Healthy eating hacks to surviv

Image via Adobe Stock

Healthy eating hacks to survive all that festive feasting

Here’s how to enjoy all the braais and festive family gatherings in a healthy way.

Healthy eating hacks to surviv

Image via Adobe Stock

The festive season is a chance to indulge in foods and treats that you may usually avoid. You can count calories, but that is boring and stressful for you and those around you, says dietician Mpho Tshukudu, who co-authored Eat Ting: Lose Weight, Gain Health, Find Yourself with Anna Trapido.

But thankfully, there is a much simpler way. In the book, Tshukudu and Trapido share a helpful strategy to avoid overindulging on all the wrong foods – whether you’re eating out or feasting on Christmas lunch.  

Fried salmon with asparagus, tomatoes, lemon, yellow lime on white plate.

Simple strategy to chew on

“Put a standard dinner plate in front of you. Now imagine a line down the middle of the plate. Then on one side, divide the half into quarters. The result will be three sections on your plate. 

“The largest section of the plate (the half) belongs to leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables. These vegetables are all low in carbohydrate and high in fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. 

 “In one of the smaller, quarter sections of your plate, put carbohydrates. This portion should be no bigger than your clenched fist.

“The final small section of the plate is for protein. Whatever protein you choose, it should be no wider or thicker than a pack of cards or the palm of your hand.”

Not quantity but also quality

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According to the authors, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time to follow healthy habits, and one of the biggest mistakes South African’s make is with their choice of vegetables. Often, we’re choosing the wrong type of vegetable to go alongside the roast chicken or boerewors.

 “One of the problems that many of us have with vegetable consumption is that we don’t really know which vegetables are high in carbohydrate. We know we should eat vegetables – but most South African’s cook pumpkin, beetroot, carrots, beans and potatoes as their vegetable of choice. All of these are carbohydrate heavy.”

Frequent family gatherings, long lazy days of constant snacking and all the yummy treats associated with Christmas mean that during the holidays we’re likely to eat more than at any other time of year. But the problem isn’t just with the quantity, it’s also with the content.

“The sad truth is that not only do we not portion healthily, many South African do the opposite. In other words, many of us ignore the quarter, quarter, half ration or even turn it around completely. We tend to put half starch, almost half meat and a teeny, tiny sliver of vegetables on our plates.”