Celebrations And Food - How To Say No!

Saying no is never easy. It never was and never will be. This is even harder when it comes to things that we find pleasurable, such as food. Now, eating never will be wrong. We need to eat. We cannot live without food. However during holidays, festivals and other events, eating becomes unhealthy.

Why? Just look at the kinds of dishes that are served during such festivals and as to how calorie-filled they can be and you will begin to wonder as to how you can even manage to eat all of those on normal occasions. Fact is, you can and you will, because it is so hard to say NO.

(Photo Credits to www.osundefender.org
Original Link: http://www.osundefender.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/food-pyramid.jpg)

Now, I know that the image above is not exactly mouth watering; it does contain most types of food served during celebrations. Regardless of it being a birthday, a graduation party, an anniversary party, thanks giving, etc, so on and so forth, there is a huge chance that you will find plenty of food in the table.

While we should be thankful for the abundance of food, overindulging in them is something that is not good. Gluttony, for one, is something that is harmful to our bodies. Just imagine this: In a normal day, you are more likely to take in only about 2,500 – 3,000 calories. However, during holidays, that number is likely to double and you could even eat a day’s worth of your calorie needs in a single seating, imagine that?

As one who was a victim of overindulging of food, conquering it was hard and I still find myself being tempted and giving in to such temptations at times. However, during celebrations and other occasions wherein there is much food served in the table and times wherein it is so hard to say NO, I have found these tips below to be quite useful.

•          Do not be afraid to say NO – This is one of the most effective tips out there. You need to learn that you do not always need to eat. You do not need to overindulge yourself with food. Yes, the celebrant will likely want you to eat. However, the celebrant will understand if you only eat what is right. Giving in to temptations such as eating a certain type of food like ice cream, quarter pounder burgers and the likes occasionally is okay, overindulging, though, is not good.
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•          Eat Right – When eating during such occasions, be sure that you take into consideration that there are plenty of food choices. This means that you can put a variety of food in your plate. However, you need to also consider how eating much food should affect you and you should remember that putting too much on your plate will never do you good. Yes, there is no doubt, that you can finish your plate even if there is a lot of food in it or if there is too much food in it, but you should consider that it is not right to do so.
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•          Appreciate the Food and the Occasion – Instead of eating a lot, try to appreciate the food served and you will most likely eat right. Take the time to try each one of them, but keep in mind not to eat too much. A simple taste will do, as satisfying a certain type of craving definitely will do you good. Chew the food 10 to 15 times, as you normally would and appreciate not only the food, but the occasion as well.

By thinking of what will happen to you and how unhealthy it is to overindulge in food, you will not have an easier time saying NO to too much food. Remember, your enemy here is yourself, as you are the one who can and should say NO to eating in an unhealthy manner.

Besides, instead of making yourself busy by eating, you may want to try and socialize. Celebrations make for a good way to get in touch with relatives, friends, co-workers and other acquaintances that you may not have had the time to keep in touch with because of how busy you have been with school or work, or even both.

Remember, to say NO is not a bad thing and you should learn to do so every now and then. Besides, saying NO does not mean that you will not be eating. Rather, it means that you are only trying to be healthy, fit and eating right.