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• "> I I HOLIDAY OVERINDULGENCE Don't let festivities ruin health Diagnosis: Holiday over­ indulgence. Symptoms: Tendency to associate festive with food. Tipsy at times. Insatiable appetite for chips 'n' dips, fudge, eggnog, hot buttered rum and all the other holi­ day goodies. Neglect of nu­ tritional needs. Uncontroll­ able desire to sample every­ thing in sight that's edible. . Consequences: Weight gain. Vitamin depletion and low resistance to infections. Headaches, sluggish behav­ ior and lade of sleep. Guilt and post-holiday depression. This malady reaches near­ ly epidemic proportions dur­ ing the celebrations of Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year's. And being a vic­ tim once doesn't make you immune. The American holiday rit­ ual of overeating and over­ drinking is often a threat to good health, warns Doris Derelian, executive secre­ tary of the California Dietet­ ic Association. And, it's no wonder. "In every religious cere­ mony," she points out, "food is the bottom line. There is much historical support for the idea that food is a measure of how re­ ligious, hospitable or wealthy you are." There is a concept of "OK- ness" about the holidays, she says. The season gives the li­ cense to indulge, people ra­ tionalize. Hostesses put out more food than people can possi­ bly eat But once available, guests will try to eat it Even those who use restraint during the year feel that during the holidays it's OK. "Consequently," Derelian says, "the holidays are not the optimum time of year as far as nutrition goes. In fact, the season lends itself to ex­ aggerated nutritional prob­ lems. "Weight gain is the biggie. I call it hill-and-dale syn­ drome. Weight is steady. It goes up during tlje holidays. Then in January, people de­ cide it's time to lose and go on a crash diet" A holiday meal can be a perfect menu because it usu­ ally incorporates all of the four food groups. The prob­ lem, she says, is the extra quantity and the high-caloric additions like marshmallows on candied yams, rich gravy on the potatoes, cakes and candies, eggnog and other foods that are high in sugar, fat cholesterol and sodium. Even if you only take a sampling of all the foods and drinks you're exposed to dur­ ing the holiday festivities, the intake is still going to be much more than normal. To make matters worse, during this time of year, peo­ ple often abandon their ex­ ercise programs. By the time they resume their row tine, it Will take them three times as long to r t back into the shape they were in before, she claims. It doesn't all have to be doom and gloom, however. , The way to prevent the onset of holiday overindul­ gence, according to Dereli­ an, involves planning and setting limits. Think beforehand about your social schedule, where you're going to be and plan how you're going to eat and drink. Plan to compensate for the extra calories you might consume at the party. - But not she cautions, by sacrificing nutritional foods. It's especially important during the holidays to select a variety of foods from the PAGE »- PLAINDE ALER four food groups in balanc­ ing your diet For example, don't say, "111 skip dinner because I had three glasses of eggnog and two pieces of fudge." Once you're in a party en­ vironment set limits on por­ tion size and the amount you're going to drink, she ad­ vises. For example, plan to take portions half the size you normally would, or sam­ ple every other hors d'oeuvre. And set a limit to the number of drinks you'll have before you start drink­ ing. This is also the time of year people tend to drag up a lot of myths about drink­ ing, she says. "Just because you don't get high, don't think there's TT ,rf • FRIDAY. OCTOBER 31.1MI no effect. Those calories are counted by your body whether you feel high or not. "And don't think eating will lessen the damage of al­ cohol. It may slow down the absorption, but you'll even­ tually get the same effect. "Excessive consumption of alcohol taxes the liver and kidneys, and depletes the water-soluble vitamins like B and C which are essential to good health," she says. "This can lead to a lack of energy and a rundown physi­ cal condition which can make you vulnerable to flu and cold germs." If you're the hostess, Dere­ lian has some tips, too. Plan not to have a lot left over, particularly if you have overweight children. Try to put out nutritional party food like nuts and vegetables instead of chips. And be will­ ing to have people say "no" without considering it a per­ sonal affront. "Most importantly," Dere­ lian suggests, "stay con­ scious and responsible about your food choices during the holidays. That way you won't have to feel guilty. Think now about that bath­ ing suit you want to wear in June rather than waiting until Jan. IS." In the case of holiday overindulgence, an ounce of prevention is literally worth a pound of cure. • • • • An intelligent man has sense enough to recognize his own limitations. ORANGE CHOCOLATE BALLS 2 boxes (8Vk oss. each) chocolate wafers, crushed (4 cups) 1 cup confectioners' sugar % cup frozen concen­ trated orange juice, thawed, undiluted W cup light corn syrup V» cup butter or mar­ garine, melted 1 cup finely chopped walnuts In large bowl mix together all ingredients. Shape into 1- inch balls. Chill. RoU in con­ fectioners' sugar Just before packing in gift containers. Yield: 4 dozen cookies. Personally Yours.,. This year personalize your Christmas Gift with a monogram. $3.00 Please come in soon • orders connot be accepted after Dec. 1 st. (Ebriatmihpr'a MEN'S WEAR 3902 W. MAIN STREET McHENRY, ILLINOIS (615)365-4060