Experts Update New Year Feasting Advice With Pre‑Party Protein‑and‑Fiber Snack

Overview

• Russians are advised to eat a small protein‑and‑fiber snack 1–1.5 hours before the feast, such as cottage cheese with vegetables or an egg with salad, to trigger satiety, blunt glucose spikes and lower peak pancreatic load.
• Begin the meal with cold appetizers and light vegetable salads so fiber fills the stomach and helps limit intake of heavier dishes.
• Choose lean baked meat, poultry or fish with vegetable or grain sides for the main course rather than rich, fatty options.
• If drinking, pair alcohol with protein and carbohydrate foods, avoid fatty snacks, spicy marinades, sweet fizzy mixers and mushrooms, avoid mixing drinks, and remember there is no completely safe dose of alcohol.
• Pace the evening with small portions and breaks or a short walk, avoid pre‑feast fasting that leads to overeating, and eat fast‑digesting mandarins before heavier dishes to reduce discomfort.