Can we put cheese on the menu?

After the main course, the cheese platter is a staple of festive meals. Cheeses are rich in calcium and phosphorus, minerals that support healthy bones and teeth. They would also play a preventive role in the appearance of certain pathologies such as osteoporosis, a disease which results in a decrease in the density of the bones and a deterioration of their internal architecture, and dental caries.

Finally, cheeses are very good sources of vitamins (A, B2 and B12). To limit weight gain during the Holidays, eat cheese in moderation: the PNNS recommends not to exceed 30 g of cheese per day, the equivalent of an eighth of a camembert cheese.¹. Regarding calories, prefer fresh cheeses (goat, feta, ricotta, cancoillotte…) to hard cheeses. Fresh cheeses have a higher water content (80% moisture) and therefore contain less fat than mature cheeses. In other words, the harder and drier a cheese, the more calories it has! If you really can not do without hard cheeses, opt for naturally light cheeses such as Parmesan whose fat content is on average between 25 and 30% or Tomme de Savoie® which can be found in different Variations with a fat content ranging from 10 to 30%. 

For dessert, bet on a frozen Christmas log!

What would Christmas be without its traditional frozen or pastry log? While dessert is generally a treat for everyone with a sweet tooth, it reminds us how quickly all of our efforts to avoid weight gain can be quickly wiped out. Better to prefer a frozen Christmas log, much less caloric than a pastry log. The traditional pastry Yule log contains a lot of buttercream, a key ingredient in this holiday dessert. For a portion of 100 g, the pastry log provides approximately 320 kcal, 4,2 g of proteins, 30 g of carbohydrates (= sugar) and approximately 20 g of lipids². For its part, the traditional frozen log, that is to say made from milk or cream, contains between 130 and 150 kcal per 100 g, between 5 and 10 grams of lipids and about 10 g of carbohydrates. Better yet, some frozen fruit-based logs can be even lower in calories: less than 100 kcal per 100 g! Here again, to limit weight gain during the Holidays, it is a question of indulging yourself but in moderation, for example avoid serving yourself a second part of a log and in particular if it is a pastry log.

Other desserts based on winter fruits and less caloric can be proposed on the Christmas table such as for example a maple banana mousse (100 kcal per 100 g), an applesauce and its custard. maple (137 kcal per 100 g), a parfait with chestnuts, pears and chocolate (160 kcal per 100 g) or the traditional apple or pear pies.

Sources: Sources: National Nutrition-Health Program (PNNS). Dairy products: 3 per day. http://www.mangerbouger.fr/bien-manger/que-veut-dire-bien-manger-127/les-9-reperes/les-produits-laitiers-3-par-jour.html Anses. Table Ciqual 2012 – nutritional composition of foods, The pastry Christmas log. http://www.afssa.fr/TableCIQUAL/index.htm