Christmas log: 4 tips from a dietitian to have fun watching your streak
At Christmas, it's impossible to ignore this sweet classic for holiday tables: the Christmas log. But which record do you choose when you care about your streak? How do you choose it well? What ingredients should be avoided? Dietitian and nutrition expert Laura Tagan shares her tips for enjoying the holidays without feeling guilty.
We all know that the holiday season helps with weight gain. The reason is simple. At Christmas, we love foie gras toast, petit fours, oysters or turkey and wash it all down with champagne. But that's not all: You can't resist Yule's famous record, either. This holiday staple, which comes in a thousand ways, awakens the taste buds of young and old every year at the same time.
Although delicious, logs are one of the foods that can hurt our waistlines and tip the scales in the wrong direction. However, this year, it's out of the question to deprive yourself or feel guilty. To do this, it is important to choose your registry carefully. But how do we continue? What tricks allow both to have fun and avoid gaining pounds.
Pay attention to Yule log components
Dietitian and nutritionist Laura Tajan always advises checking the yule log ingredient label for two reasons: one if you're monitoring your figure and second to make sure you're eating a quality yule log.
Qualitatively, it is necessary to find out whether the registry contains such components: glucose syrup, fructose syrup, modified starch, soy lecithin (emulsifiers). These ingredients have nothing to do with the Christmas registry or any pastries. So it is better to turn to another log that does not contain these components.
In terms of calories, if you're watching your streak, pay attention to the percentage of sugar, butter, and cream. These ingredients promote weight gain. In this case, it is worth looking at their access to the list of ingredients, which are arranged in descending order. This means that the first ingredient that appears is the most abundant in the product, while the latter is the least present. If sugar, butter or cream comes first, it's best to look for another piece.
"When you take care of your line, you should know all the ingredients indicated on the packaging. If you see an ingredient that you don't know or don't have in the cupboards, it's best not to take the record. Another tip: the shorter the ingredient list, the better!", says the nutritionist. .
Although it can get complicated when it comes to a score, Laura Tajan recommends avoiding fillings that are high in sugar and fat, such as butter or chocolate ganache, for example. With regard to sugar, care must be taken that the log contains no more than 20 grams of sugar per 100 grams of product.
Birthday Record: Choose Organic or French Brands
Another tip: choose a log made from organic or French brands. “When you see your figure, you have to pay special attention to the quality of the log. To do this, it is advisable to prefer logs made from local or organic produce, even if the log is greasy and sweet. In addition, there is no danger of finding glucose syrup or Lecithin in candy," explains the dietitian.
Make your own homemade Yule Record
As much as possible, Laura Tagan recommends creating your own Yule log to reduce weight gain while having fun. “The advantage of making your own dessert is that you can substitute certain ingredients. For example, you can choose fruit compote instead of butter cream. If you really want to make something very greedy, using chestnut cream for example, you can lighten it with scrambled eggs or chickpea water. Shake with ice,” continues the dietitian.
Christmas log: Take a look at the calorie count
According to a nutritionist, a 50-gram slice of frozen logs should not exceed 80 calories. "The pastry log is generally lower in calories than the ice cream bars. However, it all depends on the filling of the pastry log," she explains. Laura Tajan recommends tree trunks made with Bavarian fruit mousse because it's made with fruit, eggs, and cottage cheese (to replace fresh cream) and not butter. Bottom line: It's the lowest in calories.
Pastry log or frozen log: Which has the least calories?
According to Laura Tajan, the log of fruit-based pastries contains fewer calories than the log of ice cream (226 calories per 100 grams). On the other hand, a pastry log filled with whipped ganache has more calories than an ice cream log.