The most popular question every January is: how to cut sugar after the holidays. In fact, the Christmas holidays are one of the periods of the year in which, more than others, there are real feasts of sugarspresent not only in panettone, nougats, sweets, but also in unexpected foods such as cotechino, zampone, cheeses and cured meats.

Limiting the consumption of foods rich in them immediately after the holidays is essential not only to avoid the risk of gaining many extra kilos, but also to avoid putting your health at risk. Frequent and exaggerated consumption of these nutrients in fact favors weight gain, but also the onset of disorders and pathologies such as hyperglycemia, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, insulin resistance, mood and even tumors.

Here then how to cut sugar after the holidays according to the nutritionist’s advice Valentina Galiazzospecialist in clinical biochemistry.

How to cut sugar after the holidays in 5 tips

1. Limit consumption of dates and other rich foods

Dried fruit is much higher in carbohydrates than fresh fruit. For this reason it is necessary to eat it paying more attention to how it is consumed. «To avoid the risk of exaggerating with sugars, the ideal is to prefer those that have a lower glycemic index such as dried and natural apricots and plums, says the nutritionist Valentina Galiazzo. Then pay attention to the quantities. «To limit the consumption of sugars you need to ingest them a maximum of 30 grams per day and never at the end of the meal.”

2. Choose wholemeal bread for breakfast

«Granola, muesli and breakfast cereals in general often contain high quantities of added sugars including fructose and sucrose, which increase blood sugar peaks. A trick to cut the amount of sugar in your daily diet is to replace it with wholemeal bread, even better if stale and toasted, which has a lower glycemic index.”

3. Be careful with vegetable drinks

«Some vegetable drinks based on soy, coconut, almonds can provide a higher sugar content than that of milk of animal origin, explains nutritionist Valentina Galiazzo. «For this reason, before purchasing them, it is always a good idea to carefully read the information on the packaging and give priority to products that provide less sugar to avoid the risk of adding excessive amounts of sugar to the menus.

4. Consume more oranges and less juice

«Not only ready-made fruit juices, but also freshly squeezed citrus fruit juices have a high sugar content, including glucose and fructose, which the body assimilates quickly also due to the absence of fibre. It is better to consume more whole fruit which, thanks to the fibre, allows you to avoid sudden increases in blood sugar.”

5. Avoid sweetening your coffee

Even if you can’t do without classic white sugar, to reduce sugars, use spices instead of sweeteners. «They improve the flavor of drinks without increasing the sugar intake in the daily diet. Which ones to use? «Star anise is a very suitable spice for correcting the bitter taste of coffee, especially after lunch. It provides substances that, unlike sugars, facilitate digestion.”

The vegan Christmas menu that’s what you were looking for, right? We are not talking about obvious dishes based on vegetables and legumes, but about real special recipes studied with the scientific advice of the nutritional biologist Alvise Cavalieri and then prepared by our historic chef Joëlle Néderlants in the editorial kitchen.

With the presence of lentilsof the chickpeas and of soy the right amount of is guaranteed vegetable proteins, well assorted with the carbohydrates and fibers of vegetables, present in abundance. Finally, the pomegranate of the dessert is important for its tannins, astringent substances that not only refresh the flavor of the panna cotta, but also perform a useful antioxidant function.

The vegan Christmas menu of The Italian kitchen

Starter: Lentil and American potato pie

First course: Celeriac lasagne, chickpea cream and smoked tofu

Dessert: Almond milk panna cotta with pomegranate

Lentil and American potato pie

Commitment: Easy
Time: 50 minutes
Vegan

Ingredients for 4 people

• 500 g American potatoes
• 240 g boiled lentils
• 150 g soy milk
• 120 g carrot
• 100 g celery stalk
• 20 g cherry tomatoes in oil
• 1 small red onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• marjoram
• bread crumbs
• extra virgin olive oil
• nutmeg
• salt
• pepper

Method

1. Peel the American potatoes, cut them into pieces, place them in a pan with the soy milk, a pinch of salt and cook for 18-20 minutes with the lid on, until they begin to fall apart.
2. Season them with plenty of grated nutmeg and freshly ground pepper; reduce them to a rustic puree, with the help of a hand whisk.
3. Peel and cut the celery, carrot and onion into chunks. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan and fry the chopped vegetables with garlic and a pinch of salt for 10 minutes; remove the garlic, add the chopped cherry tomatoes in oil and the lentils, season with salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and flavor with the leaves of 2 sprigs of marjoram.
4. Distribute the mixture into 4 single-portion baking dishes (ø 8 cm), then fill with a layer of puree, leveling it well with the back of a spoon, and completing with a generous
   sprinkled with breadcrumbs.
5. Bake on the lowest shelf of the oven, at 200°C, in grill mode, for 10 minutes; Remove from the oven, leave to cool for 2-3 minutes and serve.

Celeriac lasagne, chickpea cream and smoked tofu

Commitment: easy
Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Vegan

Ingredients for 8 people

• 1.5 kg celeriac
• 700 g boiled chickpeas
• 250 g beets
• 200 g tomato puree
• 175 g smoked tofu
• 150 g vegetable broth
• 1 clove of garlic
• smoked paprika
• mixed seeds
• lemon
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt

Method

1. Clean the celeriac and cut it into slices about 2 mm thick; cook them in boiling salted water for a couple of minutes, drain them and dry them on kitchen paper.
2. Heat a thin layer of oil in a saucepan with the crushed garlic clove with its peel, add the puree, add salt and cook the tomato sauce for 15-20 minutes.
3. Cut 125 g of tofu into small cubes.
4. Blend 580 g of chickpeas with a pinch of salt, the vegetable broth and 60 g of oil to obtain a cream.
5. Brown the rest of the chickpeas in a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil, a sprinkling of smoked paprika and 1 tablespoon of mixed seeds; then mix them with the diced tofu.
6. Wash the beets, dry them and sauté them in a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil, over high heat, for 2 minutes; separate the leaves from the ribs and chop the latter.
7. Distribute a few spoonfuls of chickpea cream in a rectangular baking dish (30×18 cm); create a first layer of celeriac slices, overlapping them slightly; spread another layer of chickpea cream, add a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce, chard leaves, a few chopped stems, a few spoonfuls of chickpeas sautéed with tofu; repeat the operation two more times, finishing with a layer of chickpea cream, a few tablespoons of tomato sauce, chard, sautéed chickpeas, a couple of tablespoons of mixed seeds and 50 g of grated tofu.
8. Bake at 180°C for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and complete with grated lemon zest.