Un “No!” dry at sadistic diets or to do-it-yourself reckless fasting. To lose those “excess pounds” that have accumulated thanks to panettone, pandoro, alcohol, cured meats, sausages and various sweets, there is a much more effective and healthy way. She talked about it atAdnkronos Health The Doctor Giorgio Calabrese, medical nutritionist specialized in food science. Here is the method recommended by the expert to get back into shape at the right time and above all healthy.
Diet and fasting yes or no?
According to the expert, on average 3 to 4 kilos are “gained” after the Christmas holidays, which in Italy are particularly long. But his recommendation is clear: no fasting or too drastic diets to eliminate extra kilos. «The problem of ‘heaviness’ after the Christmas holidays – continues Calabrese – is not exactly a question of diet but of food rebalancing. Even the most willing between December 25th and the beginning of the year can exaggerate in the quantity, quality and frequency of meals, as tradition dictates.”
Diet, or eat less and better: here’s how
“Now we just need to realign ourselves, with sustainable, non-punitive meals. It is therefore not necessary not to eat, but it is necessary to eat less and better, distributing calories over several meals rich in fibre. So more vegetable products – vegetables, fruit, legumes, all naturally seasonal – low in fat with the right amount of complex carbohydrates, preferably of wholemeal origin such as pasta, rice, bread. And without increasing proteins”, adds Professor Calabrese.
Compared to strict diets or fasting, «they are more effective 5 or 6 small meals a day, rich in fibre, low in fat and with one amount of balanced carbohydrates» explains the expert.
Protein in moderation: why?
«By eating only proteins, as many do to lose weight quickly, yes they overload the liver and kidneys. Furthermore, foods that contain a lot of proteins, such as meat, also have a lot of fats and therefore cholesterol increases, so we reduce the calories but increase the fats which then dirty the arteries”, adds Calabrese.
Intermittent fasting: a trend with some risks
It’s an eating habit that has become fashionable thanks to social media in recent years. But is it really good for the body or is there information that is better to know? “The Fasting is not a diet, it is the elimination of a meal. Those who say they finish eating at 4pm basically skip dinner and start eating again the next day. The real balance, however, is in what we put in the meals we make. If I skip one meal and then overdo it in the other two, reassured by giving up dinner, I risk eating double, triple. And so it’s no use. But even if I remove one meal without increasing the calories of the others, it is not an ideal choice because it is not educational”, replies the expert.
But then what to do in practice for the diet?
The most current scientific research favors a simple diet, such as that recommended by Professor Calabrese.
- Breakfast with a little milk, perhaps partially skimmed, a wholemeal toast with a drizzle of jam or honey and a fruit juice.
- For lunch you can focus on a salad, with a little protein which can be white meat, red meat or fish, thus varying every day. And end with a fruit.
- During the day, never forget to drink water.
- In the afternoon you can take a hot drink without sugar: a tea, a barley with a toast without jam. Or you can eat some dried fruit (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts), 15 grams maximum.
- In the evening, soups and vegetable creams are excellent, adding a little pasta or rice and a good quantity of legumes”. With this system, concludes Calabrese, “in a month you can eliminate the 3 or 4 kilos accumulated“.
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