Food during Christmas, New Year and holidays requires balance and care

It’s cultural. The Christmas and New Year celebrations call for plenty of food. On vacation, the menus are all free. It is the season in which slang that represent excesses is heard the most, such as the famous “foot in jack” and “kick the bucket”.

The problem is to manage the consequences of the exaggerations that are common at this time of year.

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic postponed most of the meetings and led many people to avoid long walks. There was no vaccine and the situation was still out of control.

This year, the advance of vaccination should stimulate more meetings and overeating, despite the threat of flu and the new omicron variant.

“There will be a lot of parties that have been postponed, and for us food has a strong emotional, religious, cultural, social issue. So, people don’t just eat to keep their organs functioning. And it’s not just the food. People they’ll also drink more. It’s a trend. Value the people who will be with you more than everything else on the table,” says Andrea Pereira, a nutritionist at the Albert Einstein hospital.

First, it’s important to find balance to avoid weight gain. Some tips are important:

* before supper, avoid going all day without eating, because hunger can lead to taking what is more caloric first and eating more
* if there is any food left over, freeze and distribute
* Always combine vegetables, fruits and vegetables with other foods; the presence of fiber will decrease the absorption of fats and bring more satiety
* do physical activity to increase caloric expenditure and speed up metabolism
* moderate on alcoholic beverages. “For women, one cup, one cup or one can; for men, two cups, two cups and two cans. Females are more susceptible to the carcinogenic effects of alcohol. It is daily and not cumulative”, says Pereira
* if you overeat, try to be more balanced the next day and prefer vegetables and fruits, in addition to less caloric foods
* prefer food made at home, which is healthier
* beware of excess salt and sugar

According to the expert, the ideal is not to exaggerate so much and, after the parties and holidays, maintain a balanced diet.

“What remains of everything you eat are the consequences, and you need to chase the damage. And then it’s very common for a person to eat a lot and go on a liquid-only diet. That’s wrong. Depending on the case, the individual doesn’t he will lose weight, because his metabolism drops. Losing weight is not easy,” says the doctor.

Another concern is linked to the quality of food eaten. As the season is very hot, the ideal is to choose foods that are lighter and easier to digest, which require less refrigeration. Mayonnaise is a great villain, as it spoils very quickly.

According to Covisa (Health Surveillance Coordination) of the Municipal Health Department of São Paulo, heat accelerates the deterioration of food and favors the multiplication of microorganisms.

Spoiled, poorly packaged, poorly prepared and expired foods can cause illnesses — parasitic infections, intestinal infections such as salmonella, viral or bacterial gastroenteritis, especially rotavirus, which is present in contaminated food and water, among others.

Look out for symptoms: diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal and headaches, malaise and fever. These are diseases that can lead to dehydration and even serious infections.

“It is advisable to avoid food sold on the beach. To eat, look for reliable places, where you notice that there is good sanitary hygiene. I always like to talk about looking for places that have people, because probably the more customers, the better the place” , says Luana Luz, a doctor on the gastroenterology and hepatology team at BP – A Beneficência Portuguesa in São Paulo and partner at the Gastrofig clinic.

“If possible, take the slushie from home, made with ice known to come from. Change the beach snack for a homemade snack, do not leave the ‘cooler’ out in the sun and wash the beer can before opening it, because there is a risk of leptospirosis”, advises Luz.

food care

Prefer light foods, easy to digest and less fatty
* natural food
* fruits, vegetables and vegetables
* cereals and grains

avoid
* sweets and fatty foods
* preservatives
* processed foods
* white flour
* white sugar
* sal

Observe in kiosks, bars and restaurants:

* cleaning
* organization
* employee hygiene: hair protection, hands with short, clean nails and clean, well-kept uniforms
* temperature of perishable foods
* presence of flies and other pests
* ice stored in closed and clean packages or containers and separated from other foods

homemade snacks

* prepare as close to consumption as possible
* avoid sausages, white cheese, meats, pâtés, pies and stuffed cakes and other very perishable foods
* prefer fruits, cereal bars, milk and juices packed in box-type packaging
* keep food in well-covered containers protected from the sun; those who need refrigeration should stay in coolers with ice
* be careful with children’s food, pacifiers and baby bottles

Alcoholic beverages

* do not drink previously prepared cocktails, shakes and the like to avoid the risk of consuming any non-drinking alcohol mixture containing methanol in amounts above the tolerated limit, as the ingestion of these drinks can cause serious damage to health, such as nausea, vomiting, blindness or the death
* check that the distilled beverages are stored in the original bottles and properly identified.

Source: Covisa (Health Surveillance Coordination) of the Municipal Health Department of São Paulo