One of the reasons people include a “go on a diet” on their New Year’s Resolutions bucket list is because of how much they binge eat during their holiday festivities. It’s fine that one gets to eat, drink and be merry, but it shouldn’t be to the point where they pack on ten pounds in a month only to have them lose it in the matter of weeks or months later on. Here is a guide for healthy eating through the holidays.
Now we’re not saying that you shouldn’t snack on your favorite holiday bites like butter cookies, pecan pie or latkes, but you should watch your intake and mind those nasty extra pounds. That’s why we’ve devised this insightful guide on how you can control whatever goes into your mouth.
- Eat Moderately
One of the ways you can still enjoy eating your grandma’s special family fudge and cookies your coworkers prepared for you is to eat less or in smaller portions. And if you really care about your figure, you’re going to have to opt for healthier alternatives as we’ll get to in the next point.
- Bring on the Greens
Ah, the good old veggies like our mommies force down our throats, and it turns out that she was right in doing so all those years ago. During the holidays, you almost don’t even see half of your plate with any of the healthy greens that you’re body is supposed to have. But if you’re serious about dropping shaving those calories, then you have to bring a dish of non-starchy vegetables to the festivities.
Vegetables are essential as they are packed with a high range of fiber and nutrients. So it’s best to have a serving of the freshest and nutritious greens that your dietician recommends before you enjoy any of the glazed ham, sweet potato pie, roasted turkey, and scrumptious stuffing.
- Trick Your Mind
It’s tough to be at a party table when you’ve got nothing but festival grub laying right next to you. Being in this situation is a chore as one cannot possibly refrain from letting all of those dishes get cold or go to waste. So instead, popping a mint or a stick of gum to trick your mind not to reach out to the plate of chips that are but an arm’s length away.
- Savor Each of Your Bites
No matter what we eat or how much of it, it usually takes around 20 minutes for our brain to receive a signal that we’re full. That’s why you should take your time to savor each and every bite as well as the taste rather than trying all kinds of holiday dishes on the table as fast as you can. This way, it will be much easier to reach the “too full” counter, ease up on the calories and still enjoy your family’s holiday feast.
- Eat Something Before Going Out to a Party
Eating on an empty stomach means you’re priming yourself for some good old-fashioned bing-munching. Hence, it’s better to eat something before you come to a holiday party. The best pre-party snacks are those that blend complex carbohydrates with unsaturated fat and protein, such as a slice of turkey, cheese on whole-wheat pita bread and apple slices with peanut butter.
- Don’t Skip Out on Breakfast and Lunch
Skipping out on breakfast and lunch just so you can consume all your calories for dinner is a well-known strategy for holiday eating that leads to overeating. What you should do instead is have a balanced breakfast like a green smoothie and a satisfying lunch, especially during the day of your holiday event.
- Prevent Yourself from Going into a Food Coma
Overeating during the holidays comes with one of the more notable adverse effects; going into a coma. And how do you stop this from happening? Why, taking a walk, of course. Walking is one of the best habits to include during your holidays, especially after you’ve gobbled down a big dish. Various studies conclude that taking a 15-20 minute brisk walk after a meal can ease one’s digestion as well as stabilize blood sugar levels.
- Eat Only the Things You Love
There is no doubt that most of the stuff that’s on the dinner table during the holidays is mighty edible and tasty, but does that really mean we start stacking and eating the first thing that our hands touch? Not if you want to lose that round belly it doesn’t.
So try to only focus on eating the types of food that you easily go nuts over and skip out the ones that make you go either “eh” or “blah” if something like eggnog isn’t your cup of tea.
Another way tip would be to get a good feel of the buffet table before putting things on your plate. Inspecting your options is a much better approach compared to piling up meals in a sequence.
- Don’t Forget to Exercise
If you’re going to keep your body in fine shape, you need to reserve at least one or two workout sessions a week, in spite of how busy you may be.
If you don’t get enough time to do a four-mile walk, then do at least 10 to 15-minute spurts of exercise for the whole day. It’s better than nothing and is effective at maintaining one’s overall fitness compared to nothing at all.
