Taking care of your wellbeing and preventing health concerns is hard enough 11 months out of the year, but when the holidays roll around? Forget about it! Between the office parties, cosy nights in and Christmas day itself, you’re likely to partake in all sorts of indulgences that do damage to your health. Let’s take a look at some common mistakes you make during the holidays, and how to make smarter choices instead.
1. Not eating before a party: While skipping your afternoon snack before feasting at the office party seems like a good idea for your weight loss wellness, certified nutrition specialist J.J. Virgin, author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy, warns against it. ‘It makes sense to arrive at a party a little hungry, but to come starving means a glass of wine and appetisers will lead to one big caloric nightmare,’ she says. ‘Besides, parties never start when they’re supposed to, and you know there’s going to be some gooey, crunchy appetizer that will be your undoing.’ So, before you leave your desk, taper your appetite by popping a handful of raw almonds.
2. Judging the meat based on sight: According to Ben Chapman, PhD food safety specialist at North Carolina State University, ‘Old cookbooks say to “cook until there’s no pink meat remaining, or until the juices run clear,” but there’s been quite a bit of research done on both poultry and meat that shows that these are not good indicators of whether they have reached a temperature that’s considered safe.’ Foodborne illnesses can linger on uncooked food, so use a meat thermometer to ensure that you’re cooking poultry to 165, and red meat to 160.
3. Rewashing bagged salad: Whether you grab a bag of salad for a pre-feast starter or use it as part of a party buffet, you don’t need to rewash salad that’s been twice washed. Chapman notes, ‘A national microbiological safety panel looked at those bags and they concluded that even if you wash them again, you’re unlikely to remove any type of pathogens that are still hanging on.’ In fact, by touching the lettuce, you’re only exposing it to other pathogens, especially if you’ve been handling raw meat. Chapman asserts, ‘The best thing you can do is open the bag and dump it right in a salad bowl, ready to eat.’
4. Brushing your teeth after a glass of wine: Hosting a party enables you to rush upstairs and scrub away any unsightly wine stains on your teeth, but dentist Gigi Meinecke, a spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry, warns that you could actually be raising your risk for permanent staining. The acidity in red and white wine can dissolve the enamel on your tooth, and so brushing straightaway can contribute to erosion. Meinecke recommends rinsing with a glass of water to neutralise the acid, or, even better, avoid staining in the first place by sipping and immediately swallowing your wine, rather than swishing it in your mouth.
5. Sticking with your regular workout: Not budging from your exercise regime may seem like a great way to stave off excess Christmas season weight but Jessica Smith, co-author of The Thin in 10 Weight-Loss Plan, notes this ‘could backfire if you find yourself running ragged trying to get everything done and then getting to the gym on top of it all. If your to-do list is already overflowing, don’t add stress by forcing in a long workout that may interrupt more important health habits like getting enough sleep.’ Split up your usual 45-60 minute workout into 15-minute sessions.