ONE CAKE MORE, ONE CAKE LESS…IT’S CHRISTMAS!

Christmas can be the toughest time of all to make the effort to stay in shape: we are on holidays, we relax, we share more time with family and friends and end up being at the table longer than we usually do and to eat more than we usually do…

During the holiday season people in general tend to gain about 2 kilos.

The problem is not to over eat one day like on the Christmas’ Eve or on Christmas, the real issue is that we tend to over eat from half December to half January…in Italy it’s sooo common!

It is also true that during this time of the year we are surrounded by much more food and it is a real challenge to say “No, thank you”. The gluten free aisle is filled more than ever with typical Christmas cakes and sweets. Everywhere we look, some beautiful bright red package is popping up and tempting us.

Actually Christmas lasts one day…not one month! Some researches show that during December 24th people eat almost 6000 calories.

By saying that we don’t mean that we don’t have to indulge, on the contrary!

It’s Christmas after all and it’s great to celebrate it the way we like it the most, just be careful not to over celebrate it every day.

Here there are some tips and tricks to stay in shape during holiday time:

• Eat regularly.
• Don’t keep eating small bites between meals.
• Don’t skip meals: starving makes us just want eat the double and slows down our metabolism.
• Eat a small portion of each dish.
• Chew properly every bite, feeling deep down the real pleasure and taste of what you are eating. Smell the food, touch it, look at it and finally chew it. Food deserves to be appreciated with all the senses and to the fullest.
• Eat fruit and vegetables especially before the rich-in-calories food. Vegetables for example are rich in fibre and water, they will make us feel less hungry.
• Drink more water and less alcohol.
• Try to avoid salty snacks that usually are served as aperitivo, before we start our meal.
• Don’t stop exercising: it can be taking a walk with friends, cycling with the family or climbing the stairs instead of using the elevator. But don’t tell yourself because I have exercised now I can eat everything I want later. It does not work this way: one half hour of walk for example can barely burn the calories of one slice of cake!

So let’s celebrate the holidays, taking the time to deeply and truly savour the food we like with the people we love.

Merry Christmas!