Here is an article on healthy living tips extracted from Lifestyle magazine.  You can start a healthy eating habit and create a healthy eating plan with this guide to healthy living.  Here are your healthy eating tips…

Healthy Living Tips

Ling Ping Sing, senior dietician, dietetic and food services at Changi General Hospital, shares tips on healthy iving.

· EAT regularly – Have three proper meals a day, do not skip meals. This will help to reduce the craving for snacking in between meals.

· REDUCE total fat intake.

· USE less margarine/butter or use low-fat spread instead.

· FOR SOUPS, choose clear varieties instead of those w ith cream or thickened types.

· AVOID adding any extra fat or oil to food when cooking.

· INSTEAD OF FRYING, select dishes that are steamed, poached, baked, grilled or boiled.

· CHOOSE NOODLES IN SOUP instead of dry or fried versions.

· USE LOW-FAT dairy products such as skimmed milk, low-fat cheese, low-fat dressing.

· CHOOSE GIGH-FIBRE food such as wholemeal bread, wholegrain cereals, wholemeal chappati, brown rice, fruits and vegetables as they are more satisfying and can prevent the feeling of hunger.

· HAVE SOMETHING LIGHT before going for any party/buffet, this will help you to control your appetite and reduce cravings.

· TAKE A SMALL PLATE to control your portion size.

· FILL HALF YOUR PLATE with salad/vegetables.

· CHOOSE LOW-CAL DRINKS, eg plain tea, plain water, or diet drinks.

· HAVE A CUP OF PLAIN WATER in between each cup of alcohol

· ASK for your dessert/drink without added cream/topping.

· FINALLY, have a balanced diet using the HEALTHY DIET PYRAMID as a guide.

Healthy Heart Care

While deaths from heart diseases and strokes have fallen dramatically over the past fifty years, healthy heart care is for everyone going by the fact that more than 81 million people in the United States of America alone have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease in 2006. Statistics released by WHO indicates that more than 17.1 million lives are lost each year to cardiovascular diseases which remain the world’s largest killers.

The question remains as to whether heart diseases can be prevented and how do you care for your heart.

A British study has shown that it is possible to add more years to your life. Simply follow healthy lifestyle habits such as: exercise regularly, eat a diet high in vitamin C, don’t smoke and drink little alcohol. In doing so, participants managed to add an average 14 years to their lives. Incredible, isn’t it!

Here are some healthy heart care tips:-

1. Choice of Food – Select more low-fat, high-fibre and low sugar foods. Fish is a good source of protein and contains protective omega-3 fatty acids which have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular health problems. Cold water fish such as salmon, sardines and herring are some of the best choices. Increase your intake of nutritious foods.
2. Fruits and Vegetables – These are low in calories and high in vitamins, minerals and fibre making them great choices in weight control.
3. Friendly Fibre – Water soluble fibres such as oat bran, psyllium seeds and pectin are better as they have been found to decrease the bad cholesterol and improve the levels of good cholesterol.
4. Portion Size – Do not go overboard with this. Portion size plays a key role to weight loss and indirectly heart health.
5. Cooking Tips – Avoid deep fried foods. Vote instead for baked and grilled foods as these are friendlier to the heart.
6. Heart Health Supplements – Consider taking Vitamin E, CoQ10 and Fish Oil as these contain antioxidants and help to protect heart health.
7. Reduce Sugar – Few people realize that there is about 40 grams of sugar in that regular can of soda which works out to 150 empty calories, calories that you can do without. Also eating sugar promotes the production of cholesterol in the body. Try eliminating sugar from your diet for a while and you will soon find that simple foods such as carrots and grains actually taste sweet.
8. Dark Chocolate – Recent findings have shown that pure dark chocolate contains a very high amount of catechins which are heart healthy antioxidants. So you can have your dark chocolate and eat it!
9. Stop Smoking – Even smokers are aware that smoking is bad for the health and, in particular, a major cause of cancer, respiratory and heart diseases. With more than 4,000 chemicals in a single stick, the risk of cardiovascular disease can be reduced by stopping smoking at any age.
10. Manage Stress – Stress affects your cardiovascular system by increasing your heart rate, blood pressure as well as cholesterol level. Since chronic stress is bad for your health, manage it by having an exercise routine.
11. Exercise, exercise – Aerobic exercise is good for the heart and widely recognized to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Walking or even dancing can be great workouts.
12. Best Medicine – Don’t laugh at this, but laughter is considered as the ‘best medicine’ for the heart. A recent study by the University of Maryland Medical Centre in Baltimore is the first to show that laughter may help prevent heart disease. So a sense of humour is great for the heart!

The above are some simple healthy lifestyle habits that will go a long way to help your heart. Healthy heart care is most important to fight cardiovascular disease.

Feeling tired all the time? Can’t seem to get yourself going in the morning and desperate to flop into bed at night?  Follow these few simple tweaks to your daily eating habits and double your energy levels in just five days!

Eat at least two low GI meals a day
Many of the carbohydrate based foods that we eat on a daily basis such as breads, pasta, rice, cereals, cakes and biscuits are highly processed, refined and lacking in their natural fibre therefore, once eaten, they are broken down very quickly causing our blood sugars to surge.  These surges are followed by a sudden drop leaving us feeling tired, lethargic and lacking in concentration.

Research shows that swapping fast releasing, high GI, foods for lower GI alternatives such as wholegrain cereals, rye bread, wild or basmati rice, beans, pulses and fresh fruit and vegetables is an excellent way to significantly increase your energy.  This is because they are packed with energy boosting B vitamins and they also release their sugars into your blood stream at a more constant pace throughout the day.

Iron out deficiencies
Approximately 40% of women in Britain have an inadequate intake of iron and if you are one of them you may find yourself barely able to lift one foot in front of the other, feeling permanently lethargic, grumpy, lacking in motivation and concentration.  Eating more iron-rich foods is one of the most significant energy-boosting moves you can make.  This is because iron is essential in transporting oxygen via red blood cells to wherever it’s needed in the body and without oxygen it’s impossible to create energy.

Good sources of iron include liver, lean red meats, oysters, clams, tuna, salmon, beans, lentils and green leafy vegetables.

To maximise your ability to absorb iron from foods it’s a good idea to eat foods rich in Vitamin C and Iron within the same meal such as a glass of fresh orange juice with your iron fortified breakfast cereal or adding tinned tomatoes to beef mince when making chilli or bolognaise.

Cut back on fatty foods
Gram for gram, fat contains more than double the amount of energy provided by protein or carbohydrates.  Therefore, it may seem logical that a high fat diet should actual increase our energy levels.  However, research shows the reverse to be true.  This is because a diet rich in fat inhibits the body’s natural ability to burn oxygen and therefore results in us feeling sluggish and lethargic.

Graze don’t gorge
A skimpy breakfast, a hurried lunch, and a huge evening feast is about the least energy-efficient eating schedule imaginable.  Instead, eat a good sized breakfast, a moderate lunch and supper and add in a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack such as a piece of fruit or a handful of mixed nuts and seeds.   Eating little and often is a great way to prevent tiredness as it provides your body with energy as and when it needs it throughout the day.

Get active
Getting active may be the last thing you feel like doing when you’re tired and rung out but the phrase ‘energy makes energy’ really is true.  This is because, the fitter your are the more efficient your heart and lungs will be at getting oxygen into and around your body – and the more oxygen you can take in and utilise the more energy you can create so do some form of cardiovascular exercise whether it’s cycling, dancing, swimming, running or walking for at least 30 minutes five times a week.

Drink at least two litres of water every day
Strong tea, coffee and alcohol will not only impair your body’s ability to sleep and absorb essential energy producing vitamins and minerals but they may leave you dehydrated too.  Dehydration results in reduced blood volume which ultimately means your ability to transport all the essential ingredients for energy such as blood sugars (glucose), iron, and oxygen around your body is greatly reduced leaving you feeling tired, heavy and apathetic.

Excess Cholesterol

(Extracted from New Straits Times - December 10, 2009)

Vision Therapy Eyewear

Dr Bates, the founder of the Bates Method, created the vision therapy eyewear which allows an individual to enjoy better eyesight without glasses.  Dr Bates discovered in his research that prescription glasses do not alleviate vision problems but instead hampers the natural healing of the eyes.  He went on to invent the natural vision pinhole glasses for eyesight improvement.

Here is a brief report on the vision therapy eyewear for better eyesight without glasses and why prescription glasses do not help.

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Vision Therapy Eyewear – Better Eyesight Without Glasses

• No Risk

• No Surgery

• No Medication

• No Glasses

Why Prescription Glasses Don’t Help?

1. Prescription glasses cause a lot of strain & stress to your vision system

2. These glasses are fitted at 6M or 20ft to help you see very far. Since you have only 1 pair of glasses, they need to cater for worst case scenarios such as during the night or when you need to see tiny prints in a seminar / classroom.

3. However, these glasses become 20 times too strong when worn to read at 1 foot away, or 3 times too strong when watching TV 6 feet away.

4. The strain caused by these glasses is one of the major contributing factors to progressive myopia, astigmatism and presbyopia (changing to higher – powered lens frequently).

Benefits of Vision Therapy Glasses

1. Helps you see clearly near and far without stress and strain.

2. Eliminates stress and strain caused by prescription glasses.

3. Prevents progressive myopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia.

4. Exercises and trains your vision system to see better.

5. Breaks your dependence on prescription glasses.

6. Can be used as a substitute for prescription glasses (if diopter on glasses is less than 3.0)

7. Promotes central vision which is a key vision habit to good eyesight.

How to use Vision Therapy Glasses

1. Wear them when you are reading or watching TV. It is not safe to wear them when outdoors or when playing a sport since peripheral vision will be hindered.

2. Take a vision break for 1-2 mins after every 20 mins of reading, computer work or activities that cause a lot of near-point stress.

3. Never use this eyewear as sunglasses or look directly into the sun.

4. For more vision therapy tips and “How to Use” instructions, download Eyewear Manual, Near & Far Training Eyecharts.

5. Natural Vision Therapy is indemnified from any misuse of vision therapy eyewear resulting in physical injuries or accidents.

Suitable for Shortsighted, longsighted & astigmatic adults & kids.

The Bates Method does not use surgery, medication or any external device. It is based on the natural functioning of the eyes and mind to sense and perceive the external world accurately and clearly.

The Bates Method is an 85-year-old eyesight improvement program. It is a viable alternative to eyeglasses. Many adults and children who suffers from shortsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia (reading blur) have benefited from the Bates Method and found in improvement in their eyesight.  The pinhole glasses, as part of the vision therapy, does not miraculously “cure” myopia or presbyopia but plays a part in promoting better eyesight without glasses.

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By Paula Spencer, Caring.com

This is the continuation of the secrets of aging well.  If you missed the first two longevity factors, click 5 Secrets to Aging Well (1).

3. Be your own best friend
Why it matters: People often fall into the trap of being kinder, more loving, and more forgiving to those around them than to themselves. We beat ourselves up about an imperfect diet or a missed opportunity. We hate our looks (waist, hair, nose — there’s always something). We neglect self-care. In general, we fail to be our own number-one cheerleader. Lacking compassion and a sense of worth about yourself leads to making unfortunate choices that can damage health and well-being.

“Stress occurs when the mind perceives you’re not enough or don’t have enough,” says Eva Selhub, the senior staff physician at the Benson/Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and author of The Love Response (Ballantine).

Liking one’s self, on the other hand, infuses everything you do with a more positive outlook. You make better choices–about what to eat, whether to smoke or drink, what you deserve in relationships. And you build greater stores of resiliency that can help you bounce back from outside stressors.

What to try: Work on celebrating what’s likeable, worthy, and good about you. To reprogram negative thoughts about yourself, Selhub recommends an “appreciation journal”: For 28 days, write four things about yourself and four things about your life that you appreciate; try to come up with new things every day. Say the list aloud to yourself in the morning. Before you decide what to eat, do, or say, practice using the mental phrases, “I deserve to . . . ” and “I’m worthy of . . . ”

Pinpoint cravings or addictions you might be using to fill yourself up in the absence of self-love: food, drugs, excessive Internet use, unsafe sex, cigarettes. They all activate the brain’s reward centers, which cause us to turn to them when we lack the self-approval that can calm us and help us accomplish the same thing more healthfully.

4. Be both a giver and a taker
Why it matters: According to a growing body of research, people who are socially connected live longer, maintain better cognitive health, and have overall better mental and physical well-being. Humans are meant to be social animals. “The ‘American disease’ is isolation,” Selhub says. “We live longer and better when we feel important, valid, and valued, and when we feel that we’ll be remembered. Living within a community helps us feel that we exist and that we did exist for a reason.”

Quality counts as much as quantity in relationships, though. Healthy social connections require intimacy, that true give-and-take in which you can offer some of yourself to others but also receive a sense of love and connectivity from others. “You want interactions that go beyond just playing cards with someone; you want to be able to talk about things in your heart,” Robbins says.

What to try: Run through your closest relationships in your mind: Are they strong, nurturing, and in balance–or do you feel like you’re giving too much or receiving too little? Work toward shedding the relationships that clutter your life without giving you much back, or look for ways to reenergize them. Consider all the different types of relationships in your life: friends, parents, siblings, spouse, children, colleagues, sexual partners, even pets.

If you’re married, give that connection extra attention. Married people tend to live longer than singletons, happily married couples live longest, and married couples who remain sexually active are most satisfied with their lives overall, according to Small.

5. Sweat at the Fountain of Youth
Why it matters: Increasing snowdrifts of studies point to the same conclusion: Among all other lifestyle factors, movement is the linchpin to good health. People who exercise regularly have a lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, dementia, diabetes, depression, and osteoarthritis. They’re also more likely to maintain a stable, healthy weight and less likely to be obese, which is itself a risk factor for those diseases.

Now a series of compelling independent studies published in an early 2010 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine underscores the message that exercise can stave off many diseases. An analysis from the large Nurses Health Study, for example, found that women who jogged three hours a week or walked briskly for five hours a week were 76 percent more likely to age successfully, with less chronic disease or mental impairment, an effect that held among all ages and weights.

What to try: Rethink your idea of “exercise” as “movement” of all kinds. Aim for a three-way mix of aerobic exercise (such as walking and running) for the heart, lungs, and circulatory system; resistance training (with free weights, weight machines, or exercises such as squats and lunges) for muscular and bone strength; and balance work (such as tai chi or yoga) for bone density and overall strength.

If you’re currently an exercise abstainer, start small. Research shows you can add exercise at any age, even your 60s, 70s, and 80s, to reap benefits. Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator. Park at the far end of a parking lot instead of cruising until a spot near the entrance opens up. Build up gradually.

Karin Richards, director of the exercise science and wellness management program at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, suggests a “sing/talk test” as a way to gauge your intensity. “If your pace is meeting your target heart rate, you should be able to talk without being breathless,” she says. “If you can’t catch your breath to talk, your exercise intensity is too great. If you can sing while you exercise, it’s not vigorous enough.”

By Paula Spencer, Caring.com

How to be happier and healthier for the rest of your life. We’d all like to make it to 100–but let’s face it, some people age a lot more gracefully than others. What’s the difference between someone who looks and feels vibrant in midlife and beyond–and someone who’s sick, sad, and already old?

Scientists are turning up some surprising key factors: approaches to attitude and lifestyle that not only add years to your life but add a better quality of life to your years.

“Studies on successful aging have shown that only one third of what predicts how well we age is controlled by genetics. About two thirds is based on our personal lifestyle choices — and is therefore under our control,” says psychiatrist Gary Small, director of the UCLA Center on Aging and author of The Longevity Bible (Hyperion).

Here are five longevity factors you can do something about.

1. Know what makes you truly happy
Why it matters: The Founding Fathers were right about the pursuit of happiness being as critical as life and liberty. Happiness boosts the immune system and helps tamp down stress. Involvement with activities, people, and experiences that bring joy and contentment also boost optimism and positive attitude, both of which are linked to longevity. And pursuing reasonable pleasures helps one live more fully in the moment, rather than dwelling on the past or suffering until some future happiness comes along (as in slogging through a job you hate in order to enjoy an annual two-week vacation).

The catch: Most people aren’t good at knowing what makes them happy, says University of Wisconsin geriatric psychiatrist Ken Robbins, a Caring.com senior medical editor who’s also board-certified in internal medicine.

What to try: Cultivate what psychologists call an “observing ego,” Robbins says. Pay extra-close attention to your mood for a few days. Jot down what’s happening during times when you feel particularly happy, as well as what circumstances drain you or trigger anxiety. Who are you with? What are you doing? What are you thinking about? How do you feel physically and why? How can you get more of those good feelings and minimize the less-good ones?

Don’t assume you know already; you risk falling back on cliches. Learn your personal triggers. “People often think that retiring and playing golf all day would make them happy, but when they do it, it’s not as great as they thought,” Robbins says.

Common happiness triggers: Laughter, music, touch, spirituality, exercise, good conversation.

2. Approach the “new” often
Why it matters: The brain loves novelty. Although different types of mental skills change with age–for example, mental computations slow–the brain never loses the ability to grow. And trying or learning new things builds new neural connections all through life

Maximize brain fitness and the body will follow in kind, says UCLA’s Small. Staying receptive to new ideas also fuels curiosity, open-mindedness, and creativity–traits linked to healthier aging. Unfortunately, habits also ossify with age, which can make us prone to dismiss new things or feel intimidated by them.

What to try: Work “mental aerobics” brain workouts into your day. You can buy software with puzzles to flex your brain or play games like Scrabble or Trivial Pursuit. Be sure to keep challenging yourself; move up to working harder Sunday crosswords or mastering an instrument with more complicated music.

Consciously pull out of familiar ruts: Listen to some music that became popular after your 20s and 30s, even if you don’t think you’ll enjoy it. Keep looking (and more important, feeling) contemporary by visiting a cosmetics counter for advice on fresher makeup, or try shopping with someone in their 20s or 30s to experiment with new looks in clothing or glasses. Travel to a new locale or to try a new experience (such as a dude ranch, eco-tour, or Elderhostel).

Explore adult-education classes at a community college or through your local parks and recreation department. Those over 65 can also find inexpensive, and often high-caliber, lifelong learning programs at local senior centers.

New Treatments

In laboratory tests, scientists found that a banana ingredient called BanLec was as potent as two existing anti-HIV drugs.

They believe cheap therapies based on BanLec have the potential to save millions of lives.

The ingredient is a lectin, a naturally occurring chemical in plants which fights infection.

Researchers in the US found that the lectin found in bananas can inhibit HIV infection by blocking the virus’s entry into the body. BanLec acts on the protein “envelope” that encloses HIV’s genetic material.

Lead author Michael Swanson, from the University of Michigan, said: “The problem with some HIV drugs is that the virus can mutate and become resistant, but that’s much harder to do in the presence of lectins.

“Lectins can bind to the sugars found on different spots of the HIV-1 envelope, and presumably it will take multiple mutations for the virus to get around them.”

The research is reported in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Extracted from http://www.pressassociation.com/

Cucumber Facts

This information was in The New York Times several weeks ago as part of
their “Spotlight on the Home” series that  highlighted creative and
fanciful ways to solve common problems.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one
cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2,  Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5,
Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus,
Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and
pick up a cucumber.  Cucumbers are a good  source of B Vitamins and
Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for
hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower?  Try
rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will  eliminate the fog
and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds?  Place a few slices
in a small pie tin and your garden will be  free of pests all season
long.  The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off
a scent  undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make
them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out
or to the pool?  Try rubbing a slice or two  of cucumbers along your
problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause
the collagen in  your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and
reducing the visibility of cellulite.  Works great on wrinkles  too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache?  Eat a few cucumber
slices before going to bed and wake up  refreshed and headache free.
Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish
essential  nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium,
avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge?
Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often  used by European
trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you
don’t have enough time to polish your shoes?
Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a
quick and durable shine that not only looks  great but also repels
water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge?  Take a cucumber slice
and rub it along the problematic hinge, and  voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to
the spa?  Cut up an entire cucumber and place  it in a boiling pot of
water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the
boiling water and be  released in the steam, creating a soothing,
relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and
college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or
mints?
Take a slice of cucumber and press it to  the roof of your mouth with
your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials
will kill the  bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad
breath.

12. Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless
steel?  Take a slice of cucumber and rub it  on the surface you want to
clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the
shine, but is won’t  leave streaks and won’t harm you fingers or
fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake?  Take the outside of the cucumber
and slowly use it to erase the pen writing,  also works great on crayons
and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

Celebration Food

In many instances especially during festivals celebrations around the world, people tend to binge on celebration food and indulge in high calorie food and lots of sugary festive sweets and desserts. Here are some do’s and don’t during festivals celebrations.

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Fasting and Feasting
1)Fasting is a great way to detox but can deplete your body’s nutritional resources as well.
Top-up with low-fat, nutrient-high food such as grilled fish or chicken, clear soup and fruits.

2) Low liquid intake during fasting period can effect digestion and cause constipation.
Increase intake of fruits and vegetables such as oranges, guava, carrots, beans, spinach and tomatoes. Include yoghurt to boost you digestive health. Also decrease diuretics such as tea and coffee and rehydrate with sports drinks.

3) Go slow on family favourites such as rice or coconut based milk curry – your stomach muscles need time to get oriented to your pre-fasting state.
Eat smaller portions each time so that you can get to taste a bit of everything.

Festival of Light
1)High-fat, oil-rich curries increase calorie levels and may send blood pressure and glucose levels soaring.
Substitute santan (coconut milk) with low-fat milk and go slow on the oils when cooking or dining.

2) Sugary festive sweets and desserts give you an instant high but leave you lethargic and tired later.
Split each sweet snack and share it with a loved one! To keep energy levels high, try sweating it out and don’t forget your multi-vitamins and mineral supplements.

3) Over-cooking beans, lentils and vegetables strip them of natural nutrients.
Supplement your family’s diet with fresh fruits and vegetables such as cucumber, tomatoes and carrots that don’t require cooking.

Christmas and New Year Seasons
1)Year-end parties are great fun but remember not to go overboard with the calorie-high food and alcoholic drinks.
Limit yourself to one alcoholic drink each time, just for starters. Never go with an empty stomach as it makes you drink more. Have a snack and a cup of herbal tea or milk when you get home to prevent a hangover the next day should you have too much of alcoholic drinks.

2) Calorie and sugar-laden Christmas and fruit cakes and send glucose levels spiraling upwards.
Try baking your own cakes and deserts with less sugar or sweeteners. For decorations, cut down o the icing and replace with dried fruits such as raisins, apples, pineapples or mango.

3) The year end holidays are often used for relaxing, pampering and enjoying festival foods, right up to the New Year.
Stay active mind, body and soul! Take this opportunity to exercise, reflect on past achievements and draft new goals or resolutions for the next coming year!

In Summary
DO –
1) Go slow on the fats, sugar and salt in your cooking during festival seasons.
2) Drink lots of water to stay hydrated – festive seasons are when people tend to fall sick more often
3) Take smaller portions of each food for more variety.
4) Opt for fresh foods over processed foods.

DON’T –
1) Forget to take your multi-vitamins mineral with probiotics supplements – more festive seasons do not mean more nutrients.
2) Take more food than you can finish. Stop when your body says stop.
3) Eat like there’s no tomorrow. There’s always the next festival to look forward to!
4) Turn the celebrations into food fests – make it a meaningful time for sharing and caring.

The above is extracted from a circulating email.

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Remember then at the next festivals celebrations around the world how you can take in celebration food, yet not go overboard with the many high calorie food available.