but do these equivalences really serve and motivate people to have healthy habits or do they just generate guilt? We talk with nutritionists about how to have healthy habits this holiday season to eat panettone, chocolate and whatever we want, but in balance and harmony with our healthy habits.

Remember that this note contains general nutritional advice and does not replace a visit to the nutritionist. Also, if you have any comorbidity or illness, you should always turn to your treating doctor or nutritionist.

Common mistakes

For the nutritionist Claudia Agüero, the most important thing in these festivities is to have a balance. “At least 50% of what we eat must come from whole or natural foods. We must have a balance and not just that a month or two are healthy, “he explains. The ideal is to eat healthy all year round or start having habits that help us improve our health.

The specialist considers that it is a very common mistake that when we have a Christmas meeting, we go hungry all day to be able to eat abundantly at night or during the celebration. “It is not okay from a nutritional point of view, you are subjecting the body to stress and in the meeting, you will eat as if there were no tomorrow.”

He explains that the ideal would be to eat that day normally, but opting for foods that contain more vegetables, hydrating regularly, but without filling our stomach with water instead of food, since for a moment this will satiate us, but then we will be hungry again.

For Agüero it is key to understand that food is not bad or good, only some have more or less nutrients. “The best thing will be to choose foods that nourish us,” he says. The specialist also emphasizes that health is not only what we eat but also what we think and feel, so we should not eat and feel guilty afterwards.

Do not restrict food

One of the tips that is heard a lot this time of year is to restrict food: eat little or very few calories or even skip meals and do the famous fast. The magister Slovenia Ulloa Acuña, professor of the School of Nutrition and Food at Unifé, affirms that the idea is not to restrict food during these celebrations. “For our body to function properly it needs food and energy. If you restrict yourself food, you also limit nutrients. By not having energy or nutrients, catabolism is carried out, that is, self-consumption. One is going to lose muscle mass, vitamins and minerals that are important functions of the body ”, he adds.

“It is better to opt for a slice of panettone and a cup of chocolate with sweetener that, due to the restriction, prohibits yourself and eat a whole panettone. In addition, we currently find more nutritious versions of Christmas classics on the market ”, he says.

But … How to eat healthy?

Nutritionist Slovenia Ulloa explains that in order for food to be healthy it must be “balanced, harmonious and nutritious”. “It involves all the foods that are within our reach. The key was to give more priority to foods that add nutrients and less to those that do not have nutrients, “he adds.

For her part, the nutritionist Sylvia Rodríguez explains that in order to eat healthy, some concepts must be clear in order to make the right decisions. The nutritionist indicates that all macronutrients are equally important. In this day and age, many people limit or cut carbohydrates because they see them as the culprit, and in fact, they are not. Rodríguez explains the functions of these nutrients in our body to find out what they do and why it is important to eat them.

Carbohydrates

They are the main source of energy. “It is the fuel we need so that we can function properly. They are part of the process of building muscle mass ”, adds the nutritionist. Carbohydrates are found in cereals, tubers, grains, among others. “It will always be better to choose whole carbohydrates, since they also have fiber that performs functions and protects our body,” he says.

Lipids

This macronutrient is also important. We find it in fatty foods, but it will always be better to opt for foods that do not contain saturated fat such as olives, olive oil, avocado, etc. “One of the most important functions of fats is the formation of hormones. Those who restrict these foods tend to have hormonal problems, especially in women, ”adds Rodríguez.

Protein

“They form structure, serve as transport in the blood, are part of many enzymatic processes and provide muscle mass,” he says. “They are always associated with meats, but we also have plant-based protein,” he says. Some examples of protein are meats, eggs, all legumes, Andean cereals, some seeds, nuts, etc.

Sylvia Rodríguez explains that it is best to add new foods, rather than remove. “Add more vegetables, more vegetables, more fruits to your meals. If you didn’t eat any vegetables, now eat one. Varies the types of preparations. These foods are going to help us prevent many diseases, “he says.

To complement the nutritious diet, it is important to have other habits such as sleeping at least 7 hours, trying to reduce stress and doing physical activity. Regarding the latter, it is not necessary to go to a gym, it is enough to find an activity that we like and help us release endorphins.

Listen and understand us

The nutritionist Alejandra Izquierdo and specialist in intuitive nutrition explains that fear should not be used to convince another person to eat healthy. “That may work in the short term, but the alerts that have been generated by reading an equivalence of a panettone in breads, you will forget it and you will not carry out any healthy habit because you are not educating yourself as you should,” he says.

For the graduate it is very important that when we go to meetings we eat calmly. “Many people who have been dieting their whole lives when they go to a celebration or eat Christmas dinner, feel like it is the last supper. They eat like there is no tomorrow. They disconnect from hunger and satiety signals. It is important to know that the next day there will still be food. You don’t have to eat everything you see on the table, remember that you can always take home what is left over, ”he says.

Izquierdo adds that there is another very strong belief in this season, that “today I am unbalanced and on Monday I start the diet.” This is also restrictive behavior that will lead you into a vicious cycle.

“Within health there is also the psychological part. Remember that you are going to have a moment of sharing that you can enjoy without being obsessed with food. The important thing is to share with friends and family ”, he says.

When there are diseases the panorama changes

The four nutrition specialists agree that when a person has a comorbidity such as diabetes, hypertension, morbid obesity, among others, the recommendations must be individualized. “When there is a metabolic disease there is always a risk that the picture is complicated when the recommendations provided by the nutritionist or doctor are not followed,” adds Claudia Agüero.

For its part, Slovenia Ulloa explains that the key to not falling into excesses that can complicate the prognosis of a person with some pathology is “self-care”. “Here the secret to maintaining health is self-care. There is no one in the world who wants to take care of you more than yourself. Take care of your diet, look for better alternatives, do physical activity. This last piece of advice is for a healthy person or a person with a disease ”, he concludes.