Do you have questions about nutrition? Send them to us at comer@lavanguardia.es, our nutritionist Aitor Sánchez will solve all your doubts.
Good afternoon. I'm following a weight loss diet, but I don't want to do without cheese. Which is the most fattening? Should I avoid it to achieve my goal? Or can I eat a little? (Yolanda Sanz, reader)
Hello Yolanda,
Technically there is no food prohibited in weight loss diets, what will happen with some of them, such as cheese, is that, being so energy-dense, they will have to be restricted or with a very eventual presence in our diet.
Although it is true that it is a food that does not help much with healthy weight loss, this is because it is not very satiating for the amount of energy it provides. Basically it is a very concentrated product, in protein and minerals, but also in fat, which increases its caloric intake without being easily perceived. We are referring to that feeling of having 4-5 pieces of cheese in the appetizer and that they do not condition anything in the food.
Of course, you can take it in small amounts, but always keeping in mind that it is present in a lighter intake and that it can be surrounded by vegetables that can be satiating. For example, it makes much more sense to add a few cubes of cheese to a salad, instead of snacking on toast with cheese between meals, which can leave you feeling quite intensely hungry. Let's take advantage of the satiety that vegetables already provide.
If we talk about types of cheese, it will be necessary to consider that the more cured it is, the more energy concentration it will have. On the contrary, fresh cheeses have a higher proportion of water and therefore less concentration of nutrients and also energy. You can select the type that suits you best keeping this in mind. A Burgos or fresh type cheese can have more room and space than the same grammage of a Manchego or Parmesan.
I would recommend that you do not obsess over a single food. If you want to keep cheese in your diet, you can, but focus on eating healthy (more vegetables, fruits and legumes above all) so that you can achieve your medium-term goal.
Hello. I would like to know what changes need to be made in the diet when temperatures rise. (Eric Thomas, reader)
Hi Eric,
The most logical and normal change that we should make is to pay special attention to hydration. We can also build a lighter and more frugal diet, especially if we want to maintain a good level of attention, in this way we can better reconcile with work and leisure outside the home.
If we talk about hydration, one of the main keys is to always have water within reach. Although we must always be guided by our thirst, there are many times when we unconsciously do not drink if we do not have water around us and in a very accessible way. It is important that the reference drink is water, but we can also use coffee and unsweetened infusions to alternate. On the contrary, sugary drinks should have as little presence as possible within our hydration guideline.
We must also take into account that we not only hydrate through drink, but also with food. Here we have the great advantage that spring and summer are times in which we have a wide range of appetizing fruits to indirectly hydrate ourselves. We can even use them for homemade ice cream and granita recipes in which we do not add additional sugar.
Finally, remember that we should especially avoid having heavy digestions and very copious meals at this time, since it can affect digestion a lot and make us move less after meals. It is important to maintain an active life that is compatible with the greatest hours of heat.
