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There is absolutely nothing wrong with the fact that we mark our festivities with food and drinks. Man must enjoy because life is short, they say!!!

Eating and drinking is a celebration in itself; don’t you remember that traditionally, when the harvest is ready, we celebrate? There are festivals that simply mark the presence and abundance of foods, like the yam festival.

While you glorify food and drinks because it is Christmas, make sure that they are safe to start with. Unsafe or contaminated food can lead to serious illness when consumed. So take a close look at your fresh produce when buying them from the market and convenience stores. Demand for ingredients will be very high around this time and so if one is not vigilant, bad and spoilt ones may end up being served to them.

The appesome date period.

Use the time at hand to prepare healthy local foods for yourselves and your families. Often, the nature of work and lack of time makes it impossible for many people to cook their meals. This situation forces them to depend on vendored food most of the year. Luckily, there is some holiday during the Xmas period. I believe that it is time for such individuals to now cook something for themselves and their loved ones before the year ends.

Eat and drink in moderation. Too much of everything is bad. This applies to food and drinks as well. Exercise a great deal of restraint during the yuletide, eat your usual portions. There is no point in eating from so many locations just because you visit and food is available.

Parties will be organised everywhere; you do not have to attend all of them. These are the places where you are tempted to eat meats like pork and drink alcohol. These are the occasions where food is served in abundance; if you stay at home, you are safe from all the temptations.

Healthy, well balanced meals will be my advice for everyone. By all means meat, fish, eggs and other protein sources will be in there. Vegetables will be present as well. Cook with little salt. Use natural spices in place of the artificial ones. Guard against eating late at night.

Let the gifts you float around add onto the health of their recipients. Your family, friends and loved ones deserve better than the usual contents of the hampers we see around. Select or compose healthy hampers for your loved ones this Christmas. Where it is not so easy to have control over the components of the hamper, choose non-food items as your gifts. Dresses, shoes, cloths, mobile phones, etc can be excellent gifts as well.

Since there is some time available due to the holidays, make sure you exercise all along. This yuletide should be one of exercise and physical activity. If this is done, you are in a pole position to prevent weight gain which is associated with the season; you can beat this trap this year.

Read more at www.letsabooks.com
The writer is a DIETICIAN at the Trust Hospital and AUTHOR of the following books;
1. Be your own dietician – Vol. 1
2. Eating to prevent and manage lifestyle diseases.
3. LIVE LONG by eating well – Vol. 1
Contact 0244090262 for copies. Also you can download my books from the Google Play Store.