Health: Easy-to-follow tips to avoid bingeing during this festive season

Illustration/Ravi Jadhav

It's festive season, the time to shop, be with family, eat and be merry. During festivities, most of us tend to overeat or indulge because we are surrounded by distractions.

It can be hard to resist the temptations of aromas wafting from stalls selling calorie-rich, greasy, fried and colourful sweets on display, or the deals and discounts on drinks at different restaurants, when you're out pandal-hopping, doing the garba or just hanging out with family and friends.

How do you avoid festive bingeing? The experts tell you how.

Have a big breakfast
For Jaydeep Mukherjee, corporate executive chef, deGustibus Hospitality, a surefire way to stay healthy during the festive season is by eating a big breakfast. "I've been having a big, healthy breakfast of oats and fruits every day. You tend to not stuff yourself in the day after as you've eaten a decent breakfast," he says.

Being a Bengali, these days, his lunch consists of bhog at a Durga Puja pandal. "The food here isn't unhealthy and fills you up," he adds. "These two meals should keep you sated till late evening, and at night, you just don't overeat at dinner."

If heading out for a buffet or a celebration, remember that you don't need to try every single dish being served. Instead, pick items you wouldn't get on any other day, either because they're hard to come by on a day-to-day basis, or because they're difficult to prepare at home. "It's okay to indulge this time of the year; the key is to not go crazy doing it," reminds Mukherjee.

Choose dried fruit preparations
"I gladly accept that I have a huge sweet tooth," admits pastry chef Anees Khan, founder of Star Anise Patisserie in Bandra, for whom desserts and sweet temptations are part of a daily routine for decades.

Since his typical day involves tastings and trials and eating out at new city restaurants, he has plenty of tips on how to stay fit. "During festivals, opt for dark chocolate and nut preparations. If you're looking for healthy substitutes when making Indian mithai at home, try using ghee as the base, a lot of nuts, natural sweeteners like honey and jaggery, and fruits for cake toppings and garnishing in sweets," he says.

In addition, he says, when baking cakes, make smaller portions, which are easy for guests to consume and help avoid wastage. His other fitness advice includes eating your meals on time, never going hungry to a party, staying hydrated, walking an hour daily, and ensuring most meals are home-cooked.

Pick milk-based, not fried mithai
"DuringâÂu00c2u0080Âu00c2u0088the festive season, you are bound to put on weight, so accept that first," says Ruby Sound, dietitian and founder of Eatwise Clinic, Juhu and the secretary, Indian Dietetic Association (IDACON), Mumbai..

The best way to keep a control on what we eat is to use low-calorie alternatives and change your cooking methods. Her suggestions: replace ghee-laden, sugary sweets with low-calorie sweets made with dried fruits, seeds, nuts and jaggery; opt for sweets that are milk-based, not fried, like a rasgolla over a gulab jamun; eat homemade dark chocolate over white chocolate; swap the cream biscuits for soy or multigrain biscuits, and use air-fryers.

She cautions that it is foodstuff that is lying around the house, bought to distribute to friends and family, which is the biggest temptation. "If you must indulge, keep it to one meal and ensure you eat healthy the rest of the day. And you need half an hour to 40 minutes of activity daily," she adds.

Avoid sugar-attracting foods
"There is no such thing as safe bingeing as bingeing is going to do harm. The only way out is to fortify oneself so as to mitigate the effects of what is going to happen when you binge," says Shonali Sabherwal, macrobiotic nutritionist, chef and instructor.

One way to do this is to remove maida or any refined flour that will cause you to crave more sugar, and dairy, that creates sludge in the system.

"Instead, add ingredients that will minimise the damage caused to your body by sugar. Brown rice, eaten once a day, will bring down the chance of bingeing on sugar, and a veggie juice (of leafy greens) will cleanse you. Eat sweets made with jaggery that will minimise the sugar intake," she says. A probiotic supplement will also help your gut by ensuring that bad bacteria won't crowd out the good bacteria.

Avoid second helpings
Moderation is key in any festive meal. It is okay to eat sweets but you need to limit the quantity, keep portion sizes small, avoid second helpings and learn to say no.

"Learn to balance your meals. If you know you're in for a heavy dinner, have a light lunch - salad, fruits and plenty of liquids like buttermilk or vegetable soup," says Dr Muffazal Lakdawala, chairman of Institute of Minimal Access Surgical Sciences and Research Centre, Saifee Hospital, and founder, Centre for Obesity and Digestive Surgery.
His advice is to eat slowly and savour each bite to avoid wolfing down whatever is served, make healthier eating choices by sticking to dry foods instead of Indian gravies loaded with butter, cream or oil; share desserts and sweets to halve the calories, and not go hungry to a party or a gathering.

"At a buffet, serve yourself smaller portions at first; go for the second serving only if you are still hungry. If you pile up your plate at the first go, you will be forced to finish off everything," he says.

Another option to limit liquid calories is to avoid mixing drinks with aerated mixers and choosing nimbu paani, sparkling water, iced tea minus the sugar syrup, coconut water or a fresh juice.