RITORNARE IN FORMA: parla l'esperta Ecosalute

GETTING BACK IN SHAPE: the expert speaks

How difficult it is to resume a balanced diet after the long holiday period, especially if there are still jelly sweets and pistachio chocolates floating around the drawers of the house, the last remnants of the kids' stockings.

Is that desire for "something sweet" a recurring thought that often occurs particularly when you feel tired or more often during the day?

Is finishing the meal with a sweet, even if it's a "harmless" biscuit, a habit you can't give up unless you arm yourself with all your willpower?

The last one... It will be the last one... But in your heart you already know that you are telling yourself a lie, like the one "we start on Monday"

How can we restore or find the lost balance on our plate?

Before you even begin, you need to ask yourself:

" I really want it "?

Having a clear reason(s) why you want to return to jeans that tighten at the waist (it could already be an excellent reason!) is essential to undertake a series of changes or innovations that are long-lasting and therefore bring the desired results.

Have you decided to take action and not put it off after THE LAST treat...?

Here are the first steps to take:

1) 3 daily meals are more than sufficient except for significant physical activity, health reasons, particular and personal needs

2) Start the day with a hearty breakfast in which the balance between macronutrients is respected: proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

The balance between nutritional principles is valid whether you prefer a savory breakfast ( eggs, olives or dried fruit and fresh fruit ) or whether you prefer a sweet breakfast ( porridge or ricotta with 1 teaspoon of honey, dark chocolate and hemp seeds or freshly ground flax ).

This will allow you to feel full for a long time , satisfied and without sudden drops in energy.

Keeping insulin calm and therefore avoiding blood sugar spikes is important from the morning.

3) Follow a normocaloric/normoprotein and balanced diet (always subject to personal needs.)

4) Remove simple sugars , various sweets even if they are sweetened, from your daily life... even that famous last chocolate.

The first few days, a small piece of dark chocolate, really dark, for those who really struggle, and then leave it for breakfast.

5) Stay away from ultra-processed foods , rich in additives, colourings, sweeteners, flavours, poor fats, full of sugars.

Therefore, find the most natural diet possible which includes vegetables , especially green leafy vegetables and fresh fruit , food prepared at home. The food company tends to manipulate foods to make them more appetizing, accustoming our taste buds to artificial flavors, distancing us from the original flavor, the natural one.

6) Reduce dairy products , refined flours , or rather prefer cereals only in grains, hydrate adequately (water, green tea, matcha, infusions...) and remove toxins such as smoking, alcohol, caffeine in stressful situations as far as possible

7) Walking, running, dancing, smiling, laughing, meditating, praying, breathing in the mountains, countryside or at the seaside, being together with beautiful people who love us, are finally the necessary condiments for everything to happen smoothly and above all peacefully .

Barbara Brun