Italians gained 2 kg on average

(ANSA) - Rome, January 8 - Coldiretti farmers' association said the combination of consuming high-calorie foods and alcohol during the holiday season led Italians to an average per-person weight gain of two kilograms.
    It said during this holiday season, nearly 100 million kilograms of holiday pandoro and panettone cakes were consumed, along with 65 million bottles of spumante, and six million kilograms of cotechino pork sausage and zampone ham hock (traditional New Year's dishes) along with nuts, bread, meat, salami, cheeses and sweets.
    The total value of holiday food spending reached close to 4.8 billion euros, mainly involving Christmas dinner and the large dinners on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, without counting the final push at the end of the holiday season on the Epiphany, January 6.
    Coldiretti's advice for dieters includes not skipping meals and drinking lots of water, along with consuming "detoxifying" fruits and vegetables such as oranges, apples, pears, kiwi, spinach, chicory, pumpkin, courgettes, lettuce, fennel and carrots.
    It said garnishing vegetables with a touch of olive oil adds tocopherol, an antioxidant that fights ageing, and a squeeze of lemon helps to flush out toxins and calm stomach acidity.