HOW important is Christmas to Filipinos? Well, it’s a question that many feel does not deserve to be asked anymore. Being the only predominantly Catholic nation in Southeast Asia and one of only two in Asia (the other being Timor-Leste), the Philippines celebrates the start of the Christmas season the moment the “’Ber” months kick in.
Christmas in the Philippines is generally about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ but it is also the time of indulging in gloriously excessive amounts of food whether with family, friends, officemates and what-have-you. But with concerns about health fast creeping up on many who indulge too much on gastronomic delights, how does one eat healthy during Christmas?
So how does one eat healthy during Christmas?
NOW how does one avoid being tempted from devouring the lechon, dinuguan, spaghetti, fried chicken, and all other mouth-watering dishes commonly prepared before, during and even after Christmas? For Dr. Virgith Buena, Nutritionist / Dietician from the Cardinal Santos Medical Center, it is important to know about a healthy diet composed of the “macronutrients” such as carbohydrates, fat and protein, then vitamins and minerals or the “micronutrients,” and then fiber, which acts as fuel for the colon, and there is also water, which composes 60 to 70 percent of the body.
It is important that our body has enough water to prevent dehydration and that it acts as a solvent for all nutrients and helps transport these nutrients to all parts of the body, she said. “Water also participates in metabolic reactions, regulates the body’s temperature, and acts as lubricant and cushion around joints and inside the eyes and the spinal cord, maintains blood volume, prevents dehydration and constipation, especially for the elderly, who mostly don’t want to drink water to avoid frequent trips to the toilet,” Dr. Buena said in her presentation during the recent episode of the “Stop C.O.V.I.D. Deaths” webinar titled “Pasko na Naman: Healthy Holiday Eating.”
Smart eating during the holidays
EATING healthy is also about eating smart, Dr. Buena says, where one should eat a variety of nutritious food in moderate amounts and stick to regular meal times. She also emphasized the consumption of fruits and vegetables to give one a sense of fullness of the stomach and suppresses the urge to eat more. It is also good to eat small but frequent meals. “Many usually skip breakfast but will over-indulge during lunch time, which is bad; same for those who skip meals. If you eat dinner at 7 pm then eat breakfast at 7 am the following day, it’s the same as fasting, that’s why it’s called ‘breakfast’ because you break the fast,” Dr. Buena explained.
She also shared mindful eating tips like using a small plate, limiting distractions, slowing down and tasting the food, enjoy meals with others, avoid skipping meals or healthy snacks especially those who are trying to lose weight, eat sitting down to avoid eating too fast and enjoy the food, and make the plate look festive by adding fruits and vegetables.
Christmas is also the perfect time for family members to reunite with one another, especially since the onset of the pandemic where people were unable to celebrate Christmas with the family due to the lockdowns and community quarantines. But family reunions during the holidays, Dr. Buena said, are also the time where people tend to overeat because of the presence of “potluck” food. “Make sure you will eat healthy so be the one to bring healthy food in a potluck. More importantly, the mindset should be about visiting the people you love or those important to you, not the food that is on the table. Socializing is a way to prevent you from indulging into mindless eating and better yet, eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed,” Dr. Buena said.
Bouncing back
THE trouble for many after eating too much during the holidays is how to go back to their normal eating mode and avoid eating on a holiday mode. Dr. Buena said it is important to get over the guilt and just be careful next time. Staying busy is also good, but it should not be an excuse to skip meals and eat only when one feels hungry, she said.
Dr. Buena also pointed out that since it’s the Christmas season, this means the holding of more social events so she advised to avoid or go easy on them. She again repeated the need to drink more water, and not to cut the carbohydrates completely because it is the body’s main source of energy. More importantly, she reiterated the value of making healthy eating choices as part of one’s lifestyle. Once it is mastered, there is no need to look for anything more.
“With food, moderation is key. Fill up on fruits and vegetables, eat complex carbohydrates because it has fiber, which is the fuel for the body’s colon and avoid cancer, eat healthy fats and oils, limit protein intake and more of high fiber, limit sugar and salt. Finally, water is important so keep hydrated at all times,” she said.
“The most important thing is ‘Eat Better, Not Less.’”
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