Tag: weight

Chestnuts: eat them without gaining weight – Italian Cuisine

Recipe Rice, milk and chestnut soup


Can they be consumed if you need to lose weight or is it better to avoid them? Here's what you need to know and a series of tips and tricks for eating them without problems

The chestnuts they are the ultimate symbol of autumn. They are a tasty fruit, which those who need to lose weight often give up. Yet like any other food, chestnuts are a fruit that can be eaten even if you are on a diet. "Just combine them with the right foods, pay attention to the quantities and follow some small precautions, able to make this food advantageous for the figure and health", says the nutritionist Valentina Galiazzo, specializing in clinical biochemistry. «Chestnuts are a good source of B-complex vitamins. They contain vitamins B6 and B12, involved in the processes of metabolism. They also offer vitamin C and minerals including potassium and magnesium, friends of the circulation. In addition, they have a reduced fat content. So they contain a series of useful micronutrients, "says the expert, who explains here how many and how to eat chestnuts so as not to risk gaining weight.

The recommended amount of chestnuts

Chestnuts are an energetic fruit. «They contain about 100 calories per 100 grams when eaten raw. Their caloric intake increases if they are boiled and can be almost double if they are eaten roasted. The suggestion is therefore to eat them in any case in moderation, limiting yourself to 6-7 chestnuts a day and avoid combining them in the same meal with other foods rich in starch such as pasta, bread, potatoes and easily absorbable sugars including fruit. fresh. The risk is to increase the glycemic load of the meal and stimulate greater production of insulin, a hormone that promotes overweight ", explains the expert.

How to eat the chestnuts

Chestnuts can be eaten at any time of the day. «They are perfect for breakfast to have energy or instead of dessert or fruit at the end of a meal or in soups together with legumes to bring an excellent single dish to the table. Chestnuts are also ideal at snack time to satisfy the desire for something good and tasty with a natural, low-fat snack, "says nutritionist Valentina Galiazzo. "The important thing is to always be able to balance their impact on blood sugar". How? "By combining this highly starchy fruit with protein sources such as yogurt or milk in the morning and as a snack and with meat and derivatives, fish or legumes for lunch and dinner and always accompanying them with a small amount of beneficial fats such as those of dried fruit (walnuts, almonds etc.) or extra virgin olive oil, which increase its satiating power and reduce its impact on insulin and consequently on the figure and health .

Home gymnastics to lose weight quickly: 5 exercises without tools – Italian Cuisine

Home gymnastics to lose weight quickly: 5 exercises without tools


Tones, firms and sculpts the body at critical points. Here is the tailor-made workout to get back in shape and get rid of the extra pounds at home

Curtain arms, widened waist, less toned legs and extra pounds. According to Istat data, more than 4 out of 10 Italians have weight problems. A number that is destined to increase due to the more sedentary life at home and the cheats at the table of the long weeks of lockdown. To this mix of factors are often added hormonal imbalances caused by lack of sleep and stress, which favor the consumption of larger quantities of food and the accumulation of extra pounds. The lack of rest in fact stimulates a greater production of ghrelin, the appetite hormone. Emotional tensions, on the other hand, favor a greater production of cortisol, the stress hormone, which favors the increase of insulin and stimulates hunger attacks. To lose weight quickly and get back in shape it is necessary to adopt correct lifestyles and above all to move more. Here is the gymnastics to do at home to lose weight quickly suggested by the professional trainer Magda Franceschino, a 5-exercise workout without tools that sculpt the body in critical points.

To tone the arms

Stand with your legs slightly apart, knees bent, abdomen contracted and hands on hips. Bring your elbows together, keeping your chest up and your shoulders down. Extend your forearms back, keeping your elbows motionless and doing a slight twist to better activate your triceps. Return to the starting position and bring your fists up. Perform 3 series of 10 repetitions with a one-minute break between one series and the next.

For strengthen the shoulders

Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground and your legs hip-width apart. Imagine lifting a barbell: extend your arms up and then bend them bringing your elbows close to your hips. Repeat the movement slowly 10 times. While performing the exercise, keep the shoulder blades together and the shoulders lowered. Perform 3 sets, pausing for one minute each time.

To reshape the waistline

Sit in a chair, with your legs slightly apart, your hands behind your neck, your arms bent and your heels on the ground. The "core" (the abdomen, the dorsal area and the pelvic floor) is always contracted. Keeping your gaze forward and doing a slight twist with your torso, bend your right leg and bring your knee closer to the elbow of your left arm. Return to the starting position and repeat everything with the other leg. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps, pausing for one minute each time.

To firm the legs

In an upright position with the legs apart, the tips of the feet slightly turned outwards and the weight of the body resting on the heels. The hands are on the hips. By bending the right leg and keeping the gaze forward, the active abdomen and the elongated spine, move the pelvis (and the weight of the body) sideways. Then return to the starting position. Do 3 series of 20 repetitions each alternating leg, with a one-minute recovery between one series and the next. This exercise is super for adductors, quads, and side b.

To tone the buttocks

Standing with the abdomen contracted, the legs spread apart at the same width as the hips and the tips of the feet slightly turned outwards. Keeping the spine upright and your hands on your hips, bend your legs and bring your pelvis back slightly as if you would like to sit slowly on a stool positioned behind you. Then return to the starting position. Perform 3 series of 10 repetitions with a one-minute break between one series and the next.

Working from home, 5 tricks for not gaining weight – Italian Cuisine

Working from home, 5 tricks for not gaining weight


Smart working. Heavy legs? Swollen belly and extra pounds? Here's what to do at the table to remove the risk of gaining weight by working from home

For those who work from home, in these long smart working months, the more sedentary life, the sense of loneliness, mistakes at the table and, often, the little time available to prepare meals risk promoting weight gain. In order not to get fat, the first rule to follow is to try to move around at home and divide the food intake into 3 main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) plus 2 snacks. "This strategy allows you to have energy and satiety for a long time and to avoid bingeing during breaks", suggests the nutritionist Valentina Galiazzo, specialist in clinical biochemistry. "In addition, it always keeps the metabolism active, which a sedentary lifestyle tends to make slower". The expert suggests 5 other tricks for not gaining weight.

Bet on a healthy and super satiating breakfast

When working from home, overdoing overtime snacks is one of the most common temptations that risk weighing on the line. "To avoid overdoing snacks rich in calories, sugars and fats, the first strategy to implement is to ensure that, upon waking, a breakfast complete with all the nutrients that allow the body to have energy and to curb food". So let's avoid just the cup of coffee drunk on the fly. Yes instead to a source of low glycemic index carbohydrates such as bread or whole grain flakes. «Thanks to the richness of fibers and slowly absorbed carbohydrates, they ensure a longer lasting charge. Combined with a portion of proteins they induce satiety . A few examples? «Ricotta is excellent for both a sweet and savory breakfast. Yes to pancakes too. "They are an excellent source of satiating proteins". And, finally, never miss a portion of "healthy" fats. "A teaspoon of chia seeds, for example, provides a large amount of essential fatty acids, which support mood and promote brain activity".

Avoid too hasty meals

In the kitchen and at the table, no rush. As for cooking, those that are too aggressive, such as grilling and boiling, should be avoided. "The first stimulates the production of Age substances (Advanced Glycation End products), which inflame the cells and promote aging. Boiling, on the other hand, risks the dispersion of micronutrients useful for keeping fit and healthy . Even at the table it is important to consume the different meals of the day calmly. "Slow chewing allows you to avoid the accumulation of gas in the intestine, which favors a swollen belly. In addition, it allows you to eat less because it allows you to feel satiety earlier .

For lunch and dinner do not miss the vegetables

In addition to providing very few calories and giving satiety, vegetables act as real "scavengers". «Enzymes, vitamins, such as vitamin C and minerals, in particular potassium and magnesium, of which they are rich, help to dispose of metabolic waste, says nutritionist Valentina Galiazzo. "Thanks to the high fiber content, they are also a panacea for the intestine that the more sedentary lifestyle can make lazy. They stimulate transit and help get rid of excess toxins. In addition, in addition to being laxative, thanks to the richness of water they have a diuretic effect that counteracts water retention .

During the breaks, munch on dried fruit

Does concentration drop and hunger increase during the morning or afternoon? “Eating a handful of walnuts or a spoonful of sunflower or pumpkin seeds may be the solution. They guarantee micronutrients and polyunsaturated fatty acids that support memory and mood and at the same time counteract fatigue ", suggests the expert. «In addition, they help not to easily transgress with unhealthy snacks because they give satiety.

In the evening meal, avoid cheese and salami

In the evening it can happen to feel exhausted and have little desire to cook. A mistake that is often made in the evening meal is to overdo it with meats and cheeses, which should instead be brought to the table by reducing the portions and the frequency of consumption. "They are rich in calories and sodium, which promote weight gain and water retention. They also contain tyramine and saturated fats, which slow down digestion . In addition, they hinder the rest, essential not only to feel snappy and full of energy the next day, but also to avoid gaining weight. "During sleep, the body's fat cells produce leptin, which lowers the levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone. The advantages? It reduces the sense of appetite and helps to better manage the desire to fail during the day .

Proudly powered by WordPress

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Click here to read more information about data collection for ads personalisation

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Read more about data collection for ads personalisation our in our Cookies Policy page

Close