Worried about your diet schedule being upset by holiday plansIJ Ishi Khosla tells how you can keep smiling through the summer break
Vacation is meant to recharge your energies, rewind and refocus so that you are refreshed to return to routine and cope with work pressures. However, how you treat yourself on your vacation determines whether this becomes a reality. More often than not, I find people over-indulging in food and drinks, and veer off from exercise schedules on the pretext of being on a holiday. This makes people gain weight, feel sluggish and tired.
According to studies, most people gain approximately one to two kg every holiday season. Research shows that extra weight often gained during the holidays tends to build up over the years, contributing to long-term obesity.
Be active: If you exercise regularly, don’t stop — continue to exercise over the holidays. If a holiday party includes dancing, join in! Check if the hotel you book has a gym, or else go for walks, run, swim, play sports or cycle outdoors.
> Choose one favourite meal for the day and plan other meals accordingly. The other meals could be light around salads, vegetables and soups. Breakfast buffets can throw you off, so plan to eat appropriately.
> If you are very keen on desserts, then either try a bite or if you want a full portion, just take a very light meal.
Schedule feasting times: If possible, schedule holiday dinners at normal meal times. Having meals outside of normal meal times contributes to overeating.
> Carry appropriate snack food to munch like seeds, roasted nuts or whole grains so you are not forced to buy unhealthy stuff off the shelf.
Watch your drinks: Avoid sweetened beverages, fruit juices, mocktails and cocktails. It is best to drink water whenever possible. Diet beverages made with artificial sweeteners can help control calories at celebrations, although drinking them on a regular basis may not help with long-term weight control.
Count your alcohol: Alcohol can be a major source of hidden calories as well. I know several patients who say they can manage their food on a holiday but not alcohol and some also manage to finish a bottle of wine in one evening. So you need to be cautious in this regard.
Food choices: Choose foods that are lower in energy density, meaning they have fewer calories for their size. You’ll feel fuller sooner and take in fewer calories. For example, start out your meal with a salad or soup. Skip the second helpings of oily gravies, fried food and breads. Ask for vegetables instead of potatoes or fries. Having a fibre supplement pre-meal is useful to cut back on richer food later.
Eat healthy snacks before a special dinner: Eating a snack like fruit/nuts/milk/ yogurt helps avoid overeating at a big holiday dinner. Also, use smaller plates when they’re available; bigger plates encourage taking larger food portions and eating larger quantities.
Some checks and balances while you enjoy yourself are all that are needed to avoid gaining those extra kilos and making the most of your vacation.
Stay well hydrated during summers:
Beverages are essential to stay hydrated in the summer heat. Whether they are part of a meal or in between, a refreshing drink can help you rejuvenate just when you begin to wilt with soaring temperatures. Just like choosing your food, the choice of your drinks can make the difference between how you feel and how it affects your body’s water balance.
The ideal drink is either pure drinking water or those that provide health benefits and replace minerals and electrolytes with few calories from sugar and no preservatives or chemicals.
Thirst may not be a reliable indicator of your fluid needs. Inadequate fluid intake could lead to dehydration. Some of its early signs are poor concentration, lethargy, fatigue and dry mouth. Chronic fluid insufficiency can lead to hyperfilteration in the kidneys leading to renal diseases or stones. Severe dehydration can be dangerous with serious health consequences like nausea, vomiting, loss of consciousness and can even be fatal. Sportsmen or those exposed to high temperatures and children easily are prone to dehydration. They must ensure adequate fluid intake before and during exposure. Women following weight loss diets may need extra servings of low calorie fluids. However, those suffering from renal diseases or heart failure must strictly regulate their fluid intake and thereby their beverages. Summer beverages may be a good way to meet your extra needs.
Vegetable and fruit juices like litchi, watermelon, mango, traditional sattoos, chaachch, coconut or lime water and herbal teas are loaded with electrolytes, minerals and antioxidants which help fight diseases. They have healing and restorative properties and make simple natural ways to enhance health and vitality. Bael and rose sherbet, lemonade, mint-ade, aam panna, barley or chana sattoo, zeera-hing lassi, smoothies, cocum water, thandai, litchi juice, jamun juice, cucumber and mint soup and cammomile tea are great summer coolers.
When calorie counting, go sugar-free and use alternative sweeteners which taste just as good! Green tea and zeera dhania paani are specially useful in weight loss. Boost your immunity with the green power in cabbage, spinach, lemon, coriander, lauki and garlic cocktail. These go well beyond hydration to boost immunity, along with detoxification and cleansing. Create your own refreshing ones with these inspiring ideas and just chill!
Copyright: Exotica, the wellness andlifestyle magazine from The Pioneer Group,available in all rooms of select five-star hotelchains across the country