Every year, in the days before Christmas and New Year, we get anxious about our diet and festive meals. We worry about what we'll eat, how we'll handle family and our appetite, and how we'll avoid overeating and a rising number on the scale.
I'm here to tell you that none of this should concern us, let alone stress us. Festive tables exist – and rightly so – to bring us closer to our loved ones and to prepare and try new flavours and dishes in a festive atmosphere. They are a way of socialising, having a good time and escaping the intense daily routine.
After all, it isn't the holidays that make us put on weight, but our lifestyle and our choices. If we follow a balanced diet all year round, we are healthy and have nothing to fear from the little extra we eat and try during the holidays. It's for our joy, it's for our mental health!
Of course, it would be very helpful for our body if, 2–3 days before the holiday eves and our time off – when we will all naturally break our meal plan – we were a little more careful and sparing with our food choices.
To help you, I've prepared a 2-day detox plan so that we are fully ready, physically and mentally, for the festive tables. That way we'll enjoy them as they deserve!
2-day Detox
MEAL
OPTIONS
BREAKFAST
1. Yoghurt with 1 tbsp homemade apple-plum compote and 10 almonds
2. 2 Wasa crispbreads with cottage cheese, 3 slices of avocado, 1 egg and cherry tomatoes.
DECATURE
1. 2 small mandarins and 10 almonds
2. 6 chestnuts and 10 g dark chocolate
LUNCH
1. Salad with carrot and ginger velouté soup (add black pepper)
2. Salad with chicken breast bites and grilled vegetables (peppers, carrot, aubergines)
AFTERNOON
1. Green tea with cloves and cinnamon and 1 melomakarono
2. Warm fresh orange juice with fresh pomegranate juice, cinnamon, a little honey, an orange slice and cloves.
EVENING
1. 2 egg whites whisked with oats, oregano and smoked salmon
2. Green salad with beetroot, grated anthotyro, chopped walnuts, poppy seeds and 1 rusk
I look forward to your feedback…
Happy holidays with health and self-care!
Dietitian – Nutritionist (ATEITH), member of the Hellenic Association of Dietitians-Nutritionists, with 19 years of experience and offices in Thessaloniki and Drama.
