Holiday Season – Eating Healthy
One of the hardest times during the year to follow a healthy diet and lifestyle is during the holidays. People are more likely to give into temptation and overindulge as friends and family gather to celebrate. Once the cycle of unhealthy eating begins, it is hard to break, as people are around rich foods, sweet desserts and alcoholic beverages. All the hard work that may have been put in prior to Thanksgiving may be lost as this is a very common time where people gain weight. Although large dinners, parties and holiday stress will always be a part of this time of year, there are ways to maintain a balance in your diet and lifestyle, while still engaging in the fun festivities.
1. Eat regular meals each day. Eating 3 regular meals per day with healthy snacks in between will help balance your blood sugar so you will not be as tempted to eat more than you should during larger dinners because of your blood sugar being too low.
2. Try to avoid eating as many grains during meals, especially during the larger dinners. With the larger dinners, there will be plenty of food so skipping out on some of the grains such as rolls, bread, rice and pasta will not be such a big deal. Instead, aim for the vegetable dishes with some lean meat.
3. Make sure to get some exercise in each day. If you keep yourself moving, you will be less likely to gain weight from eating too much. It will also help your energy and help you reduce your stress levels.
4. Sweets and alcohol will most likely be at any holiday dinner or party. Have an idea of how much you want to drink or eat before attending so you have a goal which can keep you from going overboard. You want to be aware of what you are putting into your body so you can make better choices, but not be too critical of yourself when you do decide to have some unhealthy items.
5. Prepare for the party or dinner. Make sure your diet is clean for a couple days leading up to the outing. Before going to the event, have a healthy snack such as an avocado or almonds so you are not going there hungry. Next, if you are able to bring a food dish, make sure it is one that is healthy enough for you to eat. You can bring oven-roasted vegetables or a type of sugar-free, wheat-free or dairy-free dessert depending on what you want to avoid.