Tips on Eating Healthy During the Holiday Season
Being health-conscious doesn't necessarily mean that you can't enjoy the holiday
season and have a little bit of what you fancy. It simply means that you should
continue to be vigilant and be prepared for the festivities.
If we allow ourselves to lose control completely over the holiday season, there
is a high risk that we will continue to eat unhealthily long after the holiday
season has gone. Falling into the trap of unhealthy eating is a hard habit to
break. Despite millions of New Year's resolutions that are made each year
regarding our diets, many people never get around to breaking the habit at all.
In fact, researchers at Washington University have reported that only around 22% of New Year's diet resolutions make it to February.
There are many ways in which you can help to strike a balance between maintaining a healthy diet and joining in with the fun and festivities.
1. Focus on weight maintenance vs. weight loss during the holidays. If you are
currently overweight and want to lose weight, this is not the time to do it.
Maintenance of your present weight is a big enough challenge during the holiday
season. Don’t set yourself up for failure by making unrealistic goals for yourself.
2. Plan on NOT dieting after the New Year. Anticipation of food restriction sets you up for binge-type eating over the holidays (“after all, if I’m never going let myself eat this again after January 1st, I might as well eat as much as possible now!”) Besides, restrictive diets don’t work in the long run. They increase your loss of lean body mass vs. fat, slow down your metabolism, increase anxiety, depression, food preoccupation, and binge eating, and make weight re-gain more likely.
3. Be physically active every day. Often, busy holiday schedules (or lack of structured schedules) bump people off their exercise routines. Physical activity, especially aerobic activities (like brisk walking, jogging, bicycling, group fitness classes, and swimming) can help relieve stress, regulate appetite, and burn up extra calories from holiday eating.
4. Eat a light snack before going to holiday parties. It is not a good idea to arrive at a party famished. Not only are you more likely to overeat, but you are also less likely to resist the temptation of eating the higher fat and higher calorie foods. Try eating a piece of fruit, a small carton of yogurt, or a string cheese before you go.
5. Make a plan. Think about where you will be, who you will be with, what foods will be available, what foods are really special to you (that you really want to eat) vs. those that you could probably do without, what are your personal triggers to overeat and how can you minimize them. Once you've thought about all of these things, make a plan of action. It's much easier to deal with a difficult social eating situation if you've already planned for it.
6. Take steps to avoid recreational eating. While some foods are more calorie-dense than others, no food will make you gain weight unless you eat too much of it. At parties and holiday dinners, we tend to eat (or keep eating) beyond our body’s physical hunger simply because food is there and eating is a “social thing.” To avoid recreational eating, consciously make one plate of the foods you really want. Eat it slowly--enjoying and savoring every tasty bite. Then, when you’re done, pop a mint or stick of gum in your mouth, get a tall glass of water and sip on it throughout the night, or position yourself away from the buffet table or food trays to keep yourself from overeating.
7. Reduce the fat in holiday recipes. There are plenty of low fat and low calorie substitutes that are amazingly tasty. Try using applesauce in place of oil in your favorite holiday breads; use egg substitutes in place of whole eggs; try plain nonfat yogurt in place of sour cream. Magazines are full of reduced calorie and reduced fat holiday recipes. Give them a try, and share your cooking creations with friends and family.
8. Choose your beverages wisely. Alcohol is high in calories. Liquors, sweet wines and sweet mixed drinks contain 150-450 calories per glass. By contrast, water and diet sodas are calorie-free. If you choose to drink, select light wines and beers, and use non-alcoholic mixers such as water and diet soda. Limit your intake to 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks per occasion. And, watch out for calories in soda, fruit punch, and egg nog as well.
9. Enjoy good friends and family. Although food can be a big part of the season, it doesn’t have to be the focus. Holidays are a time to reunite with good friends and family, to share laughter and cheer, to celebrate and to give thanks. Focus more on these other holiday pleasures, in addition to the tastes of holiday foods. The important thing to remember is balance and moderation. It’s OK to eat too much once in a while. Just relax, enjoy the holidays, and remember what the season is all about.
10. Maintain perspective: Overeating one day won't make or break your eating plan. And it certainly won't make you gain weight! It takes days and days of overeating to gain weight. If you over-indulge at a holiday meal, put it behind you. Return to your usual eating plan the next day without guilt or despair.
Source: Created by Sheri Barke, MPH, RD 2002
The Merritt Athletic Clubs offer results-oriented lifestyle programs that are well-rounded and designed to address your health-specific needs. You will receive effective and individualized nutrition advice and/or attend educational seminars. Programs are offered to all Merritt Athletic Clubs members and assessments can be done at any club. Programs are meant to meet your personal goals to lose weight, reduce health risks, adjust body composition, or increase performance.
Nutrition and Fitness Programs An initial health screening that includes a body composition assessment is conducted in order to establish a health, nutrition, and fitness baseline.
- Individual Consultation Nutrition and Fitness Analysis and Assessment
- One-on-One Counseling or in Group Sessions
- Body Composition Testing
- Individual-Based Meal Planning/Preparation
- Education on Nutrition Subjects Including Eating Out, Staying Hydrated, Portion Control, and Much More
- Nutritional Supplementation Consulting
For more information, please call 410-563-0225. |
