Festive Season Survival Tips & Low Carb/Low GI Recipes
December 2021 BLOG
For most of us, the holiday season which started as early as November for those who celebrated Thanksgiving, is synonymous with endless social gatherings and family feasts overflowing with scrumptious treats. These get-togethers encourage overeating. Furthermore, we would be celebrating the end of the 2nd Covid-19 pandemic fraught year 2021 and might be especially tempted to overindulge. Our December excesses will be followed by guilt, weight gain and regrets in January 2022.
To help prevent/reduce these, we at Afrofusion Lifestyle are inviting to take two actions to support you stay on track with your fitness goals this season
`Action 1:
Sign up for our ongoing New You challenge if you have not yet by simply clicking https://bit.ly/DecemberChallenge2021
Action 2
Read on for our tips and low calorie & low carb recipes to enable you make healthier choices. You do better when you know better!! Arm yourself with the knowledge to make great choices for the rest of the festive season.
We start by debunking 4 Myths
Myth 1:
It is the festive season so I can eat as much as I want and detox later after all it’s important to fast periodically and detox one’s body for good health.
Truth 1:
There is actually no such thing as “detoxing” in medical terms. The recommended route to achieve or maintain a healthy weight is ultimately a nutritive diet and exercise.
Myth #2:
Liquid calories will not count if I cut back on my carbohydrate consumption
Truth 2
Actually, alcoholic drinks or mocktails can contribute to a significant amount of sugar and empty calories which could increase weight gain. It is counterproductive to fast and then overindulge.
Myth #3:
All carbs make you fat so stick to a keto diet and snacks
Truth 3
Most keto snacks are very calorific because the carbohydrate is often substituted for fatty alternatives and 1g fat has double the calories in 1g carbs. If you consume more than approx. 35g net carbs on a keto diet in 24 hours, you will not achieve ketosis, the calories will contribute to calorie excess and thus weight gain.
Also, complex carbohydrates, like whole grains, are not fattening if consumed moderately. What leads to weight gain is the high glycaemic index carbs in large quantities i.e. both quality and quantity of carbs matter
Myth #4:
You can swap/ditch your exercise steps/workout for shopping steps in the mall
Truth 4:
Whilst rushing around could burn calories, the lack of fresh air and stressing worrying about choices and money increase stress levels which hinder weight loss.
I know that most of us will “ let our hair down” healthy eating wise on the festive days, be it Qatar national day, Kwanzaa, Christmas or New Year’s Eve. Dr Michael Mosley, creator of the Fast 800 Plan which inspired the Afrofusion Weightloss plan, estimates that we easily consume up to 4,000 calories on Christmas Day. For most West Africans, this would be more originating from generous portions of vegetables cooked with a lot of oil and meat, high GI carbohydrate sides, deep fried snacks such as Chinchin and Puffpuff alongside chocolates and drinks. This is more than double the calories an average size individual needs. Furthermore, the alcohol will increase our appetite whilst hindering fat burn.
Although we usually plan to make amends, we could reduce the pain and effort by following the tips (and recipes) below to eat wise and live well during the 2020 festive season
Tip Number 1
DON’T OVEREAT NOW TO DETOX LATER INSTEAD SWAP CALORIE RESTRICTION FOR INTERMITTENT FASTING
Understandably, you might find it difficult to adhere to the calorie restriction on some days during the festive season. You should thus
- deviate from plans to eat indiscriminately and later get detox products from health food stores, claiming to rid your body of its toxins. This is most often marketing ploys and these “cleanse-detox products” commonly contain natural diuretics e.g. dandelion root or apple cider vinegar,” that simply makes you lose water
- stick to your intermittent fasting when possible
- Consider a 5/2 keto plan whereby you reduce your net carb intake to < 35g per day for 2 days of the week if you overindulged e.g. over the weekend.
Tip Number 2
MAKE A FEW HEALTHY FESTIVE MEAL SWAPS
“It’s extremely difficult to stick to a healthy diet over the festive season but by substituting cleverly and healthily, you can win little battles” You should
- Swap large amounts of roast Irish potatoes with a mix of 2/3 roasted vegetables such as parsnips, carrots and steamed broccoli, brussels sprouts and peas with 1/3 sweet potatoes or plantains.
- Swap deep fried snacks for healthier options
- Choose one of the low -calorie desert options below and even bring them along to social gatherings
- Use the healthy eating plate and swap refined carbohydrates e.g. white breads, pasta, chips, crackers, which contain no fibre and excess calories and sugars for protein and good fats. Remember that low GI refined carbohydrates lead to insulin spikes and make you crave more sugar and carbs.
Tip number 3
WHEN YOU ARE AT THE BUFFET TABLES, CHOOSE HEALTHIER OPTIONS AND PORTIONS
It is important to be reminded that West African pastry snacks contain a lot of fat, salt and carbohydrates as you dig in eat these indiscriminately at social gatherings.
The table below details some of the relevant macros and time it will take you to burn the calories off with exercise
| One serving | Calories | Net carbs | Time in minutes in takes to burn the calories by walking |
| Chinchin (¼ cup = 34g serving) | 140 | 17.75 | 31 |
| Puffpuff (serving size 6) | 355 | 63.2 | 78 |
| Meat pie (1-piece 124g) | 375 | 29.8 | 83 |
| Fish roll(1piece) | 151 | 17.3 | 33 |
| Honey roasted Peanuts 28g | 162 | 8.5 | 35 |
| Roasted peanut 28g | 161 | 2.2 | 35 |
| Roasted or boiled corn on cob (1 corn) | 123 | 24.1 | 27 |
A trick I often use is to eat the healthy snacks first, if these are available.
| One serving | Calories | Net carbs/g | Time in minutes in takes to burn the calories by walking |
| Cherry tomatoes 4 | 12 | 1.8 | 2.6 |
| Cucumber 1/3 | 10 | 28 | 2.2 |
| Carrot 1 medium | 25 | 5.9 | 5 |
| Broccoli (1 cup chopped ,91g) | 30 | 3.7 | 5.5 |
| Strawberries (8 medium, 100g) | 50 | 8.7 | 11 |
| Blueberries (half a cup, 73g) | 63 | 9 | 13.95 |
| Apple (1 medium) | 94.6 | 20.8 | 21 |
| Guava (1 medium) | 45 | 6 | 9.9 |
Tip Number 4
IF POSSIBLE, ASK FRIENDS AND FAMILY NOT TO GIVE YOU CHOCOLATES OR REGIFT THEM!
- Let family and friends know that you are trying to lose weight and they should thus not offer you large boxes of chocolates or unhealthy snacks for Christmas this year.
- If they do, consider regifting or avoiding
Tip Number 5
MAINTAIN/INCREASE YOUR EXERCISE REGIME
Exercise will reduce the stress brought about by making choices and financial worries of shopping and guilt of overeating. Therefore,
- avoid the temptation to settle on your favourite spot on the sofa and watch Netflix, after a large festive meal.
- instead stand up and dance (Jerusalema J or Afrobeats ) with your friends and families and compete to see who gets the most steps!!
- schedule walks with family and friends and use the time to catch up, review last years events and discuss plans for next year
Tip Number 6
PLAN YOUR MEALS FOR THE DAY AND AVOID MIDNIGHT PARTIES
- Try to have late moderate brunch at midday
- Exercise daily
- Have early dinners at e.g. 4pm
- Have a light snack (e.g. soup, salad or fruit all approx. 250 Cals maximum) no later than 10pm. This way you maintain your 16 hours fast.
Tip Number 7
IF YOU’VE GAINED A FEW KILOS, DO NOT DELAY GETTING RID!!!
- Monitor your weight and take actions if any gains because it is easy to overeat and gain weight.
- However, it is also easy to repair the damage with a few days of restricting calories, intermittent fasting and a couple of keto days
- It is always best to lose the weight soon after you put it on. Try any of the Afrofusion smoothies as meal replacement short term
Tip Number 8
DON’T DRINK YOUR CALORIES
“Yes of course you have to hang out with friends and gist and be festive!! You just have to be mindful and intentional” eat a healthy snack and hydrate before you go your holiday party in order to make good choices and limit your intake of alcoholic drinks.
- Remember that alcohol is quite calorific – a smallish glass of wine is approx. 170 calories and cocktails have double as do fizzy drinks.
- alcohol, soda, and other calorie-rich beverages can lead to an increased appetite and possible weight gain.
- Choose other options like low-carb, low-calorie beers and low-calorie mixers, but you need to watch your portions.
- Restrict your portions if possible, to one drink per day for women and two drinks for men e.g. by interchanging drinking a glass of alcohol with a glass of water. Give the wine spritzer recipe below a try.
| Type of Fizzy drink | Serving size | Calories | Net Carb content |
| 7 up | 250ml glass | 117 | 29.25 |
| Coke | 1 cup (240 ml) | 108 | 27 |
| Fanta | 250ml glass | 105 | 30 |
| lemonade | 250ml glass | 105 | 27.3 |
| Orange juice | 250ml glass | 118 | 26.75 grams |
| Apple juice | 250ml glass | 123 | 30.31 grams |
| Piña colada juice | 250ml glass | 165 | 35 grams |
| Ginger ale | 250ml glass | 88 | 22.1grams |
| Diet coke/Fanta or Sprite | 250ml glass | 0 | 0 |
| Type of alcohol | Serving size | Calories | Carb content |
| Regular beer | 12-oz (355-ml) can | 142 | 12 grams |
| Margarita | 1 cup (240 ml) | 633 | 13 grams |
| Bloody Mary | 1 cup (240 ml) | 220 | 10 grams |
| mimosa | 8 oz(240-ml) bottle | 150 | 34 grams |
| Daiquiri | 6.8-oz (200-ml) can | 274 | 33 grams |
| Whiskey sour | 3.5 fl oz (104 ml) | 135 | 14 grams |
| Piña colada | 4.5 fl oz (133 ml) | 349 | 32 grams |
| Tequila sunrise | 6.8-oz (200-ml) can | 232 | 24 grams |
Pure spirits and wine have less carbs as detailed below and could be consumed.
| Type of alcohol | Serving size | Carb content | calories |
| Light beer | 12 fl oz (355 ml) | 3 grams | 43 |
| Red wine | 5 fl oz (148 ml) | 3–4 grams | 125 |
| White wine | 5 fl oz (148 ml) | 3–4 grams | 123 |
| Rum(Daiquiri, mojito) | 1.5 fl oz (44 ml) | 0 grams | 102 |
| Whiskey | 1.5 fl oz (44 ml) | 0 grams | 110 |
| Gin | 1.5 fl oz (44 ml) | 0 grams | 116 |
| Vodka | 1.5 fl oz (44 ml) | 0 grams | 102 |
