Eat less, skip a meal… Mistakes to avoid when preparing for New Year’s Eve

A few days before the famous second period of this month of December, your stomach is already shaking. To prepare for the onslaught of fat, alcohol and sugar, you start a drastic plan the same morning… First, remove your guilt and remember that the New Year is a happy time, a source of pleasure for the most part. . Second, avoid all these unnecessary mistakes that risk hurting you. Overview:

Skip lunch

At 1pm you decide to drink some warm water to fill your stomach without solid food in preparation for dinner. If skipping a meal in general is a very bad idea, doing so because you’ll eat twice as much in the evening is even more so. “With this, we will arrive at the aperitif hungry and devour everything. And because the body was in ‘saving’ mode during the day, it will store more lipids and carbohydrates as soon as we eat again,” explains Isabelle Levasseur (1), dietitian nutritionist.

When we are very hungry, our sugar levels are quite low. Naturally, the body encourages us to consume high-energy foods to recharge our batteries.

Audrey Vailat, dietitian, nutritionist

Eating a dry diet during the day will also push you to eat more calories in the evening. “When we are very hungry, our sugar levels are quite low. Naturally, the body encourages us to consume high-energy foods to recharge our batteries,” adds nutritionist and dietitian Audrey Vaillat.

Eat only juice or soup before dinner

To soothe your digestive system, have a simple fruit juice for breakfast and a soup or vegetable juice for lunch. If the latter contain many benefits, then the option remains a very bad calculation. “If the juice consists only of fruits, it will be too sweet. If it consists only of vegetables, it will provide the body with too much fiber and can cause bloating and swelling,” explains Isabelle Levasseur. Not to mention the fact that “liquid menus are instantly satiating with their volume, but do not meet our daily energy needs”, recalls Audrey Veyla.

Remove proteins and fats

Professional is categorical. “Going on a diet makes no sense. The key to the big day, if you don’t want to gain weight, is to arrive at dinner in the best possible condition, meaning you’re not too hungry or guilty.” Thus, deciding to restrict yourself to protein and fat is useless and may even be harmful; “The body needs proteins in the morning, but also fats to ensure the proper functioning of our body,” informs nutritionist Ysabel. Levassor.

Do not taste

Whether regressive or healthy, snacks aren’t just for your little one who respects their daily butter-and-honey toast. Appetizers take care of you, let you last until dinner, and keep you from rushing to the foie gras toast that will be passed between guests tonight. “To fit in, we make our protein snack, like cottage cheese, a handful of almonds and remember to hydrate ourselves, because the alcohol consumed on New Year’s Eve will dehydrate us,” says Isabelle Levasseur.

Choose low-fat products

It makes no sense to accept a 0% reflex while waiting for the festivities to begin, for two simple reasons. If the product contains little sugar, it will be rich in fats, and vice versa,” warns the specialist. The solution: Opt for the least processed foods possible, in small amounts.

(1) Ysabelle Levasseur is the author Lighten your plate(Ed. Alpen), 14.90 euros.
(2) Audrey Vaillat is a dietitian nutritionist in Paris.

*Originally published in 2018, this article has been updated.