Enjoy mindfully this Holiday Season 

Everyone around is looking forward to the end-of-the-year holiday season, and why not? We all deserve some merry time for ourselves.  

The moment we think about Christmas goodies, we imagine rich desserts, baked sweets and chocolates. Knowingly or unknowingly, we tend to push the ‘healthy eating resolutions’ away during festival times. After all, new year is for the resolutions, right?

It is obvious that all the indulgence will take a heavy toll on our health.  The good news is  ’enjoying yourself around the festive season does not mean having an unhealthy diet’.

Here are some tips to follow while you indulge in the spirit of the season and yet remain mindful of health.  

Eat Mindfully:  

Remember to choose quality over quantity. All you need to do is to remain mindful of the empty calories while partying with friends and family. Avoid sweets that are fat-laden or deep fried. Plan party menus to keep items like sushi and soy sauce to a bare minimum. These have way too much of salt (and sometimes oil!) than you intended to eat a day.

While it can be tempting to eat a plateful, eating small portions for the taste helps avoid overindulge. Chew your food as it helps with satiety and aids digestion of carbs. Those who chew their food well tend to eat less, digest better and are better satiated than others.  

Try eating some healthy high-fibre foods for breakfast (such as oatmeal, cereals, multigrain bread, millet flatbread, sugar-free berry smoothie etc). This helps you feel satiated for long and helps immensely with portion control.

Choose your party venue well. Gourmet and fine-dine restaurants typically serve high quality food items in small portion size. This will help you enjoy the best food without loading yourself with extra calories.

For starters, choose the grilled and baked ones, over deep fried ones. Salads, sizzlers and subs with a lot of veggies (and lean meat) can make a great main course. Just remember to keep fat-laden mayonnaise to a minimum. Try hummus with some great pita bread and veggies; that’s a healthy Mediterranean meal. A lot of places now serve different flavours of hummus, which are worth trying for sure.

Look at the ingredients when you make choices. For example, choose healthier pesto sauce or marinara sauce over the creamy alfredo sauce. Go for parmesan cheese over regular processed cheese. It adds a riot of taste with its great umami flavour without adding a lot of calories (some pricier dishes are worth trying this season!).

Desserts:

Choose traditional desserts over the oh-so-regular chocolates. The Goan Dodol, Bebinca/Bebinka, Garbanzo/Chonya Doce, kulkuls are worth trying any day.

Try nut-based sweets like marzipans and baklawas over the sugary, gooey ones. Bake cakes with fresh fruits, dates and nuts to avoid loading them with sugar. Avoid whipped cream, ganache and fondant coated cakes, go for the traditional ones like banana and walnut cake, plum cake, carrot cake and the like.

Share your sweets and desserts; this reduces the portions consumed, while the happiness doubles. At family get-togethers, or office parties, use smaller plates and spoons for better portion control.  

Non-vegetarian delicacies:

There are a lot of healthy non-vegetarian delicacies to try this season. What is Christmas celebration without Goan cuisine? Try the stuffed crab, roast chicken, roast yet succulent pork, shallow fried whole fish/pomfret and your holiday feasts will feel special for sure.

Tip for better portion control:

Use the rule of 3 before you go for a second serving. They call it the “Jordan Rule”. It says that you should go for the second portion only when you think you can comfortably finish the third one.  

Drinks and beverages:  

Avoid colas/soft drinks at all costs, as all you get are empty calories. Now, with changing times, social drinking of alcohol around the festive season is an accepted norm in most areas, especially cities. While it is party time and it may also be your long-awaited hangout time with buddies and colleagues, limiting alcohol intake is important.  

Try and limit yourself to two alcoholic drinks. Replace the sugar in cocktails with natural fruit juices, sparkling water and club soda. 

In conclusion, Christmas and New Year is a time for rich food, family, friends and festivities; however, you need not give up on your health and wellness goals. All it takes is a bit of planning, some smart choices and mindfulness to remain healthy while still enjoying the festival with full fervour.  

Keep these tips in mind to enjoy a happy, healthy Christmas and New Year. Cheers!

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