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What’s to blame?

In , the foods associated with weight increase over four-year periods include potato chips, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages and unprocessed and processed red meats.
Foods that were associated with lower weight included vegetables, , fruits, nuts and yoghurt.
Other lifestyle behaviours were also associated with weight gain: physical inactivity (including television watching), alcohol intake and sleeping less than six or more than eight hours each day.
It’s not hard to imagine these factors at play in someone’s Christmas holidays. Potato chips, soft drinks and alcohol might fill the table at the work Christmas party.
Hangovers and too little or too much sleep might mean that you indulge excessively in fast food burgers while binge-watching Netflix.
If you’re drinking spirits, choose soda as a mixer.
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Five tips to avoid a belly like Santa’s

1) Choose foods that have been associated with healthier body weights in the longer term and increased in the shorter term, such as fruits and vegetables, and leaner foods that are higher in fibre and protein.
So choose:

• salads (including fruit, green, potato and quinoa ones) over white bread


• oat slices or biscuits over shortbread biscuits


• roasted nuts over potato chips


• turkey breast over salami


• shrimps and other seafood over sausages.

2) Eat intuitively: try to listen to your hunger and fullness. This will help with the feeling of sickness that can come at the end of Christmas day due to overconsumption.
Choose smaller plates, as these are with reduced food intake compared to larger plates – even if you have a level of intuitive eating.
Put a smaller variety of foods on your (smaller) plate – and don’t go back for seconds. If you have a large variety of foods, you are to eat more – something called sensory-specific satiety.
3) Self-monitor! One reported that systematically recording what you eat, drink and how much you move during holiday periods was associated with improved weight. Use goal-setting and self-monitoring or apps to help regulate the amount of alcohol or potato chips you consume each day.
4) Go for walks or swims if the weather allows, and avoid spending the whole break binge-watching television.
5) Avoid soft drinks and excessive alcohol every day. When you do drink alcohol, choose a soda mixer with a piece of fresh lime to have with your spirits and drink water in between each alcoholic drink.

Keep it in perspective

At the end of the silly season, you may still have gained some weight. But keep it in perspective: it might have been due to quite activities and it’s unlikely to be a problem in the long term, if you get back to your usual balanced exercise and eating routine.
It’s fine to indulge every now and then, even if it means going back for seconds of Christmas pudding on Christmas day. Just don’t indulge every other day of the holidays, too.

, Nutrition lecturer ,
This article was originally published on . Read the .