For most of us Shavuot is also a holiday of cheeses, pies and pastries. Those who do not succeed in the days when repairing a meat-free meal, are enthusiastic about the change that the creamed pastas and refreshing salads bring.
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Maintain weight in weeks
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Dairy meals have a “stigma” of light meals, so some think these are meals that contain a smaller amount of calories than a meal of “heavier” meat.
This assumption loosens the reins and gives a feeling that one can celebrate and eat more. The reality, of course, is a little more complex: the amount of calories is determined by the amount eaten, the fat percentages of the products (caution, there are cheeses with over 30 percent fat), the composition of the meal and more.
So get some tips for a delicious and not fattening holiday:
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Choose low-fat cheeses and include vegetables in the menu
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Make friends with the thin cheeses
Choose low-fat cheeses to prepare holiday dishes in cooking and baking. Instead of 30 percent cooking cream, you can use 9-10 percent fat cream. Also the cheeses – up to 5 percent fat. This way you can reduce your fat percentage and caloric value and make your meal healthier.
Sauces and seasonings
Try to choose a fresh and refreshing seasoning of rosemary, basil, garlic, parsley and dill and rely less on ready-made sauces that contain sugar and salt in large quantities.
Try using milk-based and less cream-based milk sauces and try to season them yourself. This way you can control the amount of salt, oil and sugar they contain.
Another tip: You can dilute the cream sauce with milk and thus reduce the caloric value of the sauce.
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Make sure you have fresh vegetables on the plate as well
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Make sure that on the eve of the holiday there will be a large variety of fresh salads, chopped vegetables of all kinds and shades like zucchini, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and more. The vegetables are low in fat and calories and help with a greater feeling of satiety.
Prefer to start the meal with a salad.
Make sure the plate also has fresh vegetables, fill the plate after thinking so you can taste all the delicacies you have planned.
If you are invited to a meal and know in advance that it is going to be challenging, bring a big salad for everyone. You have no control over what the hosts will prepare, but you have control over what you bring. This way you are guaranteed to have a stamp dish for you (and also for the others).
Do not come hungry
There is no need to “fast” before the holiday meal. Arrive on the eve of the holiday when you have eaten neatly and balanced during the day and have not missed a meal because “there is a great meal”. The goal is not to arrive hungry for a meal and eat in larger quantities than you planned. When we arrive with a feeling of mild hunger we control the quantities.
Dessert from here, bite away
Usually we want to taste from every dessert on the holiday and take a bite here and there. Thus eating becomes uncontrolled and accumulates an amount of calories that is difficult to measure. Put yourself in a small plate sliced from your favorite dessert and enjoy it. And without snacks and “alignments” in between.
Alcohol is an integral part of the holiday joy, and here too what determines is the dosage. Remember that each cup of alcohol has about 150 to 200 calories, which jumps the total calories in a meal.
Get back to routine and start moving
Even if everything went wrong for you, no disaster happened. It’s just one meal and it’s just one holiday. The next morning try to get up for a new routine, go back to the familiar menu, go for a walk (instead of another meal) and not get too angry with yourself.
If you also combine physical activity during the holidays, you will be able to go through it without gaining weight – and with the enjoyment of festive meals. Happy holiday.
Alex Shchukin, Clinical Dietitian, BSc. RD Heli Maman, a network that specializes in a healthy lifestyle