While the festive period is
always packed full of Christmas cheer, we are often faced with busier commutes,
longer working days, increasing deadlines and family obligations, that leave us
feeling more tired, stressed and perhaps not looking our best.
The best piece of advice is one I’m sure you’ve heard
before, but always do try to remember to stick to a balanced healthy diet and try
to have everything in moderation. Here are a few pointers for scenarios you are likely to face during the festive
period:
As busy professionals, we often fall into the trap of not eating at all for
long stretches of the day during this period, breaking for fast food whilst trying
to squeeze our Christmas shopping into lunch breaks, or fitting in the odd
drink or party along the way.
Clearly, this isn’t the best way for us to eat or stay healthy and, to make
matters worse, many of our festive food offerings are often far from
fat-free.
So how do we tackle it without missing out on the fun?
The office drinks party
Try to make each drink last
as long as possible. Something like a vodka and diet coke is a good long drink
but a glass of red wine or a dry white wine spritzer is even better because
neither contains the sweetener found in diet cola. This sweetener causes your
energy levels to yo-yo, making you want to drink more and giving you the
munchies. Adding a glass of water in between drinks will go a long way to keep
you hydrated and help keep the sore head away the next morning.
The buffet blow out
Nothing spells diet disaster
like a poorly prepared buffet table or canapés as you never always know exactly
what you’re eating and you are likely to run into many of these at this time of
year.
They’re often full of fat and, to make matters worse, many foods that are high
in fat (think sausages, cream, pastry and cakes) are low in fibre – the plant
material that helps us feel full. These limit how much we eat so it’s so easy
to mindlessly munch lots away before you realise what you’re doing.
If you can’t resist temptation, then avoid the carbs and go for something
protein based like chicken satay, salmon or king prawns.
Shopping expedition
While you’re doing a mad dash around the shops, it’s difficult not to grab the
first muffin you see just to keep going. But all you need is a bit of forward
planning. The key is to have a good breakfast which should keep you going until
lunchtime without that mid morning blood sugar crash. Combine this with a
protein-rich lunch including fish, meat or cheese, to keep you on top shopping-form
until the end of the day.
Death by chocolate
Everywhere you go this time of year it seems impossible to escape the
chocoholics who arm themselves with giant tins of chocolates intent on happily
sharing the festive sprit and their wares with the rest of the world.
Always
remember that, while they still contain lots of bad things, dark chocolates
are far less fatty. The ones with 80 per cent
cocoa or higher are the best as they’re usually just made of cocoa and milk, so
they’re a lower carb option and don’t have any additives but hey if you really
love something you shouldn’t deprive yourself, you should just do it right. Sit
down, put your feet up and enjoy that chocolate. Remember, everything in
moderation.
The
big day
This is the clincher and,
if you play it right, you can enjoy your Christmas dinner without feeling the
need to check yourself into the nearest gym on 1st January.
First tip; don’t
pile food high on your plate.
Second tip; if you feel full, pass on the
extra spoonful or second mince pie if you can.
Third tip; when it comes to alcohol, try sipping it with mixers or fruit juice and
keep within sensible limits to avoid slipping into that post Queen’s speech
coma. After all, you want to be able to stay awake long enough to enjoy it
after all that hard work!
Finally, to help prevent getting the feeling of being uncomfortably full, eat
slowly and remember to chew your food well. Chewing your food fully aids
in the proper transport of nutrients in your body and prevents heartburn.
The most significant thing
to remember is to enjoy it.
Food is the social glue that brings us all together so we should never feel bad
about enjoying ourselves, we just need to keep it sensible!
Any comments? Email conferencenews@mashmedia.net
