Every Christmas season, buffet tables would always be stocked with delicious meat delicacies like lechon, ham, morcon, embutido, and roast chicken. Leche flan, fruit salad, ube halaya, kakanin, and the family’s favorite cakes would be served for dessert.
Excessive consumption of such meals, even if delicious, is unhealthy for those with high blood pressure or high blood pressure. Heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and heart failure become more likely as well.
If you want to start offering healthier dishes this holiday season, here are some ideas.
1. Prepare delicious vegetable dishes
Vegetables, when combined with pleasant foods, are anti-obesity and anti-weight gain. The calories are low, and some of them help decrease harmful cholesterol levels in the body.
2. Use olive oil for preparing meals
Make it a habit to think of alternative ingredients that can be substituted for the dish you’re preparing. When cooking, use olive oil instead of palm or vegetable oil. It can also be used in place of butter or margarine in fillings. Olive oil has healthy fats that lower cholesterol and aid weight loss.
3. Avoid using canned products
Use fresh fruits instead of canned fruits while making fruit salad, for example. Pick ripe papaya, sweet bananas, apples, grapes, honeydew, kiwi, and pear. You can toss them in cream if you wish, or you can simply squeeze some lemon over them and chill the dish for a few hours before serving. The fruits will stay fresh and taste delicious as a result of this.
4. Don’t forget to exercise
Following a pleasant Noche Buena, you can exercise the next day to keep a balanced lifestyle. Brisk walking, running, swimming, cycling, and other easy cardio workouts are also options. Exercise strengthens the body and increases resilience to pain, in addition to lowering high blood pressure.
5. Drink fruit or vegetable juice
Fiber is rich in vegetables and fruits, which helps to reduce blood pressure. Unsweetened fruit juice or a blend of vegetable and fruit juices are both acceptable options. If you buy a lot of them, you can turn them into salads or use them as ingredients in your Christmas cooking.
These basic procedures, as well as a change in how and what you consume throughout the holidays, will keep you happy after the festivities are gone. You’ll have more strength and stamina to get through the hustle and bustle of the season, in addition to feeling better physically. Furthermore, you will be able to save even more money! Consult your doctor or a nutritionist if you want to be more informed about your diet. They will analyze your body and recommend a diet to help you manage your high blood pressure.
Wishing you a healthy and pleasant Christmas season!
Reference:
https://multisport.ph/24105/introducing-healthy-noche-buena-menu/
https://www.modernfilipina.ph/health/food-drink/5-healthy-recipes-for-your-noche-buena
https://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/12/06/10/healthy-food-options-noche-buena