The Christmas season is here again! A season when lots of people tend to do things in excesses – excess buying/spending, decorating, eating and drinking. With lots of family gatherings, end of year parties and all sorts of celebration, many temptations arise which may cause festive-over indulgence.
Most of the festive foods people tend to over indulge in are either over spiced or very high in sugar/sodium content and to say the least very fatty. The overall implication of this is an unhealthy nutrition with its accompanied health issues. Although long term health problems are not caused by one day of over eating, the Christmas season may be a trigger for pre-existing conditions. Beware of these season excesses!
As overindulging with too much food, cola drinks, wine, alcohol, etc might place you in the emergency unit of a hospital, instead of enjoying family in the warm glow of Christmas tree lights during this joyous season.
One of the commonest problems people encounter at this period of the year is tooth ache/dental emergencies, which is no fun at all. Not only does it make chewing very difficult for you, but it can mar your whole holiday. In as much, the likely source of a toothache is an infection or abscess, high levels of sugar can be contributory. The world wide average of sugar intake is around 30 kg per person each year, an amount sufficiently high to cause tooth decay.
This problem is accentuated during the festive period due the high levels of sugar in many traditional food and drink people tend to over indulge in. Research has shown that during festive periods, almost half of the population eats 1 ½ times more than normal, and a further 25 per cent eat twice as much food as usual. If you happen to fall in any of these categories, please beware of the dangers of over indulging in sugary foods. Ensure to limit your consumption of sugary foods and drinks at this time of the year.
Over 60 per cent of those who participated in the study admitted that one of the main reasons for their overeating during the festive period was as a result of indulging in sugary sweets and treats. The least you can do to protect your teeth and gums from the onslaught of sugary substances is to reinforce your dental routine and remember to brush, rinse and chew properly every day.
Apart from triggering tooth ache, high sugar intake may also cause bloating. If your digestive system is overloaded with sugar, or if you have problems processing simple sugars or glucose from carbohydrates such as pasta, rice and potatoes, this can lead to excess abdominal bloating and gas. Bloating occurs if the sugars you ingest are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and they end up entering the large intestine. At this stage these sugars/carbohydrates can act as food for gas producing (pathogenic) bacteria which reside within the intestine. The resulting gases (hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide) can then cause abdominal bloating and excessive gas or flatulence in the bowel. Abdominal bloating can sometimes cause pain and discomfort. Sufferers may also experience stomach cramps, nausea and constipation. Be sure to keep your homemade probiotics from fermented coconuts handy.
Also, certain health issues like peptic ulcer (related to acid, stomach ulcers) and gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) may be aggravated by food and alcohol consumption. Specific ulcerated areas in the stomach or generalized stomach wall irritation can be aggravated by unusual foods you may not be used to eating, like unique foods spiced unusual ways. If you have existing ulcers or gastritis, remember those festive foods or drinks can aggravate them.
Remember to have portion control, especially if you are diabetic. Having diabetes means your body is more sensitive to major deviations in routine than others might be, so why not simply avoid tempting fate? Don’t just eat what you like, and if you must, don’t overeat it. And don’t forget that high sugar content in food can cause significant variations in blood levels.
Routinely take your remedies and on schedule, the fact that it is a holiday doesn’t mean it is wise (or safe) to take a day off from managing your diabetes. Now, this does not mean diabetics aren’t allowed to enjoy the juices and all the fixings that Christmas table brings with it. Not at all! The key word here is “managing” And yes, it is very possible to manage one’s diabetes and enjoy all what the Christmas dinner menu has to offer. This may be achieved with right choices -choosing healthy versions of favorite dishes. For instance, instead of heavy festive favorite such as turkey swimming in gravy and dishes loaded with butter, creams or mayonnaise, choose skinless turkey without gravy or chicken breast. You can look for side dishes and vegetables without butter, dressing or other extra fats and sugars. Skip dishes loaded with cream, butter or cheese and anything fried. Instead look for whole grains, fruits, vegetables.
Watch the salt. Some festive dishes are made with prepared foods high in sodium. Choose fresh vegetables with no sauce to keep your sodium intake down. And don’t forget to check your blood glucose (sugar) more often than usual, especially if you get carried away with festive over indulgence. Some people may even change their schedule, and this consequently affects sugar levels.
Experts strongly believe that “all of these conditions can be avoided by not overindulging with fatty, spicy foods and too much alcohol”.
Given to the fact that over indulging in foods high in sugar, sodium, fat and alcohol may be a trigger for pre-existing health conditions, let your watch word be “moderation.”
So enjoy your Christmas and interesting foods, but exercise a bit of moderation and have an awareness of health issues that can occur if you overdo it.