How to prepare a healthy New Year's Eve treat?

New Year's Eve celebrations are approaching unstoppably. It is inevitably associated with lots of goodies, alcohol and last but not least a bloated belly, feelings of heaviness or a big headache the next day. Do you want to lighten up your diet after a busy Christmas, are you looking for inspiration for healthy options for New Year's Eve treats, or do you just want to experiment and try something new? Then you've come to the right place! Today, we're going to give you lots of tips for healthy treats that will be great on the New Year's Eve table, we're going to talk about alcohol consumption and what to do if things don't quite work out.

First things first... don't overdo it with the alcohol!

A New Year's Eve toast is definitely part of the New Year celebrations, but there's no need to go overboard with the alcohol. Even though alcohol is one of the "social rituals", it relaxes the atmosphere and makes us have fun, it does not do our body any good - in fact, quite the opposite, it gives it a hard time. Processing alcohol is a very demanding process for the body. Approximately 90-95% of the alcohol we consume is processed by our liver. The rest is then excreted through urine, breathing and sweat. After consuming a standard amount of alcohol, it can take up to 10 hours for the body to completely process and eliminate it - of course, this depends on the amount and type of alcohol, the food content of the stomach and, last but not least, the physical disposition.

As well as being quite difficult to process, alcohol is also a subtle killer of fat reduction efforts. With seven calories per gram, alcohol is ahead of both carbohydrates and protein in the ranking of energy intake. What's more, it's important to keep in mind that the calories contained in alcohol are devoid of any nutrients. This probably looks quite harmless at first glance, but it is what causes significant appetite stimulation and also promotes fat storage. Moreover, the calories in alcohol are very concentrated, so that one big alcoholic party, combined with the many snacks we eat during it, can add up to the calorie intake of the whole day.

To make matters worse, drinking alcohol loosens inhibitions - great when you need to find the courage to approach one of your idols at the club, but not when you have a table full of food in front of you. It can then be easy to eat something you wouldn't normally have, or simply eat too much. What's the reward then? A headache, a feeling of heaviness, an upset stomach and nausea. Of course - once in a while nothing happens, but evaluate for yourself whether you want to spend the first day of the new year with a sore or bloated stomach or a head like a bell.

So how to do it? Drink sensibly - ideally choose wine combined with plenty of pure water or pure spirits. You can prepare a homemade soft drink or make a really light version. The worst choice ever is sweet cocktails, where the alcohol is mixed with a juice full of sugar - that's a real calorie bomb! The best alcohol is of course no alcohol at all, but if you have a couple of drinks a night, eat well, dance a bit and pour yourself plenty of water, you certainly don't have to have a black conscience.

Choose the right snacks

Of course, New Year's Eve celebrations also include plenty of goodies. Sweet and savoury snacks, roasted nuts, crisps, sandwiches, a good garlic spread, oatmeal... in short, all calorie bombs. Of course, there's nothing wrong with having a piece of something so "not-entirely-friendly" for a slim line, but on the other hand, hand on heart - with these goodies it rarely ends with one piece.

By the time you snap your fingers, you've got a third sandwich slathered in honest-to-goodness walnut, topped with fatty salami and cheese, a bag of salted chips, and a twelfth pizza snail made of puff pastry. Yeah, it actually tastes really good. So the problem is not these delicacies per se, but the fact that we usually eat more of them than is healthy. Try to eat slowly, consciously, chew well and pay proper attention to what you put in your mouth. Eating mindfully can effectively prevent you from overeating and getting sick.

And what to actually put on the New Year's Eve board? If you have a strong will, feel free to prepare traditional refreshments and enjoy the New Year's Eve celebrations the way you like them. The moment you know that once a few of those calorie-laden goodies are placed in front of you, you don't know your brother, you want to lighten up a bit after the holidays, or you just feel like experimenting and trying something new, try one of our tips!

Fresh vegetable fries with different dips

One of the healthiest snacks you can prepare is, of course, vegetables. Take cucumber, carrots, celery, peppers - in short, anything with a firmer texture, cut each type into fries and place on a plate or in a glass. And get to making dips - you can try chickpea hummus in a thousand ways, a light garlic dip with Greek yoghurt herbs, avocado guacamole or some awesome tomato and herb salsa. Apart from being healthy and good-looking, there's no doubt that if you get creative with your dips, you'll score with even the most demanding diners.

Healthy whole wheat bread puffs

Speaking of dips - you can use them as spreads for sandwiches or healthy snacks. Swap classic white aged bread for rye bread, use a wholemeal tortilla or feel free to use cucumber slices. Not that there's anything wrong with white bread, but whole grain options contain more fiber and other micronutrients, so they provide our bodies with more nutrients. Spread some homemade spread on one of the bread rolls, top with a slice of good quality ham, low-fat cheese or perhaps smoked salmon and add a piece of vegetable or maybe a grape ball.

TIP: Try our salmon gavlax with beetroot!

Colourful fruit and vegetable skewers

Another way to brighten up and lighten up your New Year's Eve table is with colourful fruit or vegetable skewers and cheese or ham. Try the tried-and-tested combo of tomatoes with mini mozzarella and basil, grapes with cheddar, goat cheese with pear or figs, shrimp with pineapple, melon with ham, or simply combine different fruits and lightly drizzle them with high-quality dark chocolate. It looks really nice and tastes really good!

Bowl garnishes

If you don't feel like fiddling around with all the pricking and greasing, make it easy on yourself, buy quality ingredients and make a healthy sandwich bowl. Lots of veggies, quality ham, roast beef, lower fat cheeses, smoked salmon, olives and throw in some veggies and a piece of fresh whole wheat bread. There's beauty in simplicity and a bowl like this will please everyone, because there's something for everyone.

Homemade chips or fries

If you're in the mood for something creative, try making some unusual chips or fries. You can use classic potatoes, but you can also use sweet potatoes, pumpkin, celery, beetroot, carrots or even courgettes. Just cut the vegetables into rounds or chips, spread them on a baking tray, lightly salt them, add herbs, grill seasoning, a tablespoon of oil and let them bake until golden and crispy. To serve, feel free to use any of the dips we wrote about above. For example, sweet potato chips go great with guacamole, beetroot chips go great with a garlicky Greek yoghurt and herb dip or with spicy hummus.

Savoury muffins in a thousand ways

You can't go wrong with savoury muffins either . They look beautiful, they're easy and quick to prepare, and most importantly, they're addictively good. Just mix eggs with a little flour or oatmeal, add ham, cheese, your favourite spices, a handful of fresh chives and any vegetables you like - spinach, broccoli or any frozen vegetable mix. Mix it all up, pour it into silicone molds, and hurray for the oven. Bake at 180°C for about 15 - 20 minutes. Muffins taste great hot or cold, so it's up to you whether you go ahead and make them in advance or prepare them just before your guests arrive.

TIP: Pea croquettes, for example, can also be an unusual snack and can be prepared using this recipe:

How about some sweet treats?

After Christmas, when sweets and Christmas cake are the order of the day, few people have a sweet tooth. But if you want to have something for the sweet tooth on the table, cut up a bowl full of fruit or skewer it, melt some good quality dark chocolate and make homemade chocolate fudge. Feel free to get baking too - simple chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, some really good muffins, banana bread with peanut butter or chocolate bean brownies... you'll get everyone excited! Don't feel like preparing anything complicated and heating up the oven? Make simple no-bake date-almond balls with chocolate, or maybe a healthy raffaelo made with coconut, cottage cheese and vanilla protein. Even the most undemanding eaters will love the chocolate mousse made from avocado.

Be sure to check out our other healthy recipes - we believe you'll find plenty of inspiration for a healthier New Year's Eve celebration.

What to take away from the article?

You can celebrate the arrival of the New Year in a healthier and lighter way - at least you will avoid spending the first day of the year with a sore tummy or head. Base your New Year's Eve table on vegetables, quality ham, low-fat cheeses and wholemeal flatbreads with homemade spreads or smoked salmon. For those with a sweet tooth, prepare fruit drizzled with dark chocolate or bake a healthy dessert.

As for alcohol, rather than mixed drinks with sugar-filled juices, opt for pure spirits or wine and don't forget plenty of water! Oh, and if New Year's Eve lightening up doesn't work out? Never mind, put it behind you and indulge in all healthy and light foods on the first day of the New Year - after all, both on New Year's Day and all year round!

Sources:

Cederbaum A. I. (2012). Alcohol metabolism. Clinics in liver disease, 16(4), 667-685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cld.2012.08.002
Zakhari S. (2006). Overview: how is alcohol metabolized by the body?.Alcohol research & health : the journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 29(4), 245-254.
Traversy, G., & Chaput, J. P. (2015). Alcohol Consumption and Obesity: An Update. Current Obesity Reports, 4(1), 122-130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-014-0129-4
Caton, S. J., Nolan, L. J., & Hetherington, M. M. (2015). Alcohol, Appetite and Loss of Restraint. Current obesity reports, 4(1), 99-105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-014-0130-y