How to eat well and enjoy your end-of-year meals?

[Article updated on 19/09/2023]

A New Year’s Eve without indigestion, it’s possible!

Here is some tips for a healthy end-of-year celebration!

THE holidays are not necessarily synonymous with weight gain or excessive energy intake.

Start good eating habits now.

Where can you find all the essential nutrients, vitamins and trace elements essential to strengthen your immune system?

Eat well to be healthy!

General advice

For To be at our best, we need:

• Eat 3 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner;
• Eat everything in sufficient and reasonable quantities;
• Take the time to eat: at least 20 minutes per meal is the time needed for our calorie counter to start. This allows you to avoid snacking which is not your figure’s friend;
• Eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables per day!
  Example : 1 fruit juice in the morning, a raw vegetable and a fruit at lunchtime, a cooked vegetable and a fruit in the evening;
• Avoid snacking, instead take an organized break: a snack with fruit or dairy;
• Choose carefully and limit the amount of fat consumed each day;
• Do physical exercise: at least 30 minutes of walking every day;
• Have a pleasant and friendly time, so enjoy this moment.

Eat balanced by consuming every day:

Have fun, while being reasonable!

If you remain reasonable, there is no need to change your diet if it is balanced!
Restricting yourself several weeks before the holidays would be… excessive.
Don’t plan a diet in the run-up to the holidays and then “let go”, that would be ridiculous and you would feel frustrated!

And who says frustration, says compensation! You don’t lose weight in a few weeks. On the other hand, you will have to remain vigilant on the big day. Which does not mean, however, depriving yourself. Above all HAVE FUN!!! It is very important to eat with pleasure. Enjoy every bite, take your time chewing!

Manage well before and after holiday meals

Before and after New Year’s Eve: Be a little more vigilant during the 2 or 3 days before and after.

To do this you can:

• Avoid arriving on an empty stomach (eat a crunchy piece of fruit or vegetables);
• Be sure to moderate your fat intake;
• Reduce your portions of starchy foods (pasta, rice, potatoes, etc.) a little;
• Favor foods rich in fiber (vegetables, fruits, wholemeal bread, etc.);
• Increase your portions of lean proteins (white meats, fish, natural dairy products, etc.) a little;
• Eat soups, vegetables and compotes in particular, but also raw vegetables;
• Avoid dishes with sauces and cold meats;
• Listen to your body! When you are no longer hungry, stop eating;
• Do not leave chocolates and other sweets in sight outside of dessert time, this will avoid temptation;
• Opt for a digestive walk rather than the sofa after lunch!

This will prepare the digestive tract for future excesses.

New Year’s Eve meals are often rich in fat, and as such more difficult to digest.

Trick : To help your body, remember to enhance your dishes with a little salad, vegetables, etc. For dessert, offer a basket of seasonal fruits and oilseeds (walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.).

Please note, certain food combinations consumed during Christmas and New Year’s Eve meals have more significant repercussions on our line. This is the case of alcohol-fat mixture, which is difficult to avoid! Be aware, however, that during digestion, fats and alcohol are engaged in a real duel. The body is not used to digesting alcohol in large quantities. And to do this, it must first be broken down into sugars, then stored in the form of fat. So, while he digests the alcohol it does not burn fat and… he stores them!

Trick : for drinks, choose a good wine or champagne rather than strong alcohol. If possible, limit your consumption to two glasses per meal, four at most.

As to fat, traditional Christmas dishes put them in the spotlight: foie gras, oysters and buttered bread, capon, duck breast… Learn to choose! Duck and goose fat is of good quality, don’t hesitate to use it to sauté your potatoes, for example! You can plan small portions by using glasses, appetizers and other fashionable portion spoons. If, on the contrary, you prefer a traditional meal with family portions, do not burden your guests with everything from starter to dessert. If you don’t want to sacrifice the pleasure of the log and its butter cream, opt for a seafood starter, with a little mayonnaise!

THE boost foods:

• Lemon: if digestion is a little difficult, you can take a glass of water with 1/2 lemon juice when you get up;
• Bicarbonate water (St Yorre type): in case of bloating, gastric rise: put a pinch of bicarbonate in a small glass of water or St Yorre type water;
• Green tea: it helps eliminate, increases metabolism and slows the absorption of fats;
• Fresh fruits: full of vitamins, they are lighter than logs and lighten the meal; Otherwise you can opt for iced logs.

Some tips for pregnant women

Come on, it’s a party for everyone, but with good reason! First of all, the “zero alcohol” principle is non-negotiable! Cooked seafood is allowed, no problem: lobster, lobster, scallops, don’t hesitate. On the other hand, raw products, salmon in carpaccio or tartare, oysters, are prohibited! Also be careful with raw milk cheese. For the rest, treat yourself, paying attention to the quantities consumed! Listen to your body!

Menu ideas for your holiday meals

Menu 1 (rather at dinner)

• Foie gras and gingerbread toast;
• Scallops on a bed of leeks;
• Salmon millefeuille;
• Panna cotta with caramelized pineapple.

Menu 2 (rather at lunchtime)

• Mini aperitif verrines with pineapple crayfish and coconut cream;
• Pear verrines with foie gras;
• Wild boar fillet with spices and lime sauce;
• Gingerbread millefeuilles with caramel and red fruits.

You will find here other holiday recipe ideas.

Pass Happy end-of-year celebrations!