As the festive season gets under way, here are some essential festive tips from Croí to ensure you enjoy a healthy Christmas season.
Be consistent in your eating habits
Maintaining a regular meal pattern throughout the festive season can help prevent over-eating at meal times or snacking. By sticking to regular meals, you can enjoy a few treats and achieve a healthy balance.
All foods fit, it’s the portion size that matters
A healthy relationship with food comes from being less restrictive and enjoying all food groups. You can enjoy larger portions of healthy foods while still being able to enjoy smaller portions of the treats you love.
Combat stress with good mood food
As much as we love Christmas, it can be a stressful time. Eating your vegetables is key in helping manage stress and helping your immune system fight off the dreaded cold and flu. Vitamin C, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and B vitamins can be depleted with stress. Vegetables that are in plenty supply over Christmas such as cabbage, kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are a super source of these nutrients.
Less sugar and more spice
Replace some of the sugar you eat with traditional Christmas spices for fabulous flavour; some, such as ginger and cinnamon, can even help soothe digestive upsets.
Be mindful in your eating
This is the perfect time of year to practise mindful eating. With all the work that goes into preparing meals at Christmas, once you are sitting at the table, take a moment to slow down and relax. Take a breath, and enjoy the sensation of the food in your mouth. Slowly chew each mouthful, savouring the flavour and texture. Slowing our eating has been clinically proven to help prevent over-eating and indigestion.
Go easy on the alcohol
Although it may make us feel a bit merry at the time, alcohol can affect our skin, and cause bloating and bloodshot eyes. It can also affect our mood and mental health. Try adding some sparkling water to your wine to make a spritzer, choose bottles of beer and lower alcohol options instead of pints. Watch those Christmas cocktails too, they can be very high in sugar. Choose slimline tonic or sparking water as a mixer. Alternating with a tall glass of sparkling water with ice and some citrus slices can be just as refreshing and enjoyable.
Beware of the buffet
Christmas parties bring with them platters of plenty. When attending a Christmas event, try and stick to your routine during the day as much as possible and have a light snack or meal beforehand. This will help curb your intake of the high fat, sugar, and salt snacks that are usually served up this time of year. Have a little of what you fancy and enjoy it.
Get a good night’s sleep
The party season can be exhausting, and if we are tired and low in energy it can be so much easier to be less active and indulge in high sugar and high fat foods. Ensure you are getting enough sleep to enable your body to fully recharge so it is ready to rumble again the next day.
