Vacation Time is Feasting Time – here are three ingenious tips how to feast this long weekend combining pasta, sparkling wine and chocolate correctly!
Who doesn’t like to indulge oneself with a piece of chocolate, delicious pasta or a glass of wine on weekends or on vacation? Even while you are following the Metabolic Balance meal plan, small treats are encouraged from time to time. True to the motto “the dose makes the poison”, I encourage my clients to have a Treat Meal from time to time after the 14 days of the strict phase of the Metabolic Balance meal plan.
Here is a list of tips to keep in mind and how best to combine the most popular treats to minimize their stress on the body.
Chocolate is best eaten in combination with nuts. Why?
It is best to consume chocolate with a cocoa content as high as possible. It is rich in antioxidants and usually has significantly less sugar than conventional milk chocolate. But sometimes, far from any reason, the body demands the sweet milk chocolate. In order to metabolize carbohydrates such as the abundant sugar they contain, the body needs B-vitamins, which milk chocolate naturally does not provide. Nuts, on the other hand, are rich in these B-vitamins and provide precisely the nutrients needed to break down sugar. So if you are dying for some milk chocolate, then preferably choose the one with nuts!
Enjoy prosecco with orange juice. Why?
The consumption of alcohol deprives the body of vitamins during the breakdown. Because of this it is best to drink some fresh orange juice or other fruits high in Vitamin C like strawberries, mango, or papaya when you consume alcohol. The vitamin C contained in the juice not only helps metabolize the alcohol, but also helps the body to regenerate.
Eat pasta with high-quality oils! Why?
Starchy foods with short-chain carbohydrates such as wheat pasta, rice, white bread or potatoes are best enjoyed in combination with high-quality oils (e.g., olive oil) or fats (butter). The fat surrounds the starch, i.e. the body needs more time to reach the starch and break it down into individual glucose building blocks, since the fat has to be processed first. The result – glucose enters the blood much slower, the blood sugar rises more slowly and this in turn leads to fewer cravings as well as a long-lasting fullness.
Hope these tips help you out this long weekend. Let me know how you treat yourself!