The Holiday season is fast approaching! The most wonderful time of the year is just around the corner, and the world is just a few weeks away from 2023. Everybody is excited to see how streets will light up with Christmas lights and how Christmas carols will be heard in the neighbourhood. Many glee-filled festivities and merry gatherings will surely happen soon as families and friends reunite to celebrate the season of sharing.
One of the things that can never be forgotten from the Holiday season is the presence of various mouth-watering food and refreshing drinks on the feast table of every party. Aside from the games and gifts, it’s the food that makes everyone so thrilled and ready for the Holidays! There will be delectable dishes cooked at home and flavorful desserts brought by guests too. The long table will be brimming with tasty recipes, and people’s tummies will be bursting with delight!
It’s totally undeniable how the Yuletide season is like a cheat season for everyone. It’s a time when people skip their diet to make way for the Holiday feasts. Holidays come seasonally, so most people give themselves a break from watching their diet. It’s understandable; holiday foods are definitely irresistible.
Nonetheless, you should still be mindful of your health. Even when you are eating happily, you should remember to remain healthy. Below are 6 eating tips to stay healthy this Holiday season!
1 – Mark your calendar of all your upcoming gatherings.
There will be a lot of reunions, meetups and parties for the Holidays. There’s one from your family, one from your relatives, one from your school or office, one from your friend’s circle — or not really just one from each because it depends on a lot of factors, especially if you have many friends and if you have a big family.
Mark your calendar of all your upcoming gatherings. List them down one by one, and take note of them in your calendar. In that way, you can also manage how you eat. If you know that you will be having three Christmas reunions from three different circles of friends within the next two weeks, you might want and need to lessen going out and eating out on your own. Since you will be eating outside a lot this week, you should eat moderately and prefer homemade foods as well.
This restrains you from overeating and also overspending money on a lot of food.
2 – Order a variety of dishes.
During the Holiday season, many kinds of dishes, desserts and meals are created specially and in limited quantities. They are exclusively for the Yuletide season. Your dining tables will definitely be full of yummy meals.
To still eat healthily amidst the overwhelming quantity of food in Christmas and New Year celebrations, order a variety of dishes. Do not just order all-meat menus or all-sweets confections. Do not stick to just one kind of food because too much of it might not be very healthy. Look for alternatives to less nutritious noshes. There actually are many options, so go for healthy food and drink combinations.
3 – Don’t come to parties with an empty stomach.
More often than not, people have this notion that you should come to a buffet lunch without eating breakfast so that your stomach could accommodate a lot of food. However, that may not always be the healthiest thing to do, especially during the Holiday season when there are cheery dinner reunions and lunch meetings here and there.
The tendency is that you will overeat when you are too hungry. As a result, you might get an upset stomach and feel unwell even before the event reaches a close. To avoid that, do not come to parties with an empty belly. You might get dizzy and look pale as you arrive at the party and as the programme flows. You won’t get to have fun in such a condition. At least take a bite, and eat a little, but do not starve yourself only because of the Holiday feast later in the day.
4 – Avoid alcoholic drinks.
Holiday feasts are also a time when many friends come together to catch up and share drinks. Everyone knows it’s not good for the liver, but many do not really care as long as they are having a good time!
Do not be like those people who neglect their body’s well-being just because it’s a merry season! Avoid alcoholic drinks. If you are someone who drinks alcohol, lessen it as much as possible. Just enjoy the food and other healthier beverages instead.
On the other hand, if you don’t drink alcohol, then keep it up. Do not be pressured by family and friends who drink; rather, maintain your healthy eating and drinking habits. Encourage others to reduce their alcohol intake too. You all want to spend many more Christmases and New Years’ together, alive and kicking, so be cautious, and take care.
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5 – Cook and customize your food.
You can pay more attention to eating healthy food if you yourself craft them. Cook them at home. Bake them on your own. Customize your food according to your own preference, health needs and food choice.
For desserts, it would be better to choose your own desired cake flour brand to make your own Christmas cake. For pasta, you will have the freedom to pick brands that use no preservatives. Personalizing your Holiday meals allows you to monitor what you eat and to see to it that you and your loved ones are enjoying hearty dishes together!
6 – Eat slowly.
Most people tend to be in a hurry during some Holiday celebrations because of the time limit due to the party’s programme. Some experience indigestion from failing to chew their food properly. They feel sick later on and unfortunately pass over the enjoyment of the occasion.
Eat slowly to avoid that. Relish every bite. Chew with grace. Be mindful as you eat. That’s how you can truly and fully enjoy your food and remain safe and healthy too.
YULETIDE MUNCHING
Christmas and New Year parties are everywhere during the Holidays. More often than not, you cannot and you do not say ‘no’ to such invitations and plans from family, friends, school and work colleagues since Holidays are not every day. You do not want to be a killjoy in the most joyous period of the year. You want to make beautiful memories and have a great time, and that’s with great food!
But as you cherish every moment and munch on all the scrumptious food and delicacies, keep your health in check too. Many people get sick during or after the Holidays because of overeating and eating unhealthily. While you get a kick out of the Holiday feasts, watch what you eat and how you eat.
Make your Holidays worth remembering because of food that makes you feel like winning.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nicole Ann Pore is a writer, an events host and a voice-over artist. Quality and well-researched writing is her worthwhile avenue to enlighten and delight others about things that matter. She is a daytime writer for Mauri Baking Supplies Australia, a chief supplier of bakery ingredient solutions all over New Zealand and Australia. Nicole graduated Cum Laude from De La Salle University Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts.