And we're drinking and eating and thanking the lords of nutrition!

Are you ready to eat, drink, and party?

Here we go! Our friends just came back from abroad, our homes are stuffed with all the Christmas goodies in the world, and we’re psychologically prepared to all the extremes.



Prioritize:



Well, not everything served is worth trying. For example, you can easily skip the nuts and mini bouchées served before dinner. They will only pack on calories, and you are very likely to forget you ate them once you’re seated at the dinner table. In addition, you can easily skip the liqueur, hot chocolate, and digestif that are offered to you, and stick to sparkling water and your regular drink in moderation.



Only eat your favorite foods:



Tonight is Christmas dinner, and you are overwhelmed with all the good meals available on the table. Guilt won’t help, and frustration will only make you weaker. Therefore, the best strategy is to eat, but only what you really like. Meaning, if you’re not a turkey lover, don’t have it, stick to the beef filet or any other item. If you don’t like the buche then don’t eat it! On the other hand, if you’re a fan of salmon and foie gras, and whatever saucy dish is available, go for it instead of looking at it all night and ending up eating more nuts and dessert just because you’re frustrated!



Alcohol can be managed:



Starting the 20th of December, drinks and alcohol are all over the place. You will find some reason to indulge in it every single day. First advice I would give you is to skip drinking at home when you’re not going out. Next, drink smart! Even if the weather is bad and you’re cold, you’re still not in Moscow, so there’s no need to have one vodka drink after the other to “warm up”. Have some wine, it’s lighter in calories and alcohol, plus nothing warms you up as gently as red wine!



Cheat the smart way:



Now let’s say assume that the Christmas goodies are your favorite foods in the world. In that case, remember that you have at least 3 dinners to indulge. What I’m trying to say is, you are not going to face a period of famine in January, so you can eat what you like, but do it moderately. There’s no need to eat every meal as if it’s the last time you’ll have those foods.  You can make cheating smart by asking your hosts about the foods served. That way, you will know ahead of time what items not to be missed during each lunch/dinner, and you will be able to cut down on other less interesting foods during that particular seating.





Merry Christmas to all of you!

Rescue recipes for the holidays

Dear readers, today I will share with you some of my personal light yet yummy home recipes. They will come in handy during the festive seasons, and will help you avoid overeating.

Spicy Shrimp Soup:

Ingredients:

·         2 Carrots
·         4 zucchini
·         1 Small onion
·         4 Scallion
·         A Handful of green beans
·         1 Chili
·         ½ pack frozen baby shrimps
·         1 tbsp. diet butter
·         ¼ Cup soya sauce
·         1 tbsp. sweet and sour sauce
·         1 Medium can sliced mushrooms
·         1 Sprinkle thyme
·         1 Sprinkle black pepper
·         1 Lemon squeeze
·         ½ Bouquet parsley

This is my after yoga recipe, I start preparing it just after exercising, then shower and its ready!

Dice the vegetables into the shape you want. Place the light butter with the vegetables in a big saucepan (Start with carrots, green beans and onions, zucchini, mushrooms, then chili). When they start becoming soggy, add boiling water.  Add in the rest of the ingredients including the shrimps. Keep the parsley and the lemon till the end of the recipe. Let it all boil on medium heat half covered for about 30 to 40mins. Finally, add the lemon and parsley. Et voila!

Broccoli Pasta:

Ingredients:

·         1 Cup cooked whole wheat pasta
·         1 ½ cup boiled broccoli
·         100ml light cream
·         2 Spreadable light cheese
·         1 Slice light cheese
·         Shredded cheese
·         Salt
·         White pepper
·         Black crushed pepper
·         Oregano
·         Garlic powder

The magic in this recipe is the broccoli. It is full of fibers and will help you get the impression of having consumed a big meal, while it is very low in fat, and contains a small portion of pasta.

In a saucepan, place the freshly boiled broccoli with the cream and the spreadable light cheese. Leave them on medium fire until the cheese melts completely. Add to it the sliced cheese, ½  Tsp. garlic powder, salt ,white pepper, and black pepper to taste. When the mixture is boiling, add in the pasta, and mix well. Add a sprinkle of oregano, and some light cream if the sauce is not enough. When it is completely hot and coated, you can start eating.

My very own omelet:

Ingredients:

·         1 egg
·         2 egg whites
·         1 tbsp. shredded light mozzarella cheese
·         2 tbsp. 0% fat liquid milk
·         1 Big tomato
·         1 Small onion
·         ½ cup mushroom ( fresh sliced)
·         ½ bouquet minced parsley
·         Salt and pepper to taste
·         Spray oil

This recipe is perfect for a quick lunch on a Christmas Eve. It is very filling, low in calories. Served with a small bowl of salad, this can be a very tasty meal full of vitamins.

Dice the onions and tomatoes. In a bowl, mix the egg and egg whites with the milk and mozzarella cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste (you can add dried herbs as well). Add the mushrooms. Add the parsley. Spray some oil on a pan. Add the tomatoes and onions first into the saucepan and start cooking on medium fire. Add in the egg mixture when the tomatoes and onions tender. Keep on mixing (since it would be hard to flip the omelet because there is no fat) for 3 to 5 minutes. Finally, transfer the omelet to your plate with a small lettuce salad.

Holiday muffin top!

Dear bloggers,

Now that the holiday season has started, people are in a very joyful mood.  With plenty of occasions to meet friends and family, go out, and plan dinners, our fear of gaining weight multiplies. Today, I will hand out some dieticians’ tips to manage to stay in shape during the end of year festivities.

Here are my tips to get though the food madness without much damage!

No. 1: Plan ahead of time

During the holiday seasons, we are all booked ahead of time for various social events. The bad thing is the overdose of calories. The good thing is that it leaves room for planning the other meals of the week. Let’s say you are invited this week to threedinners; well you got 18 meals left during the week to make it up. Exclude from your regular meals the desserts, threats, afternoon snacks, or the portion of fries you indulge in sometimes. In addition, decrease the size of your plates, or opt for a 50/50 plate (50% vegetables and the rest the regular meal). That way, you would have spared a few hundred calories dailythat can compensate for the other three heavy meals.

No. 2: Work out wisely

If you are not the working out type, try to initiate in some type of light activity. For example, go for a walk every day or every other day for at least 30 minutes, at any pace since something is always better than nothing. If you are the working out type, now is the time to cut down the chitchat sessions at the gym and focus fully on the work out. Increase your cardio, and if you can,increase the number of trainings. What I am doing is that I have increased my training from three to five times per week, by adding 40 minutes of treadmill at home or at the waterfront twice per week. Surprisingly, it’s not as hard or as complicated as I expected, since it is only replacing TV time!

No. 3: Decide which ones will be feast meals and which will be regular meals

By knowing details about your invitations, you can manage your meal pattern more wisely. For example, if you are invited to a friend’s or relative’s house, you can ask about the food that will be served. That way, you can decide, based on the options offered, if that meal is going to be a cheat meal or not. Samething applies for dinners in restaurants. If you are going to one of your favorite restaurants, of course this is going to be a cheat meal (within limits, no need to overdo it), and if it’s not, you will control your intake more since it’s not really worth it to engulf extra calories on that specific meal.

Now, I hope you are armed to embrace the holiday seasons with grace and slender. Any other tips that are working for you?Please share them with us!