Easter dishes are not the leanest. Mayonnaise, sausages, mazurkas fill the festive tables. So what to do to get through this time stress-free? We have two solutions. The first, which I usually support, is to eat everything in moderation and, if possible, calculate the caloric content, taking care not to exceed the one recommended in the diet for a given week.. You can use one of the available, free applications for counting calories, eg Fitatu. Of course, you still need to keep an eye on the regularity of your meals and, if possible, not overeat (small, frequent portions will always be better). If the number of calories turns out to be too high, it is best to decide on additional physical activity or to accept the fact that there is little or no effect during the next weighing.
For example, if the excess calories consumed with meals will be 600 kcal, I suggest:
– an hour of intense running
– more than an hour of cycling
– one and a half hours of dancing
– 2,5 hours of brisk walking
It is worth knowing that two days of Christmas, even with exceeded calories, will not do us much harm. The extra kilogram would have to be the cause of the excess (!) 7000 kcal eaten during the holidays. I do not think that most people who have eaten much less in the last few weeks would be able to accept such a surplus without getting sick. However, you need to be vigilant, because research (1) shows that the problem is usually not the holidays themselves, but before and after-holiday eating, “eating leftovers” and meeting friends. And we cannot afford that with impunity anymore. So it’s worth to be careful on these days (before and after Christmas), and give yourself a little slack during the holidays.
The second way to avoid the after-Easter effects of overeating is to use weight-loss recipes. It has its supporters, but you have to take into account some limitations. First of all, we have to prepare the meals ourselves or ask the person organizing the Easter dishes to do so. What’s more, substitutes for such dishes, no matter how hard we try, will taste different from those we are already used to. You have to keep this in mind when deciding on this solution. Otherwise, our method can only meet with disappointment and irritation.
Below are some examples of slimmed down Easter dishes:
Low-fat mayonnaise (1 teaspoon is about 12 kcal)
Ingredients: Cottage cheese – 200 g cup, hard-boiled egg (hot) – one piece, mustard – 2 teaspoons, wine vinegar – 3 teaspoons, salt, pepper.
Preparation: Put all the ingredients into a bowl except the egg (add only the solid part without cream). Immediately peel the cooked egg from the shell and, while still warm, cut into smaller pieces, and then mix with the rest of the ingredients until smooth and thick.
Traditional vegetable salad in a slimmed-down version, 10 servings (1 serving is about 125 kcal)
Ingredients: Potatoes 340 g (5 mediums after cooking without the shell), carrots 200 g (2 mediums), parsley root 80 g, celery 70 g, canned peas 400 g, pickled cucumbers 250 g (5 pieces), onion 110 g (1 medium), natural yogurt 40 g, white salt 8 g (1 flat spoon), black pepper, ground 1 pinch, wine vinegar 13 g (1 flat spoon), whole chicken eggs 300 g (5 pcs.).
Procedure: Boil vegetables (potatoes, carrots, parsley, celery) and eggs. Peel vegetables and eggs and dice them. Chop the pickled cucumbers and onion finely. All ingredients must be mixed and seasoned to taste.
A little healthier chocolate mazurka, 15 servings (1 serving is about 280 kcal)
Ingredients: for the bottom – millet flour 200 g, ground almonds into flour 200 g, banana 2 pieces, peanut butter 50 g Ingredients for the cream: cooked millet 4 tablespoons, avocado (ripe) 2 pieces, dried dates soaked in hot water 200 g , coconut shavings 4 tablespoons, plum jam 5 tablespoons, bitter cocoa 3 tablespoons.
A method of preparing: Butter the mixed flours, add the blended banana and knead the soft dough. Wrap in aluminum foil and refrigerate for 40 minutes. Pour the water from the dates and blend all the ingredients into a smooth cream. Put the dough in the mold, leaving the higher edges. Put in an oven preheated to 180 degrees C and bake for about 25 minutes. When it has cooled down, put the cream on and decorate.
Yogurt Easter cake 16 servings (1 serving is about 150 kcal)
Ingredients: wheat flour 130 g, natural yogurt 700 ml, rapeseed oil 100 ml, 2 eggs, 1 glass of sugar 130 g, baking powder 2 teaspoons.
Preparation: Sift the flour and mix with baking powder. Mash the yogurt with the oil. Beat the eggs with the sugar. Gradually add the rest of the ingredients to the mixture. Put the dough into a mold (one or two, depending on size) and bake at 180 degrees for less than an hour.
1. Helander et al. Weight Gain over the Holidays in Three Countries N Engl J Med 2016; 375:1200-1202, 2016.
Happy Easter!
The photo comes from: Michal Olszak via Foter.com / CC BY-SA