Sleigh Away The Guilt Of Festive Eating

What’s Going Into Your Tummy’s (Christmas Stocking) This Season?

Many of us are looking forward to seeing our closest friends and family during the coming X’mas and New Year festivities. Whether it’s to dine out or to prepare a feast at home – what’s certain is that, there are plenty more reasons to indulge in gastronomic pleasures!

A research carried out by Associated British Foods found that the average person consumes more than 7,000 calories on Christmas day¹. While that sounds alarming and almost exaggerated, it really is that easy to over-indulge in one too many seasonal treats while in the festive merry-making mood!

To avoid holiday weight gain and the adverse effects on our overall health, not to mention the late nights and alcohol on top of the feasting, we’ve lined up 7 easy-peasy festive eating tips to “tip the scales” in your favour this Christmas!

1. Start with a good (healthy) breakfast

A nutritious breakfast can help energise and kick start your day right! Include some wholegrains, low-fat protein and fruit. Consider blending LAC Tri-Action Muscle Sustain with nuts or seeds with milk and banana for a nutritious shake. LAC Tri-Action Muscle Sustain is a protein supplement that can help you feel fuller, thus reducing the tendency to snack and overeat. It is also great for seniors who do not consume enough protein in their daily diet. Consuming sufficient protein will help mitigate the risk of excessive loss of muscle mass and strength due to our bodies’ ageing process. LAC Tri-Action Muscle Sustain is targeted at sustaining muscle mass and maintaining muscle strength in seniors.

Avoid going for visits on an empty stomach to prevent overeating or over-indulging on festive treats, as said by Ms Lynette Goh, Senior Dietitian at NHG Polyclinics².

2. Eat in moderation

There’s no need to deprive yourself entirely during this festive season, but practice responsible portion control and eat in moderation. If you know you’ll be feasting at dinner, balance out your day’s calorie intake by opting for a healthy breakfast and light lunch. A good choice would be along the lines of a nice piece of roasted chicken breast with a healthy serving of greens.

Another tip is to use a smaller serving dish to eat. This not only allow food to look more visually abundant on your plate but also helps with portion control. For a little extra help, LAC LeanCut fx7 is great-tasting, fast-acting weight loss drink that helps rev up metabolism and suppresses appetite to lower the tendency of overeating.

3. Indulge wisely

At a party, you see a variety of delicious food placed right in front of you. Resist the temptation to pile your plate high with every dish on the table. Ask yourself, would you really like to eat this item or are you just eating it because it is there? There is no joy in overeating and feeling bloated and guilty after. Instead, focus on quality over quantity. Let the conversations flow and take the time to enjoy the company of good friends and family instead of focusing primarily on food and letting the food take centre stage. If you can, try to pick just three to five of your favourite dishes in reasonable portions and go easy on the sauces, alcohol and desserts to avoid the extra calories.

If you feel like you have gone too far at the dessert table (don’t worry, we’ve all been there), keeping a bottle of LAC Bitter Melon Formula may be a useful backup plan. This formula contains a special blend of key nutrients and herbs to regulate blood glucose levels and help improve carbohydrates metabolism. To keep tabs on your sugar cravings, consider LAC Chromium Picolinate 200mcg to avoid going all out on the cheesecakes, chocolate mousse, bread puddings and all the dessert yummies calling out from the table.

4. Stay active

Christmas is always a good excuse to stray away from the gym. With all the festive engagements with friends and family, who has time for the gym or for a walk in the park?

Well, think again. Amidst the Christmas and New Year festivities, it is still important to make time for exercise. Apart from burning all the festive yummy calories, exercise also helps to relieve stress, boosts overall mood and help you sleep better! Even if you can’t make it to the gym, opt to take the stairs instead of the escalator and lift, and/or walk to nearby places instead of taking the bus or car (or Grab).

5. Say YES to high-fibre foods

Choose vegetables, fruits and wholegrains that are high in fibre to help add bulk to your diet. Fibre keeps you feeling full for long, thus reducing the tendency to overeat. If you’re hosting a party, consider offering salads or brown rice bee-hoon as healthier choices.

6. Chew and eat slowly

It’s the holidays! Go slow and chew your food properly, you’ll get a lot more enjoyment from taking the time to savour your food and the enzymes in your saliva helps your stomach to digest food better so there’s less risk of indigestion and other digestive discomforts. Eating slowly gives your stomach enough time to send a message to your brain to say, “Hey, I’m full already. You can stop eating now³”.

Need some digestive relief? Try LAC GastroRx D’tox ,a fermented fruit and vegetable blend that provides natural enzymes beneficial for digestion and colon cleansing. Pair it up with a Probiotic supplement to promote friendly bacterial growth in the intestinal tract and reduce bloating.

7. Don’t forget to drink water

Before you reach out for another serving of food, ask yourself if you have had enough water. Sometimes, thirst may be confused for hunger. Water also helps to make you feel satiated, which also works towards reducing the tendency to over-indulge.

Not to nag, but we all know sweetened beverages and alcoholic drinks pack too many empty calories, so practice some self-control and choose water instead wherever possible. Your body and help will thank you for it.

The festive season is a time where we come together to celebrate all that we’ve achieved and worked for during the year… and there’s no greater celebration than the celebration of good health! So while you partake and enjoy the year-end festivities, don’t forget to keep your health goals centre-stage. Happy holidays!

¹Neporent, L. (2014, December 25). How Many Calories the Average American eats on Christmas. Retrieved December 13, 2019, from abcNEWS: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/calories-average-american-eats-christmas/story?id=27816914
² Healthhub. (n.d.). 7 Healthy Holiday Eating Tips. Retrieved December 16, 2019, from Health Hub: https://www.healthhub.sg/live-healthy/1457/dig-in-everyone
³Teo, J. (2016, December 20). Enjoy festive food without guilt. Retrieved December 16, 2019, from Straits Times: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/enjoy-festive-food-without-guilt