Christmas and the New Year are much awaited festivals and events, with people preferring to eat a variety of delicious cuisines during the festive season. Unhealthy habits during the festive season can impact fitness goals. One tends to start diet and weight loss regimens but cannot stick to them during festivities. From unhealthy eating habits to excessive alcohol, Aman Puri, Founder of Steadfast Nutrition revealed some common mistakes that can ruin your new year’s diet plan.
6 Biggest Mistakes That Can Ruin Your 2023 Diet Plan:
Unhealthy eating habits
We tend to consume unhealthy and junk food during Christmas and New Year, which adds fats and empty calories to our diet. Instead, opt for steamed or sautéed vegetables or salads as alternatives to chips and other fried items. Vegetables are low in calories and high in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fibre that keeps us satiated. So, fill half your plate with vegetables and salads as healthy snacks. Eat nutrient-dense foods when you’re not partying to maintain a balanced diet. Avoid skipping breakfast to eat more at lunch and dinner. Skipping breakfast leads to overeating, resulting in bloating, gas, acidity, and weight gain. It’s usual to exchange sweets during the festive season, including cakes, tarts, muffins, candies and desserts, with colleagues, friends, and neighbours. Most are high in trans fats, refined sugars and refined flour and cause weight gain. Opt for healthier options such as home-made desserts made of dates, figs, oats, or wheat flour instead of refined flour.
Improper hydration
Staying hydrated is necessary to maintain good health. Drinking adequate water during the party season detoxifies the body and helps remove unnecessary and harmful substances through sweat, urine and stool. Replace soft drinks with coconut water or plain lemon water to prevent dehydration and empty calories from being added to your diet. During the festive season, we eat high-fat foods (pizza, burger, fries, momos, pastries, muffins) and drink alcohol, which produces toxins that can negatively impact our health. Choose healthy detox drinks such as cucumber-mint, ginger-mint, or lemon mint water and vegetable juices after a party to flush toxins from the body. They strengthen the immune system, rejuvenate the skin, and improve mental health.
Excess alcohol
Alcohol is high in empty calories. Limit alcohol intake during parties; avoid cocktails since they’re calorie-dense and cause dehydration. Choose wines over beer but take these in limit. Take water or juice with alcohol to limit its consumption.
Irregular exercise routine
It’s a mistake to put off exercising during the festive season. Be particular about your exercise routine even between a hectic schedule. If you’re attending a party, reschedule your workout instead of skipping it altogether, which can lead to weight gain.
Improper sleep
Late night parties and gatherings can impact sleep during yew year. A disturbed sleep pattern can also cause us to eat unhealthy midnight snacks, taking a toll on our digestive health and causing weight gain. Leave parties early and sleep for 7-8 hours to avoid unnecessary binge-eating.
Travelling
We tend to eat packaged and processed food instead nutritious diet during a vacation. Instead of only eating burger and pizzas, carry nutrient dense snacks like protein bars, nuts, roasted snacks, and fruits to avoid unhealthy snacking.
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