Enjoying tradition without excess

Long meals, abundant portions, and a feeling of overindulgence that often lingers well beyond the official holidays. This is the recurring theme year after year at Christmas, but the problem isn't so much what we eat on December 24th, 25th, or 26th, but rather how we approach the entire Christmas period. "We have this idea that it's three weeks of eating a lot, when in reality, special meals are occasional," reminds nutritionist Bárbara Romano. The risk, she says, is accumulating leftover nougat, constant snacking, and a routine that deviates from our usual eating habits.

Talking about balance during the holidays isn't unrealistic, but achieving it does require a shift in perspective. It's not about restricting or giving up traditional dishes, but about enjoying them mindfully. For example, one of the most common mistakes is portion size. "There's no need to eat eight cannelloni if four is enough," Romano points out. Often, the fact that the menu is exceptional encourages us to have seconds even when we're not truly hungry. But enjoying a dish shouldn't be about eating more; it's about eating mindfully, savoring each bite, and listening to the feeling of fullness, which usually arrives after about twenty minutes.

Another common imbalance is eating too many appetizers before a substantial meal. Knowing there will be a stew, casserole, cannelloni, or a roast, we still opt for high-calorie appetizers and neglect vegetables. "Vegetables, on the other hand, provide bulk, fiber, and water, help create a feeling of fullness, and allow for a better overall balance of the meal," Romano points out. Incorporating them as first courses, side dishes, or warm salads can make a big difference.

In this sense, traditional Catalan Christmas cuisine fits perfectly within the Mediterranean diet model. It's a cuisine that prioritizes resourcefulness, is local, sustainable, and seasonal, featuring legumes, vegetables, and grains, and includes dishes designed to use up leftovers from the previous day. The imbalance arises when meats, especially red meat and cured meats, take center stage and vegetables are relegated to a secondary role. "Without eliminating traditional dishes, they can be complemented with a salad of endive and pomegranate, for example, which is an excellent source of fiber and antioxidants and provides balance," suggests Romano.

Regarding dessert, the nutritionist argues that fruit could play a more prominent role during the holidays. "Why do desserts always have to be high-calorie sweets?" Seasonal fruits like oranges or pomegranates, presented attractively, can perfectly complement a piece of nougat enjoyed with coffee, without needing to fill the table with multiple sweet options.

Regarding alcohol, another key element in these days' menus, Romano is clear: "As professionals, we cannot recommend it as part of a healthy diet. There is no minimum amount we can say is good." The problem isn't the occasional toast, but rather accumulating drinks throughout the meal: vermouth, wine, cava, and liqueurs. This accumulation "has both a caloric impact and a lethargic effect, since alcohol is a toxin that the liver has to process."

After the holidays, there's no need to diet or resort to extreme restrictions. Returning to a typical Mediterranean diet is sufficient. And if we're talking about intermittent fasting, so prevalent these days, Romano reminds us that it's not a dietary guideline, but rather a timing guideline. "You can eat during certain hours and not eat during others, but what matters is what you eat within that window," he explains. And the key principle remains the same: ensure that vegetables are the main focus of your meal. "They have a lot of volume with little energy, because they provide a lot of water and fiber," he points out, which allows you to feel full sooner and better adjust the amounts of protein and carbohydrates.

Getting back into a routine, eating mindfully, and understanding Christmas as a temporary break (and not as a permanent excess) are, in the end, the best tools to experience this time of year with pleasure and health.