New Year Reset - Eats and Treats by Tania Rebello

TDT | Manama                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

As we draw closer to the end of 2022 and the beginning of the New Year 2023, I cannot help but imagine how quickly the year went by.

The end of a year is truly the best time to think about how the year has passed, being grateful for the good things and learning from the incidents that were not so pleasant.

Pause and remind yourself of what you could have done differently, how you could have behaved in a particular way and how much you have to be thankful for including your eyesight that has helped you to read this.

The new year gives us a chance to make better choices and make a difference in our lives and in the lives of the people around us.

Let us talk about that one thing which sustains us- Food. What we eat, how we eat, when we eat and where we eat; everything matters.

Here are a few pointers to help you make better choices in this area of your life next year.

Eat slowly and patiently:

Unless you are in some sort of eating competition, do not rush the process.

Eating slowly encourages digestion and helps your digestive system to process food properly.

Eating at a good pace also allows you to savour each bite and enjoy flavours.

Avoid other activities:

Keep your phone away!

Try as much as possible to avoid checking or replying to messages, replying to calls (unless they are truly important and cannot wait), or watching videos on your phone while eating.

Another commonly seen trend is watching television during mealtime.

Keeping your phone away will ensure better eating habits.

If you find it difficult to keep your phone away or skip watching TV while eating, try to skip using gadgets once a week and gradually increase the duration t o twice a week.

Do not overeat :

Overeating causes great stress on the digestive system.

We are all guilty of indulging at some point in time of our lives and while it might seem harmless, it is something to keep in check.

Consuming copious amounts of food makes us feel uneasy and rightly so.

It is the body’s way of telling you to stop.

Limit your food intake to the right quantity.

What is the right quantity?

Do not depend on people or health articles to tell you how much to eat, your body will tell you.

Eat until you feel full but not stuffed.

Pause a couple of times during the meal to check if you are satiated.

Eat with family, friends or co-workers: Eating with people whose company you enjoy is often underrated.

If you are able to sit down at the dining table and delight in a good meal, you are more blessed than you know.

Engage in conversation about how their day went or tell them about yours.

Take time to listen to each other.

You would be surprised at how it assists with your personal or professional relationships.

Happy conversations release happiness hormones, one of which is Serotonin.

This hormone is released within the gut contributing to healthy digestion.

Eat home cooked food more often:

Have you ever wondered why a home cooked meal makes you feel better after a couple of days of ordering from out?

That is because it is healthier, you know what it contains and can alter it to suit your needs.

Why does home cooking become a burden to many? It is because we have not planned our meals for the week or we have not managed to find recipes that are easy to cook.

Plan ahead as much as possible.

Ensure that your groceries are at hand and you are good to go.

I hope that the coming year will be a year of changes for the better.

We do not need to make new year resolutions but we do owe ourselves a fulfilling life.

The New Year holiday is just around the corner and with a long weekend soon approaching; here is a fun, colorful and healthy 7-layer Mexican dip to enjoy with great company.

Happy New Year!