Vegetarian food to gluttony

Christmas gluttony: light food after the holidays

28/12/2013

Christmas is over, the old year is over, but the bacon remains. The treats of Christmas from cookies to roast have been transformed into hip gold. To get rid of the little things, you should switch to light fare.

Gluttony at the end of the year
The annual gluttony at the end of the year from Christmas to New Year causes many people a shock at the beginning of the year. During the festive season, the various delicacies have often not only caused a bloated abdomen, but also turned into hip gold. Although numerous home remedies for flatulence are suitable for an abdominal belly, but to get rid of the bacon, you have to make a little more effort, such as through exercise or dieting. But to do without tasty things completely or to even pull through a zero diet is difficult for most people. It is much more advisable to go for light meals. The motto is to eat less fat, more protein, enough vegetables and less sugar.

Protein instead of animal fats
Marion Grillparzer, nutritionist and book author (The All you can eat diet, always full, always happy, always slim) from Munich is the first animal fat from the diet and instead uses protein on it. She says: „No meat, no sausage, no roast, no cream.“ Instead, you can treat yourself with fish or tofu a filling protein boost. Also vegetable soups are tasty and lingering. „They stimulate the metabolism, they provide many nutrients per calorie, they warm“, Grillparzer. For the soups, you can find what is either fresh on the market or storable in winter: carrots, celery, leek, parsnip, cabbage sprouts, kohlrabi, white cabbage, savoy cabbage. In addition, with legumes, such as peas, beans and lentils, the protein content can be increased. Grillparzer takes for the deposit tofu or its previously unknown sister, the lupine schnitzel.

Pumpkin goulash with parsnip puree
Siegfried Wintgen of the German Chefs Association (VKD) also processes wintery vegetables, for example into a light pumpkin goulash with parsnip puree. For this, one kilogram of pumpkin is diced, cooked in a brew of vegetable broth, pumpkin peel and kernels until firm, bound with potato starch and spiced vigorously with cayenne pepper and salt. For the puree, Wintgen cooks four potatoes, sweats four parsnips in hazelnut oil, steams them in vegetable broth and purees the whole thing. Finally, season with salt and complete with parsley. „Instead of parsnips you can also use parsley roots. In addition, the dish works with every pumpkin“, so the chef.

Counterpoint to the sweet Christmas food
A counterpoint to sweet Christmas fare can also be set with a fiery vegetable chili from parsnips, turnips, leeks and red or white beans, onions and chili. Spicy it is flavored with salt, cumin and lemon. Matching: a strong sourdough bread. On the Internet you will find numerous websites with delicious and healthy vegetarian or vegan recipes.

Away from the permanent seducers
Most people feel immediately after the holidays usually no more appetite for sweet or greasy anyway. However, as the cookie plate is still on the table or leftovers of the festive roast are in the fridge, they still attack. Therefore, the motto is: away from the permanent seducers! Nadine Röwe from the consumer information service aid in Bonn states: „Back to normal.“ Röwes Anti-Pölsterchen program starts before the holidays: „When baking and cooking to estimate the right amount, then remain less leftovers, which must be eaten afterwards.“ For them, light food means switching to a higher protein content, since „that better saturates than carbs and fat.“ In addition to low-fat milk natural yoghurt and curd quark are used, which are stretched with mineral water. This also makes it easier to make desserts such as mascarpone cream. Instead of cream pie comes fruit cake on the coffee table.

Whole grains for main courses
To save calories, it is also advisable to use crème fraîche, crème légère and sour cream instead of whipped cream. In addition, a glass of water helps to slow down the hunger before eating and with a light soup, a first feeling of satiety sets in. Röwe uses whole-grain products for main courses as far as possible: „They fill up faster and longer and stop the desire for sweets.“ Furthermore, one could use leftover nuts from the topping as an ingredient for a salad or stirred into a natural yoghurt as a light snack. This, however, in moderation, since nuts are high in calories. „A handful is enough“ so Röwe.

Fruit and vegetable Smoothy
With Marion Grillparzer it starts to green already after the holidays, at least on the breakfast table. For them, a fruit and vegetable smoothie is a good start to the day. Apple, banana, broccoli and wintry vegetables such as spinach, chard, field or endive salad with flaxseed and nuts are mixed into a cocktail. „After such a drink, the body feels that it has what it needs“, said the nutritionist. Then the gluttony of the holidays is quickly forgotten. (Ad)