Happy Diwali and Deepavali to all our Healthy Indian readers. May the radiance from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that you light on this auspicious day, reflect with your inner light and well-being.
Are you sorting through Diwali invites to decide which parties to attend and which ones to politely decline because you have conflicts? Are you shopping for new outfits and trying on the latest fashionable clothes and accessories? Or are you hosting a party and tying yourself into knots to clean the house, decide on the menu and guest list? Or are you dreading the eating and drinking binge that may befall you and groaning at the thought of the ‘blah’ moments after you over-indulge? How about the frustrating and inevitable trysts with the gym equipment to lose the extra pounds that you may pack on?
Mindful Indulgence
Festival Food
Between the holiday months of September and December every year, we pack in the most number of pounds, with the plethora of holidays and parties we are bombarded with. Free food in offices abound as left-over cakes, donuts and pastries tempt us every time we innocently walk into the break room. So, how do we enjoy ourselves, while being mindful of healthy choices? Here are a few things that have worked for me, and those that I have gleaned from speaking with others. Employ some or all of these tactics of mindful eating to allow yourself to enjoy the treats of the season without going overboard.
1. Eat Before
It could be a handful of mixed nuts, or a fruit, or even a small salad! It helps to drink a large glass of water too. Sometimes our bodies can mistake thirst for hunger. This strategy will help you stave off hunger and prevent you from arriving famished, which can lead to overeating.
2. Dress for Success
JJ Virgin, a certified nutrition specialist and author of The Virgin Diet, suggests that you . “Wear fitted clothing. Elastic waist bands have no business at holiday social functions; they give you permission to indulge in second helpings,” she says. “Instead, wear your most fitted little black dress, or the slimmest top and skinny jeans you can find. You’ll think twice before devouring that gooey cinnamon-raisin bread.” Perhaps this is time to fish out the slim-fit kurta or the well-fitted salwar-kameez out of the closet?
3. Buffet Tour
When you arrive at the venue, take a few minutes to do a complete tour of the buffet. According to research out of Cornell University, the first three items in a buffet line are likely to make up 65% of your plate just because you see them first. This leaves little room for things you may really want and makes a second helping more likely. They call it First Foods Most.
4. Limit Alcohol Intake
Alternate each glass of alcohol with a glass of water. If you have a hard time controlling your intake when imbibing at parties, Layne Lieberman, RD, author of Beyond the Mediterranean Diet: European Secrets of the Super-Healthy, suggests taking a hint from the Europeans and opting for a spritzer (half wine and half sparkling water), which slashes the calories of each drink in half. Carbs and proteins each have four calories per gram, while fats clock in at nine, and alcohol has seven – placing it closer to fats on the calorie scale. Envisioning each drink as a fattening baked good may just help keep your consumption under control.
5. Use an Appetizer Plate
Use an appetizer plate to serve yourself dinner. Do not reach for the 12″ dinner plate because our tendency is to fill it up. Instead, hold on to your appetizer plate (or grab an unused 6″ plate), and serve items from the dinner buffet into it.
6. Go Slow
Eat slowly from your plate. That way, you won’t run out of food on your plate and go back for seconds. Nibble and truly savor and feel your food from your plate while you enjoy the party.
7. Select ‘ROC Foods’
Choose foods that have the greatest Return on Craving (ROC). This is a made-up word, but the gist of this is to pick dishes and foods that you normally don’t make at home, or something that is not easily available in a restaurant.
8. Evaluate All
Explore all your food options first to determine which dishes are really calling to you, and how those foods will feel in your body. Why spend your calories on foods available to you any day (like dip, crackers, samosas and bread) when a delicious made-from-scratch pumpkin pie or Gajar (Carrot) Halwa is waiting for dessert?
9. Distance Yourself
Stand as far away as possible from the area where food is laid out. Perhaps, even turn your back to the buffet table whilst socializing. It is much harder to break a conversation and walk over to the food, than it is to position yourself near the food and serve yourself while talking.
10. Think Beyond ‘Food’
Pay attention to other joys around you, such as family and friends and the decor or environment. Isn’t socializing the primary reason why you came to this party, after all?
11. Have Seconds!
Go back for seconds of the foods you enjoyed the most. But first, assess your hunger level to help guide your choices and portions. Are you eating mindlessly just for the sake of eating? Or are you really hungry? Perhaps it is thirst (in which case, drink a large glass of water again) that you are sensing as hunger?
12. Mindful Eating
Practice mindful eating as opposed to mindless eating. Simply put, think before you eat and decide, do I really want that? Then experience the food or drink and truly taste it. You may be surprised that after a couple of bites, you feel satisfied with the gooey dessert you chose to indulge in. Or that drink that looked so tempting, after a few sips disappointed your taste buds. Let it go.
Missed the boat on all of the above? No need to feel bad or guilty or regretful and beat yourself up. You will have many more opportunities to wear your mindful eating party hat.
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