Healthy dinners to make up for overindulging at Christmas

Christmas is filled with copious dinners and meals, sweet treats, clinking glasses, etc. And all of these excesses take their toll on us. Digestion is slowed down, fluid retention increases, sugar levels are out of control, your cholesterol and blood pressure rise, etc.

While resuming your healthy habits (e.g. following a healthy diet) is important after the holidays, you should also make up for stuffing your face by eating lighter meals, especially at dinner time. Here are some tips to help you make up for overindulging at Christmas.

Tips on how to make up for overindulging at Christmas

As well as exercising for at least 30 minutes a day, it is essential to look after your diet. You should always opt for healthy recipes that meet your calorie needs. In other words, a calorie deficit is needed to make up for days on which you consumed too many calories, although you should always follow a balanced diet.

There are countless options, but if you want to go back to being healthy and fit like you were before Christmas, the following foods are musts:

Fruits and vegetables

You need to consume these because they provide water, satiety, vitamins and minerals, which are necessary for your body to function properly. They come in many forms, but we recommend opting for:

• Leafy green vegetables like spinach, baby leaves and broccoli. They contain a lot of fibre and proteins that will help you to feel sated and not feel hungry.
• Onions These are rich in vitamins and minerals (vitamin C, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, etc.)and they contain ahigh percentage of trace elements and phytochemicals, likequercetin, an antioxidant with prebiotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and anti-cancer properties, especially for breast, colon and prostate cancer. They also help to reduce the symptoms of fatigue, anxiety and depression. Equally valuable is the glucokinin they contain, a “plant insulin” that helps to fight diabetes.
• Cauliflower This is high in fibre, which will help to eradicate fluid retention and keep you feeling full. It also contains folic acid, magnesium, potassium and calcium, and also vitamin C, meaning that this vegetable lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
• Avocados are rich in healthy fats, minerals and vitamins C, A and E, so they are powerful antioxidants that help to prevent the onset of degenerative diseases such as cancer. They also contain omega-3, which helps to lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular diseases.

Fish

To obtain a good supply of proteins. These take longer to digest so they keep you feeling full for longer. They also promote muscle development (important for fat loss, as the greater your muscle mass, the more calories your body consumes for its vital functions). We recommend eating:

• Salmon, as it provides proteins and is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which lower cholesterol, and it is high in vitamins A and D, which promote muscle tissue regeneration and help to strengthen your bone structure.
• Hake, which provides:
  • Proteins that enhance muscle development.
  • B vitamins that strengthen your defences, boost your energy and support the function of your nervous system.
  • Minerals (calcium, iron, potassium, iodine, etc.), which are essential for the body. For example, calcium supports bone density and the health of your teeth and iodine helps to synthesise thyroid hormones and acts on the circulatory system to prevent heart disease.

Finally, we must not forget its omega-3 content, which has a cardioprotective effect and lowers your blood pressure.

How to consume them

There are countless dishes you can prepare with these foods, whether as starters or main courses.

For example, you could prepare baked hake with lemon, which is low in calories, so it will help you to lose weight after overindulging at Christmas, as well as providing the benefits of its ingredients. Or if you fancy something simpler, you can make a green sprout salad with salmon.

However, after overindulging your insulin levels are often skewed, and you will often feel like having a treat, like a pizza. When this happens, you can give yourself a healthy treat and make a home-made pizza with a cauliflower base to “trick your mind”, because it does not taste like cauliflower and you will feel like you are eating a regular pizza.