Light Holidays

A Brief Guide on How to Survive (and Maintain Weight) on Vacation

It's vacation time, a time for dietary relaxation and indulgence, but also a time for more conscious choices about the type of vacation.

The first step could be: choose an "active" vacation that allows you to stay in motion. Whether your choice falls on the sea, the mountains, or cultural visits in the city doesn't matter!

Everything is fine: swimming or walking in shallow water, trying out canoeing or snorkeling, playing beach volleyball or racket sports, hiking trails or cycling, brisk walking to move from one museum to a park. Common denominator: avoid and combat excessive sedentary behavior!

So avoid lazy attitudes:

staying motionless in the sun for endless hours (highly discouraged even by dermatologists!)

staying motionless in the shade: it's perfectly fine to read to your heart's content, but stretching now and then becomes a remedy for both mind and body!

using the car even on vacation, even for short distances

no to cruises (where you eat too much and move too little), yes to camping and itinerant vacations

By focusing on constant and daily calorie expenditure, we could allow ourselves a few more indulgences!

Vacation also means experiencing the gastronomic culture of the place, trying new foods and dishes, choosing typical local products. Italy is a journey of flavors, but also Mediterranean countries like the Greek islands or Spain are not far behind. In all cases, even in the northern cities, let yourself be carried away by the curiosity to discover the traditions and culture of the place.

However, a few tips can always be useful:

have at least 3 main meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner

do not skip meals, even by completely changing your usual eating pattern (e.g., savory breakfast, light lunch with low-fat yogurt and fruit, dinner at a seafood restaurant)

consume plant-based foods daily (fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes)

greatly reduce sugars (the more you avoid them, the better!); okay for ice cream, preferably artisanal with fruit

prefer fish and reduce meats (even more so those preserved)

avoid fried foods and prefer healthier cooking methods (oven-baked, steamed) and homemade preparations

do not exceed with alcohol; avoid carbonated drinks, sweetened drinks, sugary fruit juices

avoid fatty sauces, mayonnaise, French fries, salty snacks

Happy light holidays to everyone!

Dr. Concetta Mauriello