by Maria Giovanna Faiella
Is it necessary to eliminate carbohydrates? How to eat better without gaining weight? Benefits of (mini) intermittent fasting 12:12. Advice on what to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, on desserts and snacks
Are you thinking of going on a diet because you feel weighed down and have accumulated a few kilos between Christmas and New Year’s lunches and dinners? First of all, don’t feel guilty if you have tasted the typical delicacies of the Christmas tradition; and then: banishment to flash diets that promise to make you lose kilos in a very short time which, however, are recovered later with interest.
But here are some tips from the nutritionist on how to 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, let’s 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? Among the foods that we prefer but which make us fat and the foods that are good for us but we don’t like, the expert points out, there is a “third way”, to be followed all year round, with an enormous amount of foods that are tasty and are very good for us. to health, without “self-punishing” by giving up the pleasure of good food.
No carb diet: is eliminating carbohydrates necessary?
To lose weight, can we eliminate carbohydrates – even for a short period – by doing 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 -. it’s true that when you remove carbohydrates, 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, you tend to become dehydrated, therefore eliminating a lot of liquids; you have a feeling of slight digestive discomfort, so you are in the ideal condition to feel little hunger and lose weight, but only for a few weeks or months. Then the body, stressed by a “no carb” diet, is ready to start binges on food that we have given up on. And you gain back the lost weight, as well as putting your health at risk.
How to detox naturally
What are your tips for detoxifying naturally? Dr. Erzegovesi summarizes: First: have dinner by 8pm and then don’t eat food until 8am, that is when you have breakfast, basically fasting for 12 hours, a time that largely coincides with sleep. Second advice: reduce in this period the three categories of foods that we abused during the Christmas holidays, namely animal proteins, saturated fats, sugars i.e. refined carbohydrates; therefore, in addition to avoiding alcohol and sweets (or consuming small doses if you really can’t), the consumption of meat, cured meats, eggs and cheeses should be reduced. Third tip: increase the portions of vegetables (also to be consumed as an appetizer, rather than as a side dish, so as to quell hunger), whole grains, legumes and fruit, which means focusing on the presence of fiber in the dish, from a nutritional point of view and antioxidants.
For those who feel the need for a light meal after the holidays, the expert recommends the Kitchari Cleanse, a natural undetox with rice, light legumes and spices (recipe here).
Mini intermittent fasting 12.12pm
A mini fast, technically called 12:12 intermittent fasting, can be useful for a few days, i.e. you eat in a 12 hour window and for another 12 hours you don’t touch any food other than water (or other unsweetened liquids, such as herbal teas). In practice, you eat dinner by 8pm (or 7pm) and stay fast until 8am (or 7am), when you have breakfast.
A few days of fasting for 12 hours ((mostly spent sleeping) and a good sleep are the first natural detoxifier to regenerate us – underlines Erzegovesi –. This intermittent fasting, in fact, is an opportunity to improve the self-cleaning mechanisms of the organism that are activated during the night, especially at brain 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. Having a breakfast with the right amount of whole grain carbohydrates and fiber allows you 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 slice of real bread wholemeal with a little jam or wholemeal oat flakes or wholemeal toast), a drink rich in antioxidants (such as coffee, tea – especially green tea – or vegetable infusions, for example lemon or ginger), a portion of fresh fruit to which you can also add – to feel full – a small quantity of dried fruit, for 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 (about 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 one side with pasta (60-70 grams for women, 70-80 grams for men, ed.) – preferably wholemeal or even with flour white, prepared for example with tomato -, the other side with legumes which are non-animal proteins rich in fibre; or you may prefer a single meal, for example pasta and beans or with chickpeas, or rice and lentils or with peas.
At the end of the meal, if you don’t have abdominal bloating problems, you can eat whole fruit, which has a lot of fiber and antioxidants (and not fruit juices), otherwise you can eat it as a mid-morning or afternoon snack.
If you have lunch outside the home, it is 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 the type of carbohydrates – 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 a low glycemic load, that is, whole cereals which are grain cereals. An example of a 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, as for lunch ). Next: a dish with proteins, so if we ate legumes for 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 way, allows us to set in motion the detoxification processes, best train the intestinal bacteria that activate the metabolism, stimulate satiety by avoiding nibbling between meals. However – warns the nutritionist – let’s not imagine a drastic drop, for example one kilo a week; but gradually, over 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
Herbs and spices can be added to dishes, such as oregano, chilli pepper, basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, turmeric. Erzegovesi explains: They improve the glycemic load, the antioxidant and detoxifying effect, so they are a 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? Erzegovesi suggests: If there are leftovers of panettone or sweets, let’s eat them for breakfast when our impact with insulin and the glycemic load is much more favorable, also paying attention to the quantity, therefore: a small slice of panettone or pandoro or a small portion of sweet, no more than 50 grams.
Snacks, prefer healthy ones
It is also better to avoid classic snacks. The expert advises: You can drink coffee or tea, which are drinks rich in antioxidants, eat fresh or dried fruit (a small handful, about a spoonful).
Alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) drinks
As for drinks, it is advisable to 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. a glass of wine or a small beer (33cl), 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.
Corriere della Sera also on Whatsapp. sufficient click here to subscribe to the channel and always be updated.
January 8, 2024 (modified January 8, 2024 | 09:45)
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED