HERE’S TO HEALTH

’Tis the season of temptation but staying in shape this festive season need not be a trial – we asked a few dieticians how

IT’S just what happens – come the holidays, you eat more than you should, you put on a bit of weight and then you kick off the New Year determined to shed it. Studies show people put on 0,5-1 kg on average over the festive season. It doesn’t sound like much but, according to a review published in the scientific journal Physiology & Behavior last year, most of us never manage to lose that kilogram. So it tends to accumulate year after year, adding up to excess weight and putting you at risk of the health problems that tend to go with being overweight, such as heart disease and diabetes.

Make this year different by ensuring you don’t put on that extra bit of weight in the first place. To make it easier we’ve asked dieticians to tell us what they do to keep their eating on track over Christmas. They put together this 10-point plan. By LINDSAY DE FREITAS DON’T SKIP BREAKFAST It really is the most important meal of the day, Johannesburg dietician Tanya Alberts says.

“Eating breakfast boosts your metabolism, gives you energy and helps you to focus,” she says. “Studies have shown that people who eat a balanced breakfast tend to weigh less than those who don’t eat breakfast.”

Johannesburg dietician Toni Brien adds that a good breakfast also helps you to avoid eating things you know you shouldn’t, as well as making it less likely you’ll overindulge at your next meal.

Alberts says the perfect breakfast is two eggs with a cup of mixed vegetables. Examples of quick, nutritious breakfasts include: plain yoghurt with fruit and rolled oats or high-fibre bran; peanut butter and banana on wholewheat toast; and low-fat cottage cheese and/or avocado on wholewheat toast.