This Christmas & New Year, make an effort to have a heart-friendly feast in the name of good health. Pioneer Health tells you how

It is the season, of spending time with family and friends while indulging in feast and festivities. Festive meals tend to be rich in fats, sugar and carbohydrates. The sluggishness one feels after indulging in Christmas feast (also known as postprandial somnolence) is due to consumption of foods that have a high glycemic index.

Such foods quickly increase blood sugar, which can induce an insulin rush and thus make you feel sleepy. While in most people, such an insulin spike would lead to a food coma, in people who are diabetic, serious health complications can occur.

Here are a few things one can do to prepare a Christmas meal that would be light on your heart without compromising on the taste:

Use MUFA rich oils

It is better to avoid fried food as much as possible, but when required use MUFA rich oils to fry or sauté the food. MUFA, meaning Monounsaturated fatty acids, are more heart friendly. MUFA rich oils such as peanut oil, mustard oil, canola oil, among others, help in controlling high blood pressure which is a risk factor for many heart diseases. They have also proven to be helpful in preventing oxidation of bad cholesterol ‘LDL’, thereby reducing arterial inflammation.

Add Green to your meal

The best way to avoid over-consumption of fatty foods is to balance your meal out with green vegetables. These can be in the form of sautéed vegetables or eating a variety of salads. Since vegetables are rich in fibre, they can induce satiety which will help you feel ‘full’ and thus, avoid over-eating. Incorporating nut such as cashews, almonds, walnuts, and others can also provide you with healthy fats and good nutrition.

Eat smaller proportions

Another way to limit your food intake is to reduce the proportion of your meal. The dining table is always groaning under the weight of scrumptious Christmas treats which are hard to resist. Instead of abstaining from indulging in the delectable foods, choose to eat everything but in smaller proportions. This way, you can indulge without over-eating.

Reduce salt & sugar intake

Be vigilant in limiting the amount of salt and sugar intake during this festive season. Reducing the amount of salt in your diet helps to decrease blood pressure which reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Similarly, have control over how much sugar you are consuming to avoid a ‘sugar rush’. Increased consumption of sugar is also associated with increased risk of heart disease. Use jaggery or molasses instead of refined sugar.

Eat good meat

Meat is rich in proteins but red meats such as beef, pork and lamb have more saturated fats as compared to chicken and fish. These saturated fats can increase the risk of heart disease and cardiac arrest. On the other hand, fish is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which helps to reduce the risk of heart failure.

The writer is Dr Priyanka Rohatgi, chief clinical nutritionist, Apollo Hospitals