Most households love indulging in traditional Christmas food – pastelles, ham, black cake, sorrel, ponche à creme and ginger beer – the full works. But a word of caution: our consuming habits can either add to our wellness or take it away, says registered dietitian, nutritionist and lifestyle disease expert Candida Khan.
Lifestyle diseases – diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and uncontrolled blood cholesterol increase tenfold and waistlines expand during this time of year because people tend to binge eat, overeat and balance is thrown out the window, says Khan.
“Everything in moderation is okay but we tend to overconsume every single thing that we love because we tell ourselves that it’s only once for the year. This is the time when the cravings and temptations increase because we force ourselves into a mode where we need to eat it now because we won’t get it again and that mindset makes us binge,”she says.
One cannot press “pause” on their chronic condition, it’s more important to develop a healthier relationship with the things we love and learn how to include them in our diet in a way that will not impact us negatively and make things worse.
The registered dietitian is deeply concerned about the alarming increase in lifestyle diseases in our country.
More than 60% of fatalities are as a result of chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, she notes. Additionally, the prevalence of obesity among children is very high, so is their risk for developing diabetes and other lifestyle diseases.
“There are those who say it does not matter what they eat because eventually we all have to die. But whether we’re here for a short time or a long time – when it comes to lifestyle diseases, you can make your life ten times worse, reduce the quality of your life and prevent yourself from being able to enjoy basic things because of poor health and nutrition,”says Khan.
Some have a defeatist mindset and assume that if their parents have a certain condition, it’s just a matter of time before they contract it. However, anyone could develop a lifestyle disease, regardless of their family history and anyone can reverse it – the underlying issue is nutrition, says Khan.
“I want to help reduce the burden that these diseases are having on our society and health care system. Once my clients start developing a healthy, sustainable lifestyle and they are educated and empowered about what a healthy diet really is and they give their body the right nutrients at the right time, everything heals from the inside-out, and they can reverse their insulin, reverse high blood pressure and cholesterol,” she says. “If we are able to reduce the mortality rate due to chronic diseases, then that means people will live longer, enjoy a better quality of life, spend more time with their families and see their kids grow up. There are so many benefits that come from living a healthier life.”
How can one avoid overeating this Christmas season?
—Balance is key, so is timing.
“Don’t skip meals all day and binge eat at night – that leads to weight gain,” says Khan. “Make sure you have balanced food groups in your meal; when you balance your meals, you will feel full with less. Whereas if you put one thing on your plate, you could binge eat until you finish everything, because it’s not the right balance, you will not get the right amount of carbs, proteins, fibre and nutrients.”
To help children develop a healthier relationship with food, parents can incorporate fruits and vegetables in the child’s diet, reduce consumption of juice and soft drinks and encourage them to drink water, parents can also involve them in meal preparation, she adds.
Here’s a tip: when having bake and ham, try adding some fruits to the side.
—Slow down when eating.
“Eating slowly helps your body signal to your brain and stomach that you have eaten enough, if you don’t give yourself time to get those signals going, you will easily overeat and binge eat and feel way more stuffed and uncomfortable,” explains Khan.
—Practise portion control and use a smaller plate.
“Because you put out a smaller plate, by the time you have finished eating and drinking and go back for seconds, you may feel full and find yourself putting out a lot less food,”says Khan.
—Don’t skip meals.
Once you skip meals, your risk of binge eating will increase, she says.
“Once you skip meals your visceral fat around your organs is going to go up because your body is in deprivation mode,”says Khan. “When you deprive yourself of something it does the opposite of what you want, your body is not going to burn fat, it’s going to gain fat because you’re training your body to think it will not be fed on time so it will store fat. “
Different cooking methods like grilling, baking and air frying are healthier when preparing meals and snacks but even if you want to stick to traditional methods, like most Trinidadians – then go with smaller portions, she advises. You can also try to adjust the ingredients by using less sugar or a different sweetener like honey or agave, using egg whites instead of egg yolk and using wheat, oat, cassava and sweet potato flour instead of white flour.
“Adjusting ingredients ever so slightly to make it low calorie, and more balanced and complex can make something more nutritious, and if it tastes great – even better,”says Khan.
Whatever you do this holiday season, try to practise mindful eating, advises Khan.
“You have to be aware and alert, if you are too passive that’s when lifestyle diseases creep up on you. You could be walking around with high blood pressure and diabetes for years and not know until you go to the doctor for a check-up. Usually there are zero signs and symptoms until it reaches a point where it affects your organs and the way you feel. Taking precautions prevents lifestyle diseases from taking over and controlling our lives,” she says.
Khan urges those with chronic diseases to know their numbers, be aware of what and how much they are consuming and take their medication as prescribed.
The registered dietitian is offering her services to persons who want to make 2026 the year they take charge of their health and well-being. All of her clients have reported an improved quality of life after following Khan’s personalised diet and nutritional plans which involves enjoying everything within safe limits.
“I focus on educating and empowering all of my clients to understand what they are doing, why they are doing it and how it’s affecting them and that’s how they are encouraged to maintain lifestyle changes,” says Khan. “This is not just for a day, a week or a month but for a lifetime, it’s about creating something sustainable which takes time.”