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Here's how to indulge without adding weight this holiday season
Drinking water or fluids in between meals will control how much you eat.
While the season of December feasting is a cherished tradition, it comes with a hidden risk: all the hard work we have put in since January can be quickly watered down.
Dietitians say you can still enjoy the festivities while practising mindful eating.
Joy Ouma, a registered dietitian at Aga Khan University Hospital, says the first step is to focus on the type of food you are eating.
"Ask yourself, is it nutrient-dense? Is it high in sugar? Does it contain saturated fats?" she says.
Secondly, serve small portions of the meals you are eating.
"Choose lean portions of the meat that you are taking. Secondly, make sure you are taking complex carbohydrates and plenty of vegetables," she adds.
These complex carbohydrates are digested more slowly than simple carbohydrates hence providing steady release of energy. For whole grains you can have either brown rice, oats, whole wheat bread, barley, or millet. Legumes: lentils, chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, and soybeans.
Vegetables you can choose from sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, squash (butternut, acorn), broccoli, and brussels sprouts. For fruits you can have either apple (with skin), pears, berries (blueberries, raspberries), oranges, bananas (particularly when less ripe).
And for the tubers and roots category you can choose to have potatoes, yams, cassava and nuts either almonds, sunflower seeds and chia or flax seeds.
To hosts, Ms Ouma says you can prepare in advance the meals and snacks you are planning to give your guests ensuring they are both balanced and healthy.
Eat from your plate
While holidays bring out feasting periods, Ms Ouma shares portion control can be achieved by choosing to have your food in your plate.
"Sometimes we use the sinia [big, flat plates], whereby everybody picks from the same plate. Therefore, you can't control how much you eat because you keep adding when the plate is empty," she says.
Drinking water or fluids in between meals will also control how much you eat. However, remember the key goal is in between and not with meals.
Exercising during holidays
While the holiday season can hinder sugar cravings, Ms Ouma shares you can lean more on artificial sweeteners rather than added sugars.
"Drink herbal teas. Lemongrass, hibiscus, ginger, chamomile, cinnamons among others, are all better options," she says.
Exercising for atleast 30 to 60 minutes a day is healthy for us. But this can be hard during the holidays.
However, be intentional about the exercises and choose fun activities as your workout. Do family walks, dance, skip ropes, and do fun games that you used to do when you were children. You can be recreating those memories, and stay active during the holidays.
Water intake
How can one stay on top of hydration during this holiday season?
"Now, depending on your weight, we calculate your hydration limits. For example, for an average person who is 70 kilos, we do 30 ml per kilogramme of body weight (70*30 =2,100ml then divide by 1,000 =2.1 litres per day). So, 80 percent should come from clear water. Then the rest from the soups or teas, porridge that you are taking," she says.
