Festivals, particularly Christmas, is a time to rejoice with family and friends. What can be better than feasting with your loved ones surrounded on the dinner table on Christmas Eve?
When the long table is laid out with an extensive menu, your self-indulgence is going to dominate your appetite. Once, the holiday season is a passé, all you are left with is your bloated tummy and that extra inch around your waist. Although you do attempt to limit your rendezvous with festive meals, it’s not so easy to control your tempting desire for the mouth-watering appetizers, mains course, desserts, and drinks. The traditional Christmas dinner is a significant part of Christmas celebration. Curbing yourself from eating those treats will impart the feeling of being unfair to yourself. On the other hand, when you over-indulge, you regret ditching your diet plan. Here is a full proof plan to decode the baffling situation.
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Christmas feast consists of oven-roasted turkey breast with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and vegetables such as turnip, carrots, parsnips, etc. Desserts ranging from pumpkin or apple pie, raisin pudding, Christmas pudding, or fruitcake are the staple. Other traditional bakes for Christmas goodies are Christmas cookies, butter tarts, and shortbread. All this mounts up to over 5,200 calories just on the day of Christmas Eve. If you are a health freak, this number would definitely make your eyes pop out.
Ways to have a healthy Christmas
Choosing wisely
You are what you eat. So, it’s okay if behave like a fussy eater for just one day on Christmas. You have to wisely decide where you can cut down or make lighter decisions.
Experiment with Food
Instead of having the same monotonous menu each year on Christmas, try something different that has lesser calorie and surprise your family. Even they would appreciate a new delicacy introduced to them.
Take small servings
Pay heed to the signal of satiety and stop eating instantly. You can always get something to eat if you feel hungry later. It is always a smart strategy to eat a healthy amount than to overeat. When filling your plate, take a small serving of low calories and low-fat foods.
Drink Water
Drinking a glass of water half an hour before any meal helps in proper digestion. Drinking fluids between meals dilute the digestive juices. It is a bad idea to drink water within an hour of your meal because water hampers absorption of nutrients.
Calorie Count
For a healthy Christmas, keep a count of your caloric intake during each meal. This way you can keep a track of what you are eating and how much you should be eating. It is an excellent parameter that determines healthful eating. Download the app on your mobile.
Supper
The researcher suggests that the last meal of the day should be eaten early and must be kept light to prevent bloating the next day. It not just optimizes the metabolism but also prevents abdominal obesity.
When you are decking the hall with boughs of holly this Christmas don’t you forget to deck your platter with healthy goodies.
Wishing you all healthy Christmas holidays.
The article is authored by famous Dietitian Sheela Seharawat. She is the founder and chief mentor of Diet Clinic Health Care Pvt. Ltd. Also, she is one of the youngest successful entrepreneurs of India.
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