New Year in a healthy body: proper nutrition at the festive table

The holiday night is about to come, and almost all of us will have dishes familiar from childhood on the table: salads with mayonnaise, hot food and, of course, dessert. However, we are sure that the holiday is not an excuse to forget all the principles of proper nutrition and put off the dream of a healthy body for some Monday. “I’ll start with the New Year, right after the holiday weekend” is not our motto! Why blame yourself later for the extra spoonful of olivier and recover on difficult workouts what you can save.

Contrary to assumptions, for this you do not need to eat vegetables alone, watching happy neighbors on the table. All it takes is a slight change in the family menu. Hasn’t the same dishes bored anyone yet? Discuss this question with your loved ones, for sure everyone has a suggestion that will help plan the dishes of the New Year’s Eve night. Beforehand, the whole family can make a shopping list. Joint selection of products and cooking will help to understand each other’s eating habits.

Tip: when forming the list, do not try to include only natural products – let your loved ones make a choice on their own. The main thing is that everyone should listen to themselves and their body, but understand the benefits and harm of products.

A few useful rules

During the holidays, remember that your goal is to get pleasure from food.
It is important not to overeat, that is, stick to the usual portion size. Find unusual dishes on the table. After all, there is no point in gorging on what is available to you at any other time.

On a holiday, eat in your usual mode.
If you are used to eating by the hour or follow a certain regime, then the holiday should not be an exception. It is not necessary to starve yourself all day long. Light hunger will allow you to soberly evaluate the proposed dishes and choose what you are particularly attracted to.

Observe the intervals between drinks and food.
A simple rule of thumb is, “When I eat, I don’t drink and I don’t wash down my food.” This will help you structure a multi-hour feast and reduce the amount of food you eat. The interval between eating and drinking should be about 10-15 minutes.

Eat slowly.
This way you can stretch the pleasure and fully enjoy the holiday dishes, and most importantly – do not overeat.

Do not sit at the table for hours, occupy yourself with something.
Go out to socialize with guests, help clear the table. The hosts will be grateful, and you will not spend the whole evening in idleness. Try to add movement to the holiday and then it will not freeze around the treats!

During the treats, pay attention to your plate. If it meets a few simple criteria, no holiday table will ruin your physical health.

Remember balance.
There should always be vegetables on your plate. They will help the food digest, give your menu lightness and color variety.

Try to separate protein foods with a two- to three-hour break.
Mixing protein foods (fish, caviar, meat, chicken, cheeses) can provoke heaviness in the stomach and, as a result, poor health.

Drink enough water.
When heavily intoxicated, you lose control and connection with the body’s signals, which means that overeating is assured to you. Watch what you have in your glass, and try to drink more water during the festive feast.

Useful recipes for the New Year’s Eve table

A few days before New Year’s Eve, analyze your eating habits and try to understand what you expect during the holidays. Do not force yourself to completely control your diet during the holiday, because it should bring you satisfaction and comfort. To make it easier during New Year’s Eve, try to make a delicious and balanced menu in advance. We have prepared for you a few recipes that can help you with this.

Eggplant with cheese

Ingredients:
● 1 eggplant
1/2 zucchini
1 tomato
150 g of mozzarella
1/4 head of onion
● 1 tsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. olive oil
A few basil leaves
Salt, ground black pepper
1 sprig of thyme
1 clove of garlic

Preparation:
● Cut the tomato, eggplant and zucchini into 4-5 mm thick circles.
● Sprinkle the eggplant circles with salt. After 30 minutes, soak or rinse under running water.
Dice the onion and garlic into small cubes, fry in a hot frying pan with olive oil, add the tomato paste after 2 minutes and turn down the heat. Fry until a pleasant smell of baked tomatoes appears, about 2-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Then add 40 ml of water, basil and thyme. Braise for 10-15 minutes, season with salt and pepper.
Cut the cheese into thin slices.
Line a mold with a sheet of parchment, pour 1/2 of the tomato sauce over the vegetables, alternating with the cheese. Pour over the remaining sauce.
Bake in the oven at 180 °C for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through.

Tuna salad

Ingredients:
● 90 g canned tuna
1/4 cucumber
1/4 avocado
● 1 small bunch of arugula
● 1/3 cup of salad mix
● 2 iceberg lettuce leaves
● Salt, ground black pepper
● 2-3
seedless olives
● 1 tbsp. olive oil
Lemon juice
Ground paprika
Sesame seeds

Preparation:
● Slice the cucumber into half rings or quarters. Peel and pit avocado and slice into slices. Slice olives into half rings.
Slice the iceberg and pick the salad mix.
Place the cucumber, salad mix, arugula, iceberg and olives in a bowl, season with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice and mix.
Break the tuna into fibers.
Place the salad on a plate, top with tuna, avocado and sprinkle with paprika and sesame seeds.

Caprese

Ingredients:
● 1 tomato
● 100 г. Mozzarella
For the pesto sauce:
● 2-3 tbsp. olive oil
1 small bunch of basil
● 1 tbsp. pumpkin seeds
1/2 clove of garlic
● Salt, ground black pepper

Preparation:
● For the pesto sauce, chop the basil along with the stem with a knife.
Place the chopped basil, garlic and pumpkin seeds in a food processor and chop until almost smooth.
● Season with salt, pepper, add olive oil, mix everything once again, but not long enough to not whip the oil.
Cut the tomato and mozzarella into thin slices. Place alternately on a plate.
Serve the pesto separately in a saucepan.

Con carne

Ingredients:
● 100 g of ground beef
2 tbsp. canned red beans
1/8 head of red onion
1/4 carrot
1/3 sweet pepper
● 1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/3 cup of tomatoes in their own juice.
● 1 tbsp. pomegranate seeds
Lime juice
1 clove of garlic
Salt, ground black pepper.
Cumin, ground paprika.
● 1 small bunch of basil

Preparation:
● Cut the carrots and sweet peppers into medium dice.
● Onion and garlic cut into small cubes, fry in a Teflon frying pan until half cooked, add minced garlic. Continue to fry without adding oil, stirring occasionally to prevent the minced meat from sticking and sticking together.
Fry the tomato paste separately, stirring occasionally, until pleasantly fragrant, then dilute with hot water to the consistency of a medium thick sauce. When the mince is fully cooked, transfer it to a plate, drain the oil, place the remaining vegetables, cumin and paprika in the pan and braise over a low heat for 5-6 minutes.
● Place the mince in the pan, mix it with the vegetables and add the tomatoes in their own juice (previously chopped, but not to a homogeneous consistency) and the tomato sauce.
Cover with a lid and braise over low heat for 30 minutes. Then add the canned beans and lime juice.
Add salt, pepper or spices if necessary and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Place the con carne on a plate and sprinkle with chopped herbs and pomegranate seeds.