Chronicle Editor
Andile Tshuma
The holiday season is on peak period. This is that time when people are on holiday setting, with the calendar telling us we are going through those seven days between Christmas and new year. Most people do not have to work during the magical seven days so it is time to visit family for either family lunches or dinners with lots of drinking and merry making. In these seven days, one can eat way more than they consume in a month. Even the alcohol consumption rate at this time of the year is high.
Have you however considered what this week of eating and drinking can do to your health?
The catchphrase “keDecember” seems to have gotten all and sundry into a frenzy. However as people are in the peak of their holidaying and merry-making, it is good to remember that there is life after the holiday season.
Brighten the holidays by making your health and safety a priority. Take steps to keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy. Enjoy the holidays without some health related scares and mishaps.
True, a break is needed from exercise regimes and strict eating schedules, we all deserve to indulge a little at some point. However everything is good if done in moderation.
December has come, finally, and the month is almost gone, with only a few days left before a new year is ushered in. Time flies indeed. It feels as though it’s a few months back when we were making New Year resolutions and I’m almost certain a significant number of people had resolved to start a healthy eating, healthy living revolution. How far have you gone? I can’t answer this one myself but what I can say is that this coming year, I’m planning to eat healthier.
While it may be good to indulge a little, it is wise to keep your health in check and avoid spoiling the festive mood with a trip to the emergency room, remember these days it’s forex everywhere, so don’t allow a craving for an extra helping of fudge and cakes cost you those dollars you are saving up for that one thing you want.
Holidays are a perfect time to enjoy without feeling guilty. It’s good to get out of the boring eating routines, the crash diets. If you always eat like a rabbit, not because you are vegan but because you are trying so hard to cut down your calorie intake, holiday can be so tempting.
The teas, lunches and perennial dinners allow you to heat the system once, twice and for the umpteenth time. However, if you have eating disorders and are battling serious wars with food, it is wise to stay disciplined during this time as it is not so easy getting back to the routine after a month long period of festivities and feasting.
December is a time when we all eat with a guilt-free conscience. We don’t mind two three or four extra servings of our favourite dishes. But this is the time most people get sick as well, running tummies, food poisoning from poorly stored leftovers.
While we enjoy our food during this time, I think we must be responsible and take just as much as our bodies can bear.
I’m not saying you must turn down your aunt’s favourite fudge recipe or those doughnuts from your pastor’s wife. However, diving into the whole platter could mess up more than just your sweet tooth.
If you are diabetic, stick to the rules, indulge a little but stay in the right lane. No amount of merry making is worth dicing with your health. Trips to hospitals and clinics are not nice during this time of the year.
I think a good way to watch what you eat during holiday season is to always eat something healthy before leaving home for a party. If you are getting a lot of invites for multiple events, it is highly probable that there will be lots of tempting foods served so it’s best to eat something wholesome and healthy before leaving home, so that at the party, you only get to eat what you really crave and avoid sampling every single platter available.
Alcohol and drug abuse are really rife at this point and a doctor I spoke to says most people come to the emergency room after bingeing on alcohol and drugs.
Most teenagers tend to get intoxicated and fall sick this season and get involved in risky behaviour. A doctor from a local health facility said they treat a lot of youths for STIs due to the reckless behaviour such as unprotected sex following binge drinking and consumption of intoxicating substances.
Stress is another factor associated with the festive season, especially when people forget to spend within their means and then have to figure out how to pay the bills when the new year starts.
Christmas spending becomes a health problem when doctors have to prescribe medication for stress when ends are not meeting in January after reckless spending influenced by the holiday fever.
So January disease is literally a disease that needs a doctor’s attention if people fail to stay in their lane of spending during the holiday. It sounds silly but give it some thought.
Don’t spoil your season by having to brush shoulders with doctors. Remember to avoid driving if you have been drinking alcoholic beverages and for your safety, do not be driven by someone who has been drinking.
A little thrill is not worth your limb, it is therefore good to enjoy the holidays responsibly.
On this note, we shall meet in 2020. — @andile_tshuma
Online Reporter