When drinking a glass of water before the holiday meal, consumption is lower and the abuse of food is thus avoided. The water should be drunk 15-30 minutes before the meal. Contacted by IPN, nutritionist Victoria Ursu formulated several recommendations for avoiding digestive disorders.
“The holiday meal should start with salads from raw vegetables. As these are good sources of dietary fiber and substitutes for food containing carbohydrates, they will keep us full and will reduce appetite,” stated the nutritionist.
For the holiday meal, we must choose at most five types of food, two of which should consist of raw vegetables, and two appetizers and a source of protein. These should all be eaten slowly, by chewing food well.
Two or more sources of concentrated proteins like meat and cheese or eggs and fish are incompatible. The combination of starch, fats and sugar should be also avoided. During the meal, fruit, white bread, pizza with salami and wine with desert should also be avoided. For a good state of health, a break of 1.2-2 hours should be taken between meals.
According to Victoria Ursu, the stomach is elastic, but not boundlessly and should not be excessively filled. “This means that we should eat two handfuls of food. This quantity is equal to about 2/3 of the volume of the stomach. 1/3 should remain empty so as to ensure optimal digestion,” she stated.
The simple carbohydrates such as candies and cakes, carbonated drinks and alcohol should be avoided or reduced to a minimum during holiday meals.
