Diet Tips for a Party

With the holiday season just around the corner, it is time to start making party plans. Christmas and New Year are those times which most of the people are eagerly waiting for the whole year. It is all about enjoying with family, friends and relatives. Good music, great alcohol and sumptuous food just make it all worth waiting for.

But many people find it a little testing time because they have special dietary needs which make it harder for them to balance food with fun; therefore here are some tips that would help those people to enjoy this season to the fullest.

Diabetics

For most diabetics the party season means that they have to play the balancing act with their sugar levels. These tips will help you do just that:

• Go easy on alcohol (mostly 2 servings are a safe limit) because it is just like sugar for the system. Also, it is safer to drink 1 glass of water after every alcoholic drink to dilute the alcohol effect. You can also eat salad with a hung curd dip which helps to regulate the alcohol effect.
• The temptation to overeat is lurking at every party so try to eat a small portion of food for dinner which could be proteins like chicken, fish etc.
• During the day, try to include foods which balance the sugar like black channa, soya, oats (the soluble fiber in oats helps control the sugar levels), millets roti, methi seeds, raw karela juice (2 teaspoons) and of course exercise whenever you find the time.

People on a diet

You worked your butt off to lose those inches. Now, all the rich food from one party to another threatens to make you gain back the flab. What to do?

• In the party, take the smallest plate and fill it with lots of healthy food like salad, chicken or fish. Focus on friends and not on food; remember it is harder to burn the calories than to avoid consuming them in the first place.
• Try to include a low glycemic index and high fiber foods like roti with chokker, dal soups, lots of salad with olive oil dressing, drink lots of herbal tea without milk, and walk regularly.

Hypertensives

• People with high blood pressure should try to drink a lot of water and have a lot of onion and garlic in the diet. You should also use potassium based salt in the food.
• People with "A positive" blood group can have wheat grass juice in the morning.
• Do pranayam regularly. It is a miraculous way to get the blood pressure down. 

Asthmatic Patients

If you have asthma or wheezing problems, you should take care that:

• You carry your pump every where you go.
• Eat light at night and include more onion and garlic in the diet. Adding generous doses of amla (fresh, murabba, pickle or dry powder) to the diet will provide mega doses of vitamin C to the diet which increases the immunity.
• Drink lots of herbal tea.
• You should avoid dairy completely like milk, cheese, curd and paneer, and of course no icy drinks.

Piles and hemorrhoids

People with this condition usually tend to get constipated and end up with bleeding piles.

• You should drink lots of water and herbal tea.
• You should include more brown rice, wheat atta with chokker, vegetables and fruits in the diet.
• You should try to avoid too much cheese and bread as it might have an adverse impact on your condition.

The Christmas and the New Year is all about enjoying the company of good friends, and yes, good food. So go ahead and enjoy those treats that you only get this time of the year, but do it sensibly. Being prepared can make all the difference!