Rome, 31 December. (Adnkronos Salute) – New Year’s Eve is coming, the big dinner is coming. The last trap (perhaps) at the table, with almost inevitable excesses of sweets and alcohol. You can limit the damage by managing dinner in moderation and preparing to resume a normal routine, without opposite excesses, from January 2026. Here are the tips for enjoying New Year’s Eve without derailing.
“Psychologically, we tend to see December 31st as a magical border, from which normality can begin to take shape again”, clinical immunologist Mauro Minelli, professor of human nutrition at Lum, tells Adnkronos Salute. “This ‘all or nothing’ mentality is dangerous because eating huge quantities in one sitting triggers a massive release of insulin, the hormone that provides for the ‘storage’ of fat. The higher the peak, the faster the body transforms the excess into adipose tissue”, he adds, highlighting the pitfalls of yet another binge.
“On New Year’s Eve, therefore, the trap of ‘it’s the last time’ must be avoided. To do this, absolute deprivation is not necessary but management of the damage is needed. There are rules for moving correctly between the trays. But there is more: a caloric excess, now lasting more than two weeks, may not just be ‘flab’, but a real inflammatory state that overloads the liver, kidneys and cardiovascular system”, he warns.
Here is the advice of the doctor-nutritionist: “The appetizer: start with vegetables or lean proteins. It works because it slows down the absorption of the sugars that will arrive with the first courses. The toast: drink, if anything, a glass of water for each glass of wine. It works because alcohol tends to dehydrate; water helps the liver to metabolize ethanol and reduces the feeling of munchies. The 20-minute rule: eat slowly and chew well. It works because the procedure is slow it supports the time it takes for the satiety signal to travel from the stomach to the brain.”
After two weeks of excesses, “the body does not need miraculous ‘detox’ (the liver already does it on its own, if we let it work), but order – suggests Minelli – Excess salt and alcohol cause water retention. Drinking 2 liters of water a day is the first step to drain metabolic residues. Whole grains and legumes help to ‘clean’ the intestine and nourish the microbiota, put to the test by refined sugars and saturated fats. There is no need to run a marathon on January 2nd. A brisk 30-40 minute walk is enough. The aim is to reactivate the muscles’ insulin sensitivity, ‘burning’ the accumulated glycogen stores.
How long does it take? “To get rid of the effects of a single binge, 48 hours of controlled diet are enough. To cleanse yourself from two weeks of ‘madness’, the metabolism usually requires 7 to 10 days of regular eating and constant physical activity. The secret is not punishment (extreme fasting), but consistency. The human body is an extraordinarily resilient machine. A large meal does not ruin a lifetime of health, just as a salad does not save a life of excess”, concludes the doctor.
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