Your guide to eating out and staying healthy during the festive season

Who says eating out during the season of revelry means piling on calories? With these expert suggestions, you can embrace your inner glutton without the fear of gaining weight.

We’re deep into the festive season that brings along house parties. And what comes with that? Plates full of delicious food. The very thought of that makes the mouth water, but then you also sense a fear — that of putting on more kilos than you lost with all that strict diet and exercise regime. We bring you just the advice you need to resist the temptation of sweet and fried dishes, and still eat out with your friends and family, but the healthy way. Nutritionists Kavita Devgan and Tripti Tandon help us put together this comprehensive guide.

The art of eating at a party

1) Pre-party starvation

The worst thing you could do is going to a party with an empty stomach. It will make you a binge-eater who devours everything served to him or her. One tends to make poor food choices when extremely hungry. So, opt for a healthy snack such as an apple 20-30 minutes before you reach the party. Serotonin level tends to drop when you are empty stomach. Hence, you start to feel anxious and stressed when you go without eating for a longer period of time. That’s how binge eating starts.

2) Scan the menu

The key to smart food selection is to patiently scan the menu. Carefully look at it and plan what you are going to eat, how much you are going to eat and how you are going to pace yourself while eating. These steps are important to consider because they prevent you from overeating and your plate from overflowing with food.

3) Alcohol strategy

When it comes to alcohol consumption, have a strategy in mind. The first rule is that you don’t mix your drinks. If you have made a choice of going for beer, then stick to it. Alternate your drink with a glass of water to keep yourself hydrated. Most importantly, go slow with your drink and don’t drink on an empty stomach.

4) Pick light food

Go for steamed, grilled, and sautéed meat and fish and avoid fried finger snacks. Also, say no to heavy dips. They are loaded with calories. You can also go for salads, but avoid ones that are over-sauced. Go for those that have lighter dressings.

5) Fruity deserts

Desserts are irresistible and are the ideal way to finish your course. Fruit-based desserts such as fruit yoghurt sorbets are light on the stomach and are a wiser choice than syrup-soaked rasgullas and fried desserts such as jalebis.

6) Don’t hover around food

If you are finished with your meals, then don’t roam around the dinner area because you will end up overeating. Divert your attention by engaging in a conversation with your friends and family. At the same time, make sure that you eat well at the party, so that you don’t feel hungry when you reach home. So, remember to eat in moderation, pace your meal and enjoy it thoroughly.

A few diet mistakes to avoid during the festive season

1) Using white sugar and white flour

Instead of white sugar, opt for brown sugar or jaggery when making sweets at home. White sugar contains traces of sulphur which enters during the refining process. This is the reason why making mithai and sweets with white sugar can be unhealthy. Also avoid sweets made of white flour. Go for sweets made up of wheat flour or milk and jaggery-based sweets such as paneer ki mithai.

2) Avoid reusing oil

The biggest mistake that sweet shops make is that they tend to reuse the oil while frying sweets. Once the oil is used then it shouldn’t be reused, as it is unhealthy. Reusing the oil leads to creation of free radicals which harm the body by clogging the arteries, causing acidity and heartburn. While going to buy fresh sweets one should be careful that sweets are not fried in reused oil. Also, it goes without saying that fried sweets are unhealthy. Opt for baked or steamed options such as dhokla and khandvi.

3) Skipping fruits

Want to satisfy your appetite this season without getting an upset stomach? Make sure you have your daily dose of fruits. The fibre in the fruits will ensure that your digestive system functions properly. Maida and sugar in the sweets can make you constipated and leave you feeling full.

4) Not eating at all at a gathering

Another mistake we tend to make during the festive season is that we go to parties on an empty stomach thinking that we can banish our hunger pangs by binging at the party. Skipping meals so you can binge eat is the main reason for your weight gain. Apart from piling on the pounds, you can also suffer from fatigue and low immunity.

5) Not having enough water

Sipping cold drinks during festive gatherings would make you dehydrated and increase your calorie intake. Drinking water regularly is a must as it helps to detox. Sipping on coconut water while engaging in hearty laughs and conversations is a good choice to keep yourself hydrated and healthy during the festive season.

6) Eating too much by taking a little of everything

The opposite of skipping meals is eating anything that appeals to your taste buds. Even if you’re taking small portions of multiple dishes, it can add up to more than you should consume in one go. Overeating can lead to a high cholesterol level, high blood pressure and sugar, and puts a strain on your liver. So, make sure you are eating in small portions within a gap of minimum three hours, not all at once.

Place your order wisely

1) Mughlai

Say yes to tandoori kebabs (chicken or fish), tandoori vegetables, yellow dal, chana, raita, whole wheat, and tandoori roti.

Say no to butter chicken, red meat, seekh kebab and naan.

2) Chinese

Say yes to clear soup with vegetables or meat, stir fried dishes, steamed and jasmine rice.

Say no to dim sums, manchurian, sauces, noodles, fried rice.

3) South Indian

Say yes to steamed dishes such as idli and appam with sambhar, upma, light pan fried dosa.

Say no to coconut chutney, dosa, vada, uttapam and fried items.

4) Italian

Say yes to vegetable based sauces, whole wheat pasta, grilled meat, hard cheese.

Say no to cheese based sauces, mashed potatoes, bread basket, soft cheese.

5) Low calorie drinks

Say yes to champagne, red wine, gin and tonic, diet cuba libre

Say no to Pina Colada, beer, rum