Eat, Drink and Be Wary

Text: W.K Goh

You can survive Christmas without looking like Santa, or depriving yourself of that luscious eight-course dinner at grandma's.

If you're the guest
Instead of skipping breakfast and lunch so you can gorge at dinner
Why not eat light meals throughout the day. You won't feel so faint and you won't over-eat.

Instead of chomping on high-fat snacks as a security blanket
Why not drink water or choose fiber-rich food like vegetables, suggests Susan G. Berg in Food Smart: Savory Strategies to Defy Disease.

Instead of eating every dish at the table
Why not survey the spread. Go for healthy bites, but give yourself permission to take two or three sinful ones, says Berg.

Instead of starving yourself after a night of over-indulging
Why not Exercise more. Eat small, frequent meals that are low in carbohydrates, with a little protein and lots of steamed or lightly boiled vegetables.


If you're the host
Instead of getting weighed down by fatty snacks
Why not lighten up with baked chips, low fat dips, fruits and vegetables. Commercial chips and dips often have high salt levels, but it's easy to make your own. Get the kids involved and they'll be more likely to eat these healthy snacks.

Instead of serving an eight-course meal with turkey, honey baked ham and roast beef
Why not "make use of colourful fruit and vegetables to brighten and extend the main course. Use tofu or peas and beans to partially substitute for meat", suggests nutritionist consultant Louisa Zhang. Too much red meat increases your levels of bad cholestrol and ups the risk of heart disease, says Dr Fred Pescatore, author of Feed Your Kids Well. Zhang adds, "Too much protein causes more calcium to be excreted from the body and may also strain the function of kidneys."

Instead of converting carnivores into vegetarians
Why not "slice the meat in paper-thin slices to prevent overeating. Use smaller serving plates. Make your healthy dishes very colourful nd attractive to take attention away from the other dishes. Don't spoil the party, though, by not catering to the diehards," Zhang says.

Instead of using commercial thickeners or full-cream milk
Why not "add fresh fruit juice (orange, lemon grapefruit, pineapple) to commercial sauces," she says. "Jacket potatoes with sour cream mixed with low fat yoghurt. Mix full cream milk with plain fat-free yoghurt and use as cream for desserts."

Instead of adding butter, coconut or MSG, which are rich in fat or salt
Why not "Use mushrooms which are natural flavour enhancers. Vegetables which taste sweet include mashed pumpkin, mashed sweet potato, sweet corn, onions, carrots, turnips. Leeks, sweet peas and French beans may be used, too! To sweeten stock use dried longan, wolfberry, and figs," says Zhang.

Instead of serving all the courses at once
Why not do it restaurant-style, course by course, says Jeannes Jones in Cook it Right. You'll appreciate the flavours of each dish, and it slows down the eating process, so you'll be satisfied with less food.


What to do with the Kids
Instead of checking on every morsel
Why not organise activities to take their mind off food. This can be a simple as a game of musical chairs, a treasure hunt or indoor games. If you feed them well before the party and keep them busy during the event, they won't spend the entire time snacking.



Extracted from Family:December 2005