Post-holiday diet: here are our tips.

Diet after the Christmas holidays: the Christmas season is an occasion for celebration and sharing, and every occasion is good for enjoying a tasty and especially abundant lunch or dinner. After Epiphany, however, it's time for balances… and scales: the news is never good! Here are a few useful tips to get back in shape without too many sacrifices.

Diet after the Christmas holidays: seasonal foods and a bit of exercise

Diet after the Christmas holidays: nature helps us in our purifying endeavor with healthy, nutritious, and tasty seasonal fruits and vegetables. Fruits, in particular, are rich in vitamins that help cleanse the body, strengthen the immune defenses, and also play an important anti-cholesterol role.

»CHECK OUT SEASONAL FRUITS AND CITRUS FRUITS«

Among nature's gifts this season, we also find cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale, which are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibers, essential for purifying the body. Whole grains, oils, and oily seeds also contribute to detoxification. In this regard, nuts are excellent, but be mindful of the portions; they are also very caloric.

One suggestion: ginger helps regulate blood sugar levels and improves digestion. It can be helpful when you overindulge at the table!

Detox diet after the holidays: purifying with fruits and detoxifying herbs

For a detox diet after the holidays, it is important to consume fruits and vegetables, but one can get tired of them! Here are a few ideas to keep things interesting. First, a piece of advice: do not eat fruit after lunch or dinner, as fermentation can create bloating. Instead, have it in mid-morning and mid-afternoon as a snack.

Here's a great suggestion: detoxifying smoothies, made with fruits and detoxifying herbs. You can mix fruits and vegetables as you like, without needing to add anything else because the natural sugars in the fruits are sufficient for a sweet moment of relaxation.

Even purifying herbal teas are useful for this purpose: nature is generous and always offers us a solution. Infusions are also a great way to relax after dinner on a cold winter evening.

Cleansing diet after the festivities: soups and salads

For a good cleansing diet after the holidays, it's important to combine healthy and genuine ingredients. Vegetables, fruits, white meats, and plant-based protein sources like legumes in particular.

With seasonal vegetables and legumes, you can prepare fantastic soups: you can follow traditional Italian recipes that combine characteristic legumes like beans and lentils with cabbage, or classic vegetable minestrone, with all the vegetables you prefer.

Cleansing diet after the holidays: pasta and rice

Following a detox diet after the holidays doesn’t necessarily mean giving up taste; balancing the excesses of the holidays, during which we consume processed meats, sugars, alcoholic beverages, and fats in abundance, does not mean that it's not possible to eat with pleasure.

For example, whole grain pasta is an excellent alternative to classic pasta: rich in nutrients and especially in fibers, it is perfect for a tasty and nutritious lunch, without having to give up a good first course. The only caution required is in controlling the condiments: do not overdo it with sauces, oils, butter, and cheese. Instead, prefer a light sauce made with fresh tomatoes.

»CHECK OUT OUR SELECTION OF PASTA AND RICE«

Rice, too, is an excellent food, perfect for detoxing after the holidays. Rice provides us with all the energy we need, but at the same time, it's a healthy and light dish with which we can make excellent risottos or soups. For example, with black rice, we can create a fantastic risotto with zucchini and shrimp, ensuring a boost of B vitamins and dietary fibers perfect for this purpose.

Cleansing diet after the holidays: a typical day

Meanwhile, a detox diet after the holidays should last from three to seven days to lose those extra pounds and get back to health. One tip: in addition to monitoring your diet, it's good to engage in some physical activity, like a nice walk or light jogging.

The detox diet after the holidays includes a breakfast with yogurt and oats, plus a fruit or a smoothie. If you want, in the smoothie you can mix fruits and vegetables to your liking. Around mid-morning, you can have a snack with seasonal fruit: pomegranate is ideal, along with seasonal fruits.

For lunch, you can enjoy a nice plate of whole grain pasta or rice, but also spelt or barley, with vegetables. You can create very tasty recipes and vary each day. In this regard, here's a good tip: carbohydrates should be consumed until 4 PM because our body processes them fully until that time. For dinner, therefore, avoid carbohydrates, preferring fish, white meat, or minestrone, obviously without pasta.

Diets after the Christmas holidays: food preparation methods

There are many diets after the Christmas holidays: you can follow different advice on the foods to consume, but when it comes to cooking methods, everyone agrees: to fully benefit from the beneficial properties of vegetables, they should be consumed raw. Fennel, for example, when eaten raw helps eliminate abdominal bloating. To prepare your dishes, however, prefer to steam the vegetables: this method helps preserve their nutritional characteristics.

Diet after Christmas: other tips

For the diet after Christmas, prefer detox soups, such as one with spinach and ginger. It’s tasty, quick to make, and delicious even at room temperature.

Salads are also perfect to bring to the office: they are versatile, can be stored in a lunch box, and allow you to combine different ingredients to purify the body. For example, try the salad with pomegranate seeds and apple: a true reserve of B vitamins, vitamin C, and antioxidants. Have you ever tried pairing salad with oranges? It's delicious and an inexhaustible source of vitamin C.

Finally, remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day: detoxification also involves the kidneys, which help eliminate waste.

The diet after the Christmas holidays can be tasty and inviting, with our advice. Bon appétit!

Antonella Iannò

S&M