Eid Mubarak to all of our Muslim members!

To support our Muslim members, we’ve put together some tips for you to enjoy Eid with your friends, family and community, whilst still eating a healthy balanced diet.

1. Even if you are sharing food, plate yourself up a healthy balanced meal with at least 50% non-starchy vegetables and at least 25% protein, as per the Second Nature Healthy Balanced Plate. If you're having complex carbohydrates, try to keep these to 25% of your plate.

2. Choose a healthy protein source. If you are having meat, opt for grilled, roasted or baked meats rather than fried meats. Opt for kebabs, tagines or curry, or make the most of this lovely summer weather and enjoy a big barbecue.

3. Limit your serving size of carbohydrate. If you are having a traditional lamb or goat meal with rice (e.g. a biryani), aim to make the rice no more than 25% of your plate. Speak to the chef of your family and request that more vegetables are added to the dish. If this isn’t possible, make sure you have lots of vegetables on the side (see below). If you find you are still hungry at the end of the meal, you can always have more meat and veggies to fill yourself up.

4. Vegetables, vegetables, vegetables! Make sure there are lots of side salads and dips e.g. moutabal, babaganoush, Greek salad, tabouli and Fattoush (see Second Nature recipes below). Soup is a nutritious option for a starter. If you’re making a tagine or curry, add lots of vegetables, or make a 2nd tagine or curry with beans and vegetables only.

5. Eat mindfully. Take your time with your meal, chew each mouthful thoroughly, and put your cutlery down between mouthfuls.

6. Avoid sugary sweets and drinks. Add some fresh fruit with cream and cinnamon or to the table, so that you have a healthy dessert alternative. For drinks, always check the labels, and opt for drinks with less than 5 g sugar in 100 g. Chilled sparkling water with berries, sliced citrus fruit and mint can be a really delicious alternative. Iced tea, made from a mix of fruit teabags, is also a refreshing option.

7. Plan your Eid days as well as possible, so that you know where you will be eating and when. This means that you can plan other healthy meals accordingly. For example, if you know you are going for a big family meal on the first lunch of Eid, make sure you have a satisfying, healthy breakfast such as an omelette or oats with nuts and seeds to keep you full throughout the morning, and then plan a lighter evening meal e.g., a soup and salad.

8. Be aware of your choices. Set yourself a framework for the occasional foods. For example, ‘I will have X desserts’; ‘I will have X soft drinks on X night and then will drink water on X night’. Setting yourself small goals like this can help you to enter a situation with more confidence and determination.

9. Use this opportunity to get active with friends or family. Arrange some fun games and activities to get the whole party active.

10. Have a wonderful time! Research shows that having a strong community of friends or family around you will keep you healthy for longer.