Watching your diet and keeping healthy does not mean you have to crucify yourself by just looking and drooling from a distance at the tables groaning with delicious food enough to feed an army in every gathering you attend.
The plates, pots and pans used for the Thanksgiving weekend have been barely washed and shelved when they have to be taken out again for the Christmas and all through the New Year festivities, which means more eating and drinking for most people.
The short period in between Thanksgiving and Christmas is just a brief respite to begin non-stop partying once again.
All over the country, we read of reports and watch incidents of emergency rooms filling up and the lives of many put at stake because of high incidents of season-related heart attacks, strokes and other illnesses.
The parties cannot be stopped. The increasing incidents of heart attacks and strokes related to the holidays are not forceful enough to put a stop to these lifelong holiday traditions that have been practiced through generations for centuries.
You may swear that you’re healthy enough but this is not a guarantee that you will stay healthy all the time. Anyone could be a victim of the “Holiday heart syndrome” which medical experts define as “an irregular heartbeat pattern presented in individuals who are otherwise healthy.”
Holiday heart syndrome can result from many factors including stress, dehydration, and drinking. It is also associated with binge drinking.
The good news is you can go to as many parties and gatherings as you want to, and have your fill of whatever food that you desire as long as you keep control of everything.
Former Women, Infants and Children’s Clinic program manager and current Public School System nutritionist Dianne Esplin shared with Variety some tips on how to control your diet but still have a good time during the holidays:
Get a smaller plate. Going for huge plates and loading it up with everything you see in sight from the table is a common sight you can see during a party. You can even commend the skills of some as they balance two huge platters filled to the brim and wolf everything down in a short time, then come back for more.
Esplin said going for smaller plates will allow you to pick out only small portions. Getting smaller portions will allow you to have room for more of your favorite foods.
Think twice before going for seconds. In big parties where tables literally groan under the weight of holiday goodies, going for seconds is a temptation that not everybody can resist. Think twice before going for seconds.
Stay away from the buffet table. As soon as you get the food you want, staying away as far as you can from the buffet table can help you resist the temptation of going for seconds.
Circulate. Esplin said that parties are meant to be a time for reunions and getting together with families and friends. Circulating among your family and other guests will take your attention away from the food.
Shake your head. A simple tip that can help a long way when somebody hands you an alcoholic drink and you know you have had enough.
For the holidays, the U.S. National Library of Medicine from the National Institutes of Health urges everyone to curb calories and alcohol intake to help prevent season-related heart attacks, strokes. (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_119028.html)
