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Mind your eating this Easter holiday
Mind your eating this Easter holiday
What you need to know:
- Although the Easter holiday ends today, it is often accompanied by family gatherings that are characterised by abundant food items high in fat and sugar. Practicing caution even for one day can make all the difference.
- Use the Easter break to start fulfilling your fitness goals.
- You may plan to have fun activities with your family and friends to stay active and motivated.
You may go for a walk, run, swim, bike ride, kick a ball.
The Easter holiday started last Thursday for some people and there has been a lot of eating since then. These five days of holiday with poor eating, too much alcohol and lack of exercise will no doubt lead to setbacks for some of the healthy targets you had made at the beginning of the year. Here is how you can be watchful as you celebrate.
Eat real clean food
Everyday, doctors and nutritionists warn against eating processed and junk foods. Eating junk food ruins your skin and leads to acne breakouts. they also cause weight gain with its many effects.
Lilian Nyanzi, a nutritionist at Neulife Medical Centre, Bweyogerere, warns that chips, burgers and baked foods usually contain a lot of sugar, salt and oil which are a poor choice for your liver. This Easter, determine to eat only healthy foods. To stay disciplined, while shopping, buy only healthy foods and stock your fridge with lots of fruits and vegetables.
Stick with the basics as much as possible. Fresh salads, fruit and vegetables, lean meats, fish, low-fat dairy, nuts, beans and legumes and small amounts of good quality cereals and grainy breads are handy.
Some people have been fasting and think this is the time they should be compensating for the meat they have missed during lent. Eat only what you can manage and plan to cook what will be just enough for the family so that you will not have leftover food.
“Proper handling, storage and cooking will prevent you from food poisoning and the after effects of spree eating. While you cook, it is important to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before handling food or after handling raw foods such as meat, fish, eggs and vegetables or after touching the bin, blowing your nose,” Nyanzi warns.
Wash worktops and dishcloths before and after preparing food especially after they have been touched by raw meat, poultry, raw eggs, fish and vegetables. Use hot soapy water and let the dishcloths dry before you use them again. “Use perishable foods first while cooking and if there is any leftover food from the previous day, do not taste it to check if it is spoiled. This is because you cannot taste, see or even smell all bacteria that cause food poisoning, and tasting just a little amount of contaminated food can cause serious illness,” she says.
Slow down
Eat and drink slowly and allow your brain to catch up to your stomach. That way you will be more aware of your decisions about what you really feel like eating and drinking. You need to stop any mindless snacking this Easter to help you monitor your weight.
Watch the alcohol intake
Mark Alex Kakooza, a nutritionist at Homart, says drinking alcohol sabotages your plans to stay healthy. “It is important to stay hydrated and try to replace your alcohol bottle with a glass of water. If you can, give yourself a limit of the amount of alcohol you should take. This will protect you from the hangover you will likely have on Tuesday morning,” Kakooza says.
