Specialist Dietitian and Specialist Clinical Psychologist Merve Öz, who said that it is possible to continue to eat healthy with the right choices while bringing people together at big tables on special days such as New Year's Eve, drew attention to the importance of proper and healthy nutrition for our immune system, especially in these days. Yeditepe University Hospitals Specialist Clinical Psychologist and Specialist Dietitian Merve Öz made suggestions both to prepare for New Year's Eve and to spend the evening healthy…

Eat in Your Normal Routine All Day and Don't Go Hungry

Pointing out that it is necessary to eat in a normal routine all day before New Year's Eve, Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital Specialist Dietitian and Specialist Clinical Psychologist Merve Öz said, “If you skip meals during the day to ensure that your stomach is empty in the evening, you may not be able to control your food intake in the evening, as your blood sugar will drop until the evening. Start the day with a good breakfast. Consume 1 bowl of yogurt with your vegetable meal at lunch. Have an intermediate meal between lunch and dinner with 1 serving of fruit and 2 whole walnuts.”

Do not Choose a Main Meal with Plenty of Oil and Sauce

Öz, who warned that the main meal should not be too oily and rich in sauce at the New Year's Eve table, suggested that the main meal should be prepared in the oven, grilled or boiled, as oily and sauced meals would be difficult to digest, and an oily meal would cause discomfort all night.

Do not Stay Long at the Dining Table

The longer you stay at the dining table, the more you will tend to eat. After eating, it is useful to continue the conversation by getting up from the dining table.

Consume Carbohydrate Derived Foods

Specialist Dietitian Merve Öz, who underlined the need to choose carbohydrate foods at the table, said, “For example, if you have both rice, pastry, and bulgur salad, make a choice. Or take 2 spoons of each. But be sure to limit the amount. Also, limit the amount you eat by preparing your own plate. When the food is taken to the plate, more conscious consumption is made. Otherwise, it will be difficult to control the food eaten during the conversation.”

After the Main Meal, Take a Break Before Nuts, Fruit, and Dessert

Dietician Öz, who warned that a break should be taken for a while after the main meal, also stated that when a break for nuts, fruits, and sweets is taken for a while, blood sugar will follow a more normal course and stomach problems and bloating will be reduced. Dietician Öz, who also said that nuts should be consumed as limited as possible, stated, “When nuts are eaten from the nuts bowl, it will be difficult for the person to limit himself/herself and count the nuts. Instead, by taking nuts to a plate, the amount to be consumed can be limited.”

Apply the Principle that Calories Decrease as They Are Shared

Stating, “If you are going to eat a pomegranate, tangerine, persimmon, and kiwi at the same time, please share half or more of the fruit with your loved ones”, Dietician Merve Öz said, “Remember, calories decrease as you share. Heavy desserts should be avoided at tables with a wide variety of food. Milk desserts or fruit should be consumed to prevent an excessive rise in blood sugar.”

Make Your Beverage Choices in Favor of Calorie-Free Ones

Stating that acidic, high-sugar, and calorie drinks should be avoided at the New Year's Eve table, Specialist Dietician Merve Öz said, “Please do not forget to consume water, the most wonderful beverage with zero calories, throughout the night,” stating that mint or lemon soda or sugar-free fruit compote can be consumed instead. Pointing out that one should be careful not to be hungry if alcohol is to be consumed on New Year's Eve, Dietician Merve Öz continued her words as follows: “Hunger can both cause stomach problems and accelerate alcohol absorption. When the drink is consumed, it is necessary to prefer low alcohol and determine the amount to be taken before consuming it. It should be noted that 1 gram of alcohol is 7 calories. The biggest problem when drinking alcohol is dehydration of the body. Since alcohol will cause serious dehydration, attention should be paid to consuming at least as much water as the amount of alcohol consumed.”

Start the First Day of the Year with a Walk

Expressing that on the first day of the year, there should be a walk in the open air after breakfast, Öz said, “A nice walk in the open air will not only give you a good start to the new year but also create a good opportunity to burn the calories you took the night before.”

Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital Specialist Dietitian and Specialist Clinical Psychologist Merve Öz prepared a healthy and delicious menu to decorate the New Year's Eve tables after her warnings for the New Year's Eve:

New Year's Menu:

• Broccoli Soup
• Baked Turkey
• Seasonal Salad with Avocado
• Buckwheat Rice
• Oatmeal Raw Cookies

Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

• 500 grams of broccoli
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• 2 glasses of milk
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of einkorn flour
• Spices (salt, paprika, black pepper)
• Water

Preparation:

• Onion, carrot, and broccoli are cut into small pieces and added to a clean pot.
• Enough water is added to cover the vegetables and they are boiled.
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil and einkorn flour are roasted for a while in a separate place. Milk is slowly added to it and cooked. Continuous mixing should not be neglected.
• Boiled vegetables and spices are added to the milky mixture.
• It is cooked for a while by adding hot water or boiling water vegetables.
• Finally, the blender is used for the soup to become smooth.

It is served hot, Bon Appetit.

Baked Turkey

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 whole turkey
• 3 tablespoons of yogurt
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 dessert spoon of tomato paste
• Spices (salt, paprika, black pepper, thyme)
• Water

Preparation:

• Peeled whole onion, carrot cut into 4 parts and washed turkey is added into a clean pot.
• Water is added to cover the turkey and it is cooked until the turkey becomes soft.
• In 1 bowl, yogurt, oil, tomato paste, and spices are whipped to make a sauce.
• The boiled turkey is placed on the baking tray and the sauce is poured on it.
• It is baked in the oven until golden brown.

Bon Appetit

Buckwheat Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 1.5 cups of buckwheat
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 2.5 glasses of hot water

Preparation:

• After the onion is chopped, it is fried with 2 tablespoons of oil in a way that the oil does not burn.
• Later, buckwheat is added to it and it continues to be roasted for a while.
• By adding hot water, rice is cooked until it absorbs its water.
• Our buckwheat rice, which absorbs its water, is covered with a paper towel and left to rest for 20 minutes.

Bon Appetit

Oatmeal Raw Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of oatmeal
• 6 small dates
• 2 tablespoons of unsweetened peanut butter
• 4 square pieces of 80% dark chocolate (25 grams)
• 1.5 tablespoons of milk
• 1 tablespoon of sliced almonds

Preparation:

• 1 glass of oatmeal is passed through the blender.
• Then, the dates and peanut butter, which are kept in hot water with the seeds removed, are added and passed through the blender again.
• When the mixture reaches a consistency that can be rolled by hand, it is taken from the blender and rolled into a ball. It is shaped by pressing it with a fork.
• It is dipped in dark chocolate melted with the bain-marie technique and served with sliced almonds on top.
• There should be 12 raw cookies coming out from the recipe.
• 1 oatmeal raw cookie is 65 calories.

Bon Appetit

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