What should the Christmas and New Year's dinner be like in order not to affect your health?

December has arrived, a highly anticipated month for people due to Christmas and New Year, as families gather to enjoy panettone, a delicious dinner, and sometimes dessert as well.

All of these foods that are consumed are very enjoyable for the palate, but that doesn't mean they are healthy. They can irritate the stomach and lead to indigestion, abdominal bloating, acidity, or constipation.

For this reason, Shirley Cuya Alvarado, specialist coordinator for Nutrition and Dietetics at Universidad Privada del Norte, offers some recommendations on how to accompany Christmas and New Year's dinners without affecting your health.

Recommendations to enjoy a dinner during Christmas and New Year without affecting your health

• Accompany main meals with raw or cooked vegetable salads and low-fat dressings.
• For refreshments, you can include pineapple, melon, watermelon, or papaya water because they help keep the body hydrated and are very healthy fruits.
• For snacking during dinner, fruits with peel such as apple, pear, and peach provide vitamins and fiber that promote satiety.
• In the case of alcohol, it is advised to be mindful of the quantities consumed, especially if it is a cocktail type drink because they contain large amounts of sugar.
• It is recommended to dine calmly and chew food well to have better digestion and better utilization of the nutrients in them.

How should your plate be during Christmas or New Year's dinner?

According to the specialist, half of the plate should contain raw or boiled vegetable salads, and the remaining space should include lean meats such as chicken, turkey cooked in the oven, grilled, or cooked in aluminum foil. It can be completed with whole grains or tubers.

What time is recommended to have dinner on Christmas or New Year's?

In Peru and other countries, people often have dinner at midnight on Christmas and New Year's, but specialists advise against this habit and suggest having dinner between 8 and 10 p.m.

This advice is because Christmas dinners often contain a lot of protein, which tends to be slow to digest. Also, keep in mind that you will probably eat panettone and chocolate, which further slows down digestion.

Also, remember not to sleep immediately after dinner because it can cause stomach problems such as indigestion, stomach pain, among others.

What foods help with good digestion?

To have good digestion, it is recommended to eat fruit before the main course. It is also recommended that the next day's meals be light (grilled chicken with mashed potatoes or rice) to counteract the possible effects caused by the previous day.