Nutrition : Yes, we can give in to temptation of “forbidden food”!

Whether it is the praline-flavoured macaroon or the golden French fries, it is not a question of being deprived of your favourite vice  forever, but of succumbing to it in a smart way. How often? “Once a week”, advises the dietitian Angélique Houlbert, but only if you do your best to compose your daily diet. And without any obsession, because we can counterbalance with an extra diet the days after. She indicates that “The food balance takes place over a week”. Her recommendation, that works in every case: do not skip over breakfast to compensate. Indeed,  the body needs fuel to start the day, and also avoid the 11a.m craving where any kind of food satisfies your hunger.

Whether it is an excess you plan for the future or one you have enjoyed, she suggests beginning with a no sugar hot drink with:

– Some muesli with dried fruits and oleaginous, whole grain cereals, with no added sugar (to prepare by yourself at home, or buy from speciality brands) with some milk (vegetable or not) and some fresh fruit for the fibre.

– Or, if you can, proteins with eggs, a slice of ham, cottage cheese, smoked salmon, and so on, and some fresh fruit or some dried fruit: apricots, prunes, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts. For those who can’t swallow anything for breakfast, make a small effort: take at least some fresh fruit.

PIZZA:

The best way to eat pizza is to consume it for lunch with a green salad. Not to skip over the vinaigrette: “Vinegar has the potential to reduce the carbohydrate impact of a meal”, says Angélique Houlbert. And complete it with some fresh fruit. In the evening: balance it  with a low carb dinner. Soup without potatoes, legumes such as  coral lentils, for example, a bowl of salad or some seasoned raw vegetables, some fruit or yoghurt without sugar.

Some extra advice: Learn how to decode the labels. The team’s advice is to make good choices at the supermarket: choose products that contain few transformed ingredients. For a pizza: opt for one made with a flour rather than a modified starch one, for example. Choose good quality fats (olive or colza) and not a specified vegetable oil. Choose a product containing the least amount of additives. Be wary of: colouring agents (the E100 agents), preservatives (E200), flavor enhancers (E600), and sweeteners (E900) among them, because some of them should be removed from food. A short list of ingredients is a good sign. Verify the salt content, knowing that it is sometimes the quantity of sodium that is indicated and not the sodium chloride, the chemical name of salt. 400 Mg of sodium equals 1G of salt. ” Calories are not the only thing that matters “, explains the dietitian.

HAMBURGER:

The best way to eat it is with a seasoned green salad with a vinaigrette, then with some fresh fruit that adds fibre and volume. For the  evening: skip over animal proteins, go for legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas) accompanied by a green salad or by raw vegetables (tomatoes, radish, cauliflowers with salt) then followed by some fruit or yoghurt.

Some extra advice : a hamburger doesn’t nourish a lot; it is also very salty. So we are quickly hungry and thirsty. The solution for the snack: a smoothie (organic fruit if possible, pressed with their pulp) or some fruit, that will calm both your hunger and thirst by adding fibre, and of course both options are better that just plain fruit juice.

FRench fries:

The best way to eat them is with mussels (typically cooked in white wine and not in cream), rich in proteins and in vitamins. Or, by default, with another sea product. Natural yoghurt or fruit as a dessert. In the evening: a detox menu with soup, green salad wth vinaigrette dressing and some fresh fruit.

Some extra advice: Give in to temptation at noon rather than in the evening. We often recommend the following: a royal breakfast, a prince’s lunch and a beggar’s dinner. Why? Because throughout the day, we burn fewer and fewer calories and, in particular saturated fats that tend to be stored more in the evening.

MACAROONS:

The best way to eat them: Eliminate other starchy foods (bread, semolina, rice), give in to temptation at noon, finish your meal with coffee. In the evening: eat vegetables, fish without seasoning, apple in oven without sugar.

Some extra advice: Choose soluble fibre, pectin, mucilages… They are able to absorb a large quantity of water by forming a sort of gel in the digestive system that slows down the digestion of carbohydrates and the rise of the sugar rate in the blood. Filling, they leave you feeling satisfied . Good choices: Eat prunes or apple for a snack;  and zucchini for a meal.

ICE CREAM:

The best way to eat it: Avoid overloading on carbohydrates. Forget white bread or sandwich bread. At noon: eat crunchy raw vegetables to chew and compensate for the “the softness” of the dessert. In the evening: avoid an aperitif, skip over the cheese. A salad of raw vegetables, a fatty fish “Sardine, mackerel, or tuna in the salad, to compensate for the saturated fats of ice cream with good fat, rich in omega 3, which is useful for cardiovascular health”, advises the dietitian. Then finish with some fruit.

Some extra advice: Give in to temptation at the end of meal rather than for a snack. “The dessert is going to mix with everything that we ate, explains Angélique Houlbert. The worst, is ice cream consumed between meals.”

ROCHER PRALINES:

The best way to eat them is  by filling up with soluble fibres, that are going to allow a slower digestion of carbohydrates. Include legumes, vegetables and fruit in the menu. “Do not hesitate to use frozen or canned vegetables to make it easier. You can prepare very quickly a soup with slices of frozen zucchinis, or quickly canned dried vegetables like lentils or red beans. ”

Some extra advice: It is better to savour your Rocher Pralines the day you go to the gym or to the swimming pool. At least, you will  burn a bit of it off.

Martine AZOULAI