How to survive the holidays without overeating
We all know Christmas is near, and it is not just the Christmas factor, but it is also the holidays and end of the year parties coming up. While it is not wrong to celebrate, and take out your shoes after a long year, it is still wise to celebrate in proportion so that you do not suffer the next year (or coming years). So, below are our holiday tips for you as you dig in to all those yummy goodies that only surfaces once a year (apparently).
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Know the average and maximum amount of sugar you can consume.
It is undeniable that the food that are trending now are on the sweeter side. Therefore, we need to be aware of what we are consuming in terms of nutritional intake.
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Know the maximum sugar intake per day for you.
“ American Heart Association’s recommendations for sugar intake. Men should consume no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams or 150 calories) of added sugar per day. For women, the number is lower: 6 teaspoons (25 grams or 100 calories) per day.” Take note that a glass of bubble tea drink can go up to 18-20.5 teaspoons of sugar, that is 2x the amount for men and 3x the amount for women in one sitting! Not to mention all the other food we consume in a day that contains sugar. Astounding huh.
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Read the nutritional label
You will be shocked when you start to read the labels on all the food you consume, it will be enough to scare you. Food and drinks that you consume on a regular basis has more sugar than you expect. And be an informed consumer that puts your knowledge into action. Overload of health information does no good if it does not change anything.
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Be flexible in your daily food intake
While some might argue that having a fixed schedule of food helps, it might not work during the holiday season (that is why people come up with cheat days - Bam!). And we all know that we don’t just have ONE holiday season, we have countless. So, this is where knowing how much you can consume and what food you have consumed helps. If you want to eat that delicious once a year cake, skip the soft drinks and opt for plain water instead. This way, you can still maintain your daily intake without feeling guilty.
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Avoid high sugar content food and drinks if possible
Although you can be flexible with your choice of food (if you are healthy - without any medical conditions), it is always good to avoid high sugar content food. Why? One is because it automatically limits your flexibility and for one sitting, you are consuming one day’s sugar limit. Is it worth it?
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Know how much nutrients you need a day
The healthy eating plate is the way to go now (Kindly refer to the picture below for reference). Sticking to this plate model no matter what you eat will help you in monitoring your intake. Moreover, you will get enough energy for the day from the fulfilled calories. This plate is easy to follow as it does not dictate you to count your calories per day and keep up with it (if you could, great. But we know how tedious it is).
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Eat moderately
The key to sail through this holiday season is to eat moderately. Too much or too little of a good thing is not good either. The key word here is Balance. This way, you get to taste and savor everything and not be bloated at the end of it. And since you tasted all the available options, you can even help yourself with a second helping for what you like most (not excessively though).
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Exercise
Lastly, like all health articles telling you to exercise, we encourage you strongly to exercise. The beauty about it is exercise helps you in profound ways. It helps you to stay healthy and fit, allows you to be more flexible in your choice of food (since you can make up for it), it keeps illnesses far away and it helps you to relax. The holiday season can be pack but you have more time to exercise and come back to your family and friends recharged. And you could also exercise at home so that you still get to spend time with your loved ones, or better yet, get them to join you. After all, the more the merrier.
Starting might be hard but the result is amazing and definitely worth it.
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Reference :
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https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sugar/how-much-sugar-is-too-much
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https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/
Picture credit:
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https://theconversation.com/awareness-of-food-waste-can-help-us-appreciate-holiday-meals-105798
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https://calraisins.org/raisin-nutrition/nutrition-facts-label-information/
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https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/
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https://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/food-drinks/g2582/christmas-cakes/
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http://www.thelifestylejournalist.in/no-nutrition-no-life-know-nutrition-know-life/
