HEALTHY EATING DURING THE FESTIVE SEASON

With the festive season just around the corner, there is no chance of sticking to a healthy diet, especially if you go on a holiday and your normal routines of exercise and mealtimes are changed. Every party and get-together seems to revolve around food and it is difficult to resist overindulging on all the delicious treats and mouth-watering food.

"Drink plenty of water"

Here are some tips to help you stay healthy during the festive season.

Avoid Over-Eating One of the risks during the festive season is over-eating. To avoid over-eating, eat slowly and concentrate on enjoying food. By eating slowing, we allow the stomach to signal the brain when we have eaten enough. These signals tell us that we should stop eating. If you eat too fast, you would have eaten too much before your body is able to signal you to stop eating. When eating at a social event, enjoy the food in moderation. Take a small amount of what you really want so that you are satisfied but make sure you keep within the guidelines of healthy eating. If there is going to be a buffet, make sure you limit the intake and try not to eat deep fried food, batter food, cheese and nuts as they are all high in fat. Fill up your plate with low calorie food such as vegetables, fruits or bread based snacks. Choose a few of your favourites in sensible amounts, rather than a pile of everything offered. Sit down far away from the buffet table and resist the temptation to go back for seconds. Chat and mingle around at a party. It you are bored, you are more likely to hang around the food table and over-eat.

Drink plenty of water It is hard to avoid sweet and 'heaty' food during festive season because that's what normally every one gets served during household visitations. So have them in small quantities and remember to keep drinking lots of water. This guarantees that you remain properly hydrated, especially during hot weather.

Do not starve Do not binge and starve. Skipping meals will lead to snacking on high fat food. Have your regular healthy meals and stop eating when you feel full. Never starve yourself all day in order to indulge in a special dinner as you'll be more likely to over-eat.

Exercise Keeping up an exercise routine can be really challenging during the festive season or holiday break. When you finish your meal, it is really tempting to fall asleep. Try to have some form of light exercise or take a walk. This will boost your metabolism and work off a few extra calories.

Remember that the festive season are not only about food, but a time to reunite and spending quality time together with your family, relatives and friends. Enjoy the occasional small indulgence and have fun during this festive season.