A Mantra on Moderation: How Much is Just Right?

Overeating may seem like a good idea at times. You’re having more of what you like, and you’re helping to make sure there’s no food wastage. But consistently overeating makes you vulnerable to a host of illnesses, such as increased cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, to name a few. When you’re tempted to go for your fifth helping of the chicken biryani at an open house, here are some tips to remember and follow.

Stand Up
It’s a good idea to stay on your feet during a party or gathering (bar the time you are sitting down to eat). Choosing to move around and not hang around the food will prevent you from taking more, and thus prevent you from overeating.

Go for a walk
Taking a stroll after a big meal can help your digestion, taking away the discomfort you feel from eating a particularly large meal.

Choose smaller portions
This is especially helpful if you’re seated far from the buffet line. Eating smaller portions helps you slow down your eating, and walking to the buffet line for a refill also lets you digest your food better.

Don’t feel bad about saying “No”
It’s okay to politely refuse extra food offered to you, especially if you have had your fill. Alternatively, you can also choose to pack the food for your next meal.

Have a mint
When you decide you’ve had enough for the meal, have a mint or a piece of mint-flavoured gum. The refreshing taste will dull your tastebuds and prevent you from being tempted to have more food.

Lather up on sunblock
Choose a sunblock with at least an SPF of 30, and put it on when you’re about to swim, hike, or even head to the mall. Besides sunlight, UV rays are also emitted from man-made sources like UV lamps and lightbulbs.

Know your tanning time
If you’ve set your mind to get a good tan this holidays, be sure to time yourself in the sun. The maximum tanning time is two hours, and lesser if you have fairer skin. Anything beyond two hours is damaging to your skin.

Avoid peak sunlight
Keeping tip 2 in mind, you should avoid being under the direct peak sunlight between the hours of 11am and 2pm. Nevermind being sunburnt, being outdoors during that period also makes you vulnerable to heatstroke.

Protect your moles & freckles
Freckles indicate that your skin is lighter in that area and requires more protection from sun rays. Having lots of moles may be a sign of increased risk of skin cancer. So, give your moles and freckles extra care with sunblock.

A glass of champagne at a wedding, two glasses of wine at an open house, a few pints of beer at the annual dinner and a few more at reunions and other gatherings, and you’ll soon realise that you’ve consumed more alcohol in December than for the whole of 2016. Needless to say, having too much alcohol is damaging to your liver, whose main function is to help you digest by breaking down alcohol and other toxins. Here’s how you can give your liver a break in between drinks:

>Dance it off
Ward off intoxication and the beer belly by hitting the dancefloor. By moving and doing some light dancing, you would be able to burn off some empty calories from your drinks.

Stretch your legs
If you find yourself sitting and drinking steadily for the past hour, it’s probably a good idea to stretch your legs for a short walk to keep the blood flowing and pause on the drinking.

Sip, don’t chug
Instead of having many drinks over the course of one evening, why not nurse one drink during that time? Engage in conversation with the people around you and sip your drink at a slower and steadier pace.

Have a bite
Before a night of drinking, ensure you have had something to eat. A carbohydrate-rich meal like fried rice or a sandwich helps to slow the absorption of alcohol by your body, and is preferable to drinking on an empty stomach.

Disguise your non-alcoholic drinks
If and when pressured by friends to drink more than your limits, disguise your drinks or go for a mocktail instead.

Mix your social groups
If you are a social smoker, choose to hang out with non-smoking friends to reduce the temptation. Out of sight, out of mind.

Choose not to stay out too late
A good night’s sleep never hurt anyone. One of the ways to keep yourself from smoking too much is to retire to bed earlier.

Exercise
When all else fails, make time for aerobic exercises like swimming, jogging or cycling. Aerobic exercises which increase your heart rate also helps to develop stronger lungs.

At the end of the day, you can have your drink, eat your cake and indulge in your vices, but remember, moderation is key.