Festive seasons bring family and friends together over good food. In this period of celebration, enjoy feasting without packing on too many calories with these tips below!
How can we make the festive season a jolly healthier one, avoiding weight gain?
Eat Mindfully
- Practise portion control
Take smaller or tasting portions of foods, and avoid going for a second helping. - Use smaller serving dishes
Avoid filling your plate until it is full as you may feel compelled to finish everything. Try using smaller serving dishes so the food looks abundant on your plate. - Eat slowly
Take your time to chew slowly and savour each bite to help with the feeling of fullness.
Food Swap For Healthier Eating
- Choose wholegrains (e.g. wholemeal breads or wholemeal pasta) over refined carbohydrates (e.g. regular pasta, white bread)
- Choose lean cuts of meats without the fat instead of fatty cuts of meat (e.g. ham, roast chicken or pork with skin and fats).
- Choose healthier dressings for salads (e.g. lemon juice, balsamic vinegar or olive oil) instead of creamy dressings.
- Choose foods that are cooked using healthier cooking methods such as grilling, baking, steaming or boiling instead of deep-fried foods (e.g. breaded foods, fritters, deep-fried finger-foods).
- Choose healthier snacks such as unsalted nuts, salad, fresh vegetables and fruits, instead of cookies, cakes and chips.
- Choose water instead of liquid calories to keep you hydrated. Add lemon, cucumber and fresh fruits to the water to make it a more refreshing drink without the added calories; and take reduced-sugar beverages and alcohol in moderation .
References:
- https://www.healthhub.sg/live-healthy/dig-in-everyone
- https://www.healthhub.sg/live-healthy/top-10-tips-to-dine-healthily-this-festive-season#:~:text=Limit%20your%20consumption%20of%20cream,and%20visible%20fat%20on%20meat.&text=Focus%20on%20the%20quality%20and%20not%20the%20quantity%20of%20food.