Do you have to deny yourself all the goodies? Of course not! If you have eaten a healthy and balanced diet for a whole week, it's okay to sin on the last day of the week. For most people, Sunday would be ideal. This is usually the "day of rest", a "family day". If this does not fit into your schedule, then imagine that your week starts on another day and you eat healthy and balanced meals from Thursday to Tuesday, for example, before "sinning" on Wednesday.

What do we mean by sinning?

Everyone knows that chips and pancakes are not healthy, but they are delicious. "Sinning" may sound a bit negative, but see it more as a "reward" for paying attention to your diet all week.

So for your "sinful" day, choose the things you really feel like eating, without focusing on calories, composition or anything else. You've earned this after a week of paying attention, so don't feel guilty about it.

BUT: this is a reward for a whole week of healthy, balanced eating. If you have let yourself go during the week and have not stuck to a healthy diet, then you have not earned your day of sin!

Examples of "sweet sins":

• Pancakes
• Chips
• Croissants/pastries
• Fast food (pizza, hamburgers, etc.)
• Cake/pie
• Sweets/crisps

Find it hard to wait a week?

Do you find it difficult to get through a week without "treats"? This is especially the case with children, or with people who have never watched their food intake and are only now starting to do so, and it is understandable. If you have managed to eat healthily throughout the day, you can "reward" yourself (or your child) at the end of the day with a handful of nuts, a small sweet or biscuit or a small handful of crisps after dinner.

In short: make sure the "treat" is a reward for your efforts, so you don't have to feel guilty about it.

Exercise

Make sure that on the day you sin, you also exercise enough to burn off the energy absorbed, so that your "tasty kilos" don't stick around. Drink plenty of water, because water helps to remove waste products from your body. Take a brisk walk with the family, for example. That way you get some quality time and fresh air. Or go for an afternoon swim together. Don't sit and sunbathe in the grass or on the beach, but actually go for a swim. It's the exercise you need ;-)

- Translated from Dutch by Tamara Swalef -