On average, a person gains 0.5% of their body weight during the holiday season. A finding that is not inevitable, according to American specialists.
Between the foie gras and the log, the caloric dishes follow one another during the end of the year celebrations. The most valiant scales tremble as the month of December approaches. In fact, the profusion of sweets and rich foods seems incompatible with an hourglass figure. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine confirms it: the planet weighs heavier between Thanksgiving and New Years.
Three countries served as examples: the United States, Germany and Japan. In total, some 3,000 people agreed to measure their weight for a year, using a connected scale. The result is hardly surprising. Everywhere, pounds are piling up in the week following Christmas. Volunteers gain 0.5% of their weight on average compared to the 10 days before New Year’s Eve. The holidays are responsible for this: participants also grow fat during Thanksgiving or Easter. Germany is by far the most affected. Over the period from Christmas to New Year, its inhabitants gain nearly a kilo.
Concrete solutions
That sounds the death knell for turkey dishes with baked potatoes. But as a team from the University of California in Los Angeles (United States) reminds us, to please your taste buds without threatening his line is possible. The dietitian team recommends choosing foods that are healthy but warm to the heart, such as multicolored cauliflowers, sweet potatoes, cranberries or even spices such as nutmeg. Avoid appetizer cakes, advises UCLA. Nibbling an apple an hour before sitting down to eat helps develop this reflex.
The end-of-year celebrations do not prevent physical activity either. A family walk, a visit to the park for the children, a run with a friend … there are many solutions for those who want to stay active. This practice will also have the advantage of benefiting the arteries. Because these are put to the test in December.
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