Actually, before Christmas we should follow the usual diet, adequate to the time and needs of each person.
It is not very sensible to “lose a few kilos” by controlling the food beforehand, only to pick them up and then try to lose them again after Christmas.
What and how we should eat at Christmas
Although during these dates there are abundant company, friends and family meals, the tradition is changing. It is no longer the case that the bells ring on December 1 (or earlier) and we start eating wildly.
Increasingly, countries like Spain are tending to modify these traditional habits and to be more restrained, since health is at stake, and this is the most important thing.
We must start from the idea that “social” meals are not the same as eating too much. It is necessary to eat in moderation and to encourage conversation and good manners. Increasingly, there is a tendency to reduce copious dinners with alcohol, sugars and abundant fats, and we are eating better prepared and healthier foods. Vegetables, fish and meats are not only excellent foods, if they are prepared more lightly (baked, grilled, steamed, salted, etc.), but they are also more gratifying for our organism.
How not to overeat at Christmas
Throughout history, food has always been a necessity for survival, so its lack was a problem (except in certain social strata that flaunted their gluttony and bulging bellies as a symbol of their opulence).
This problem is still present in many parts of the world.
Likewise, obesity is as important as malnutrition, and has become an epidemic in many parts of the world.
Overeating is one of the main causes of disease, and has a direct relationship with a way of life that generates high levels of anxiety in people. One way to control this anxiety is by eating, which has turned food into another form of addiction, just as harmful as alcohol, tobacco or synthetic drugs.
For this reason, the endocrinologist-nutritionist has a fundamental role in the modification of the diet, since he/she can control anxiety and overweight.
How to detoxify after Christmas
If we have a healthy discipline, the important Christmas days are really only between 4 and 6, and if we do not commit very noticeable excesses there is no reason to gain more than 1 or 2 kilos, which can be easily lost. How? By drinking a lot of water, infusions, abundant vegetables, little alcohol, fish, fruit, etc; together with the usual physical activity. Lots of walking and cycling would be very appropriate, but as is increasingly the case, if Christmas is a form of vacation at the sea or in the mountains with more exercise, the food should be more plentiful.