“The year is coming to an end. I feel I need to sit and relax and maybe enjoy a movie or a delicious holiday meal. I’m so tired and stressed I feel I can do that.” These are the first thoughts that come to mind when the holiday season comes around. The feeling I get reminds me of just finishing a long 50+ hour week at work. After that, another thought comes to mind, “I can give up on my healthy eating for the holidays. I’ve earned it.” Sound familiar? What comes to your mind when the daylight fades and the cold weather comes? Do you see yourself sliding on your personal habits for the holidays?
We’ve put together the top 5 eating strategies during the holidays to help you keep your resolve and stick with the healthy lifestyle you’ve created. We’re here to help you because now is the time of the year to stay even more focused on eating right and maintaining those habits that mold our lifestyle.
Don’t skip meals
Sounds like the opposite of what you would normally do during the holidays. Have you ever gone a couple of hours without eating? What happens when you find yourself in the kitchen in this condition? After a long, hard day we are ready to eat almost anything. Do you find yourself snacking on the sweets or overeating at the party? This is most likely because you’ve deviated from your set schedule of eating. This can be the start of a bad habit. The way to counter that is to eat breakfast when you wake up, set a good time for lunch, and eat dinner in the evening. Don’t skip it or you will find yourself eating the pie and ice cream over the healthy meat and vegetable dinner.
Start with healthier foods
When it comes time to eat I find myself eyeing the mashed potatoes and the gravy. Those are some of the best-tasting dishes at my family holiday party. Though they may taste good there are some better choices I can make during the meal. Start by filling your plate with the steamed broccoli, the green bean casserole, or the turkey and cranberry sauce. By starting with these dishes you will find there isn’t much room for the other not-so-healthy dishes. When you have the all-you-can-eat homemade buffet sitting in front of you the choices you make now will be evident by comparing last year, this year, and next year’s party pictures.
Decisions, decisions, decisions
When you don’t have the choice of what to eat at the table you still have the choice of moderation. My grandmother was one of the best chefs I knew. She would make anything and everything for Thanksgiving and Christmas. There was no getting out of eating the fruit Jell-O that would never slide down my throat as advertised. One Thanksgiving I showed my gratitude for the time and effort put into the meal. I decided to try every dish-even the ones I didn’t like as much (I barely took a scoop of those). I then realized that I didn’t need to fill my plate with each dish. I could choose which ones I wanted and how much. From then on, I try to fill my plate with those dishes I like best and which are healthier. Not only will you be a gracious guest, but your heart and other organs will be grateful too.
I’ll have another
Our healthy decisions don’t stop at the food, they apply to beverages as well. Try substituting alcoholic beverages for non-alcoholic drinks. Oftentimes, 1 glass/bottle leads to another and another. If you aren’t careful you may find all your hard work going straight to the stocking. At www.drinkaware.co.uk they show a 250 ml glass of wine is equivalent to a nice slice of sponge cake. A pint of beer has the same amount of calories as a large slice of pizza. Those drinks that seem so effortless to consume also multiply the calories you are taking in. For you who don’t drink don’t think you are off the hook. The juices at these meals and parties have a very similar calorie count. Grape and cranberry juices both have a measured calorie count of over 130 per cup. These 130 calories can be consumed in less than 5 seconds. Think about that next time you reach for a drink.
Pick your poison
Unless you are allergic to sugar I don’t know one person that won’t eat at least 1 sugar cookie or a piece of holiday pie during the festive season. My family loves to make pie. Pumpkin is the top choice but of course, you will find apple crisp, cherry, and even the caramel pecan pie. I only see these during the week of Thanksgiving and Christmas, other than that they are rare the rest of the year. Your family and friends have their special cookie recipes or cakes they only make during this special season. So be picky and don’t just grab the closest cookie or brownie. Rather, select a little bit of the heart-felt holiday dessert and leave it with that.
The holiday season is something to be celebrated, but it really is difficult to keep your wits about you and not lose the ground you’ve gained in your fitness.