Nutritionist Fabiana Raucci talks about how to get through the chocolate holiday without compromising health.
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Easter is a highly anticipated time of year for many people, especially because of the chocolates and sweets that are traditional during this season. However, it is important to remember that despite being delicious, these foods can be very harmful to health.
Therefore, to have a healthy Easter, it is important to follow some simple but effective tips. The first one is to try to maintain a balanced diet throughout the week before the holiday. This includes consuming nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins such as lean meats, fish, beans, peas, and chickpeas.
Choose dark or semi-sweet chocolates, and pay attention to the product composition, as these choices usually have less sugar. It is also possible to substitute chocolate with fruits or desserts such as natural yogurts or fruit pudding. The important thing is to avoid overindulging, consume moderate amounts of sweets and chocolate, as excessive sugar consumption can cause health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, overweight and obesity, and dental cavities.
It is important to remember that moderation is the key to a healthy diet. Finally, it is important to remember that sugar is not the only villain of Easter. Often, the typical dishes of this time of year are also very high in calories and if consumed in excess can be harmful to health. Therefore, it is important to try to maintain balance and not overdo the quantities.
Check out some tips for enjoying the holiday in a healthy way:
Maintain a healthy and balanced diet (consume light meals rich in vegetables and lean proteins).
Start the meal with a plate full of salads and cooked vegetables. These foods have low calorie content and are rich in fiber, which provides a feeling of satiety. For desserts, choose fruits because they are more nutritious and also provide greater satiety.
Establishing an exercise routine is important to increase calorie expenditure and thus minimize possible damage from excess eating during this time. Do not substitute a meal for a larger amount of chocolate.
Do not just think about balancing calories, as excess sugars and fats can accumulate as fat, even within the calculated calorie intake for the meal.
When choosing chocolate: prefer chocolates with more than 60% cocoa, as in addition to having less sugar due to the concentrated amount of cocoa (which promotes greater satiety), they have antioxidant functions that are important to the body, such as the presence of polyphenols and flavonoids that contribute to blood circulation, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, and promoting the release of endorphins that bring a sense of well-being.
Avoid consuming white chocolate, as it does not contain cocoa in its composition, being made with cocoa butter, sugar, and added hydrogenated fats, making it one of the most calorie-rich options that does not provide benefits to the body.
Do not consume the Easter egg in a single day (control the daily amount), and if receiving many eggs as gifts, share them with friends and family, ideally consuming no more than 30 grams of chocolate per day.
DIET chocolate is recommended for those with diabetes, due to the exclusion of sugar as an ingredient. It is not considered a healthier option, as to maintain its equivalent taste to normal chocolate, more fat is added. Thus, the number of calories in diet chocolates can be equal to or greater than normal chocolate.
Cocoa can also be replaced with another ingredient with a similar taste: carob. This is a pod whose pulp is roasted and ground and serves as the base for a mass similar to chocolate.
Carob has more fiber, good amounts of vitamins and minerals, and when compared to chocolate, has less sugar and less fat. The natural sugar in this pod is higher than the sugar present in cocoa, which eliminates the need for sweeteners in production. The product also does not contain gluten or animal
By Dra Fabiana Raucci
