Getting back into good eating habits after the festive season
Jan 04, 2009
THE festive season gave you the perfect excuse to eat and drink too much. Only financial the financial crunch could have stopped you from that. After all, you were merrymaking. Now that it is over, it is time to get back into good eating habits.<br>
By Jacobs Odongo
THE festive season gave you the perfect excuse to eat and drink too much. Only financial the financial crunch could have stopped you from that. After all, you were merrymaking. Now that it is over, it is time to get back into good eating habits.
Start with detoxing According to Wikipedia dictionary, a detox diet involves a change in consumption habits in an attempt to remove toxins or contaminants from the body. Experts say it helps in loss of weight , resistance to disease, mental state, digestion, and energy giving.
Most Christmas menus included energy foods like chips and carbohydrates. But according to Gloria Kirungi, a nutritionist at KIM’s Medical Centre on Kampala road, these foods are not bad.
However, the rate of their consumption is the problem, because they can result in an extra kilo or two every year, which easily add up over a lifetime.
Dr. Hanifa Bachou, a nutritionist at Mulago hospital says detox diets usually suggest that She, however, recommends that bloating (removing of excessive gas in the stomach) is one of the first things one can do after a season of over eating and drinking.
She says foods like beans with outer coatings and carbonated drinks should be avoided.
Detoxing children
It was fine to have a little chips over the holidays. Life is too short to be policing the kids all the time about eating right. Accept that perhaps a little too much sugar was consumed, but that alone does not make for long-term bad habits.
Even if you were on your game and someone else (perhaps an older, more accommodating person) was pumping your children full of candy or sweets, all is not lost. It is okay to say: “we had a great time this Christmas and ate lots of fun-food but now our bodies need to eat healthy food.â€
Detoxing soon after the festive season is the best bet for any family. But how can a parent drop to healthy eating habits sooner without the little angels who are in love with cookies without feeling any ‘pinch’?
Dr. Sabrina Kitaka, a paediatrician at Mulago Hospital, parents says parents should be tough but also gentle with their children.
Saying “noâ€may get you a not-so-nice reaction from the little ones, but reality is sometimes difficult. Offering an alternative of “after you finish all your sandwich, you can have an egg each†may be the middle ground.
You need to manouvre through the expectations that eggs are always an option.
Bachou suggests some foods that will help both parents and children detoxicate the body.
Green leafy vegetables
Eat them raw, throw them into a soup or add them to juices. Their chlorophyll helps remove environmental toxins (heavy metals, pesticides) and protects the liver.
Lemons
You need to keep the fluids flowing to wash out the body and fresh lemonade is ideal. It is rich in vitamin C, considered the detox vitamin and helps convert toxins into a water-soluble form that is easily flushed away.
Garlic
Add it to everything —salads and sauces,. In addition to the bulbs benefits for the heart, it activates liver enzymes that help filter out junk.
Green tea
This antioxidant-rich brew is one of the healthiest ways to get more fluids into your system. It contains catechins, which speed up liver activity. Green tea is made from unfermented leaves. It contains the highest concentration of powerful antioxidants. Green tea may help regulate glucose in the body.
Broccoli sprouts
Get them in the market.They pack 20 to 50 times more cancer -fighting, enzyme-stimulating activity into each bite than the grown-up vegetable.
Sesame seeds
They are credited with protecting liver cells from the damaging effects of alcohol and other chemicals. For a concentrated form, try tahini, the yummy sesame seed paste that is a staple of Asian cooking.
Cabbage
There are two main types of detoxifying enzymes in the liver; this vegetable helps activate both of them.
Fruits, fruits, fruits
They are full of almost all the good things above: vitamin C, fibre, nutritious fluids, and antioxidants. Besides, nothing tastes better than a ripe mango, fresh berries, or a perfect pear.
THE festive season gave you the perfect excuse to eat and drink too much. Only financial the financial crunch could have stopped you from that. After all, you were merrymaking. Now that it is over, it is time to get back into good eating habits.
Start with detoxing According to Wikipedia dictionary, a detox diet involves a change in consumption habits in an attempt to remove toxins or contaminants from the body. Experts say it helps in loss of weight , resistance to disease, mental state, digestion, and energy giving.
Most Christmas menus included energy foods like chips and carbohydrates. But according to Gloria Kirungi, a nutritionist at KIM’s Medical Centre on Kampala road, these foods are not bad.
However, the rate of their consumption is the problem, because they can result in an extra kilo or two every year, which easily add up over a lifetime.
Dr. Hanifa Bachou, a nutritionist at Mulago hospital says detox diets usually suggest that She, however, recommends that bloating (removing of excessive gas in the stomach) is one of the first things one can do after a season of over eating and drinking.
She says foods like beans with outer coatings and carbonated drinks should be avoided.
Detoxing children
It was fine to have a little chips over the holidays. Life is too short to be policing the kids all the time about eating right. Accept that perhaps a little too much sugar was consumed, but that alone does not make for long-term bad habits.
Even if you were on your game and someone else (perhaps an older, more accommodating person) was pumping your children full of candy or sweets, all is not lost. It is okay to say: “we had a great time this Christmas and ate lots of fun-food but now our bodies need to eat healthy food.â€
Detoxing soon after the festive season is the best bet for any family. But how can a parent drop to healthy eating habits sooner without the little angels who are in love with cookies without feeling any ‘pinch’?
Dr. Sabrina Kitaka, a paediatrician at Mulago Hospital, parents says parents should be tough but also gentle with their children.
Saying “noâ€may get you a not-so-nice reaction from the little ones, but reality is sometimes difficult. Offering an alternative of “after you finish all your sandwich, you can have an egg each†may be the middle ground.
You need to manouvre through the expectations that eggs are always an option.
Bachou suggests some foods that will help both parents and children detoxicate the body.
Green leafy vegetables
Eat them raw, throw them into a soup or add them to juices. Their chlorophyll helps remove environmental toxins (heavy metals, pesticides) and protects the liver.
Lemons
You need to keep the fluids flowing to wash out the body and fresh lemonade is ideal. It is rich in vitamin C, considered the detox vitamin and helps convert toxins into a water-soluble form that is easily flushed away.
Garlic
Add it to everything —salads and sauces,. In addition to the bulbs benefits for the heart, it activates liver enzymes that help filter out junk.
Green tea
This antioxidant-rich brew is one of the healthiest ways to get more fluids into your system. It contains catechins, which speed up liver activity. Green tea is made from unfermented leaves. It contains the highest concentration of powerful antioxidants. Green tea may help regulate glucose in the body.
Broccoli sprouts
Get them in the market.They pack 20 to 50 times more cancer -fighting, enzyme-stimulating activity into each bite than the grown-up vegetable.
Sesame seeds
They are credited with protecting liver cells from the damaging effects of alcohol and other chemicals. For a concentrated form, try tahini, the yummy sesame seed paste that is a staple of Asian cooking.
Cabbage
There are two main types of detoxifying enzymes in the liver; this vegetable helps activate both of them.
Fruits, fruits, fruits
They are full of almost all the good things above: vitamin C, fibre, nutritious fluids, and antioxidants. Besides, nothing tastes better than a ripe mango, fresh berries, or a perfect pear.