2. Reduce the amount of food eaten at night.
5 meals a day are recommended: the 3 main ones (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and 2 snacks (mid-morning and mid-afternoon). Above all, you should eat more food in the morning and gradually decrease the amount you eat throughout the day. This is especially important before going to bed, since "all the food eaten before going to sleep accumulates in the form of fat," says Marta Cervera.
3. Follow the plate method.
A very practical way for the main meals of the day to be balanced is to follow the plate method. This method consists of dividing a round plate into different parts and occupying each part with a specific type of food: one half of the plate should consist of vegetables; a quarter should be carbohydrates; and the last quarter should consist of protein.
Examples of vegetables are salads, spinach and cabbage; while carbohydrates may be pasta, potatoes and rice. "Also, alternating with wholemeal products is better for you," points out Marta Cervera. The quarter of the plate of with protein should preferably be vegetable protein, such as legumes. It could also be made up of fish, eggs or white meat, like chicken and rabbit.
A piece of fruit is recommended for dessert. You should eat 2-3 pieces of fruit a day, which can be done during secondary meals (mid-morning and afternoon snacks); or, if you prefer, try a skimmed yoghurt or natural nuts at these times.
4. Permanently eliminate the consumption of alcohol and tobacco.
It is absolutely necessary to remove alcoholic drinks from your diet. “Not only for the amount of sugar they contain, which is a lot, but also because the toxicity of alcohol can add fatty deposits to an already damaged liver which may lead to progression of the disease,” explains the nurse. What you should drink, however, is between 1 and a half and 2 litres of water a day. Tobacco also is another toxic substance that has consequences for progression of the disease.
