Every day there is less for the National Holidaysa celebration that this year will be very different from the usual ones and in which we will have a double mission to take care of our health: comply with the special measures announced by the Government to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and partying without overeating to keep from gaining weight.
For this last purpose, Gabriela LizanaRace Director of Nutrition and Dietetics from University of the Americas Viña del Mar Headquarters, says that the key is mainly to be orderly and strategic with the food that is prepared and consumed at home during the holidays, where an option that could be of great help is to apply the «Plate Method»a technique devised by experts from the Harvard Universityaimed at bringing together in a single dish all the nutrients that are essential for a complete, varied, balanced and healthy diet, distributing them in their fair proportions.
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“With the various traditional dishes that we have for National Holidays, it is very common to get out of the usual diet and increase the consumption of calories. It is advisable not to deprive yourself of enjoying a roast, an empanada, an anticucho or a choripánbut to do it in an orderly and regulated manner, respecting the schedules, portions and appropriate combinations for food, thus taking care of our health», comments the academic, who adds that the «Plate Method» It is a propitious strategy to put into practice in lunches and dinners during these days of festivities, to respect the fair portions of food and avoid excessive calorie intake, although it is ideal to maintain it throughout the year.
The nutritionist explains that this technique is very simple, with great visual effectand consists of dividing the plate into three parts, with the following food distribution:
50% of the plate
It must be composed of vegetables or vegetables: those of free consumption, which are those with green leaves, rich in fiber and water, such as lettuce, celery, spinach, radicchio, paprika, zucchini, chili pepper; and general vegetableswhich have a greater contribution of carbohydrates, such as tomato, onion (or Chilean salad), broccoli, carrot (raw or cooked), green beans, cauliflower and pebre.
25% of the plate:
It must contain cereals or complex carbohydrates, for example, potatoes, corn, beans, peas, rice, pasta.
The other 25% of the plate:
Must Have Protein: red meat, white meat such as chicken, turkey, fish; egg and vegetables. For red meat, favor lean cuts, such as black or pink slug, abastero, palette tip, smooth spine. chicken must be eaten without leather. for the pig, prefer the pulp over the ribs.
“By putting this method into practice, different foods can be mixed, but always respecting the quantities of each division. For example, in the fourth plate where the protein goes, during a barbecue, you can put pieces of beef, pork and chicken, but not exceeding the space intended for it. This same rule applies to the other two divisions of vegetables and cereals, not repeating the portion if the one served was already consumed initially.”, details the specialist, who provides the following tips to complement this technique and take care of the extra calorie intake in the eighteenth celebrations:
- Organize the meals that will be prepared during the parties, considering a typical dish for each day and not all together in a single day.
- During the days of celebration, respect all feeding times (breakfast, lunch, eleven, dinner and snack if necessary), avoiding fasting periods that lead to eating more during lunch or dinner.
- Eat a portion as a starter empanada or choripán (Ideally prefer the turkey ones) or meat brochette.
- prefer the pebre instead of mayonnaise.
- Eat slowlystarting with green leafy vegetables, to achieve a greater feeling of satiety.
- To drink prefer water, natural juices, a glass of wine, avoiding sugary drinks and distillates. Alcohol consumption must be moderate.
- For desserts opt for fresh fruit or typical preparations such as mote with huesillo and cheerful custard apple.
Gabriela Lizana, Director of the Nutrition and Dietetics Program at the University of the Americas