Plan your diet after the holidays

Here are easy and simple tips you can apply to help you get back in shape and stay healthy and happy.Since you have been high on soft drinks these last couple of days, it is time you slowed down on them and reduce your intake of sugar and sweeteners. Nutritionists explain that sugar, honey and […]

Here are easy and simple tips you can apply to help you get back in shape and stay healthy and happy.Since you have been high on soft drinks these last couple of days, it is time you slowed down on them and reduce your intake of sugar and sweeteners. Nutritionists explain that sugar, honey and other calorie-containing sweeteners add 60 calories per tablespoon to your day’s intake, so you’ll save considerable calories by cutting out the sugar you typically add to your coffee, tea, cereal, beverages, yogurts and their like.

The experts posit that artificially-sweetened foods may not have the calories of sugar-sweetened foods, but they keep sweetness on our taste buds and minds. They recommend cutting out all added sugars (real and artificial) for at least a week to help you break free of your compulsion to eat sweet foods. Then, minimise your intake going forward.

Just as you watch your sugar intake, there is also need for you to watch the salt. “One effect of eating foods with a lot of added salt is that it causes you to retain water, which drives up the number on the scale and makes you feel uncomfortable,” says Joy Bauer in her article on diet cleansing.  

She also advises against eating starches with dinner (including bread, rice, pasta, peas, beans, corn and potatoes). “People tend to eat too much starch for a number of reasons: these foods have great mouth feel, it’s hard to estimate portions and they’re calorie-dense. People are especially conditioned to eat too much of these foods at dinner. By making them totally off limits, you don’t have to cut yourself off mid-meal (after you’ve already primed your taste buds).”

You need to give your body a break from the alcohol because doctors say it adds a lot of empty calories to your diet, plus it lowers your inhibitions so you’re more likely to veer off, plan and make unhealthy food choices. By cutting out the alcohol, you’ll give your liver a well-needed break and you’ll have firmer resolve to stick with the rest of the diet’s “do’s and don’ts.”

Some of the recommendations given by nutritionists include the following:

Eating on a schedule and enjoy three meals and one snack each day.

Water is life as they say and it is important to drink a lot throughout the day. Try to have at least eight standard glasses of water every day. Enjoy as much additional water as you want during meals and throughout the day.

Enjoy “water alternatives” in unlimited quantities at any point during the day. These include: coffee or tea with skimmed milk only, sparkling water, club soda or water with lemon/lime/orange wedges.

Begin dinner with a healthy start. Go for fruits or vegetables before your main meal. You will find out they may satisfy you and you will have no need for the meal itself.

Indulge in non-starchy vegetables in unlimited quantities at any time throughout the day, particularly when you get hungry between designated meal and snack times.

Engage in 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise every day. You can walk and cover distances that are close and don’t need your driving or being driven down.

Also get rough on roughages. They will help your digestive system and keep those calories down.

You can get non-starchy vegetables like beetroots, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, green leafy vegetables, eggplant (aubergines), garden eggs, green beans, okra, onion, peppers and tomato.