Healthy Holiday Eating Strategies and Suggestions!
It's Holiday Time Again! My goal is to help you find a healthy holiday eating strategy that you feel good about. Studies show that the average person gains three pounds during the six weeks from Thanksgiving to New Years with some people gaining as many as ten. All the extra obligations and festivities from late November to New Years can be a challenging time for those of us committed to healthy eating.
All our best intentions for healthy eating can fly out the window as we juggle overflowing to do lists and crammed social calendars. Delicious temptations appear at every turn—homemade goodies, decadent desserts, and high-calorie libations—eggnog and sugar cookies anyone? These high fat indulgences, lavish buffets and fattening canapés can leave us feeling bloated and full of remorse. Still we want to socialize and savor the season.
What is a person committed to healthy eating to do? Don't get discouraged. Instead be prepared with some surefire strategies for eating healthy during the holidays with my simple healthy holiday eating tips.
Top 5 Healthy Holiday Eating Tips...
Be Prepared A key healthy holiday eating tip! Don't resort to junk food from the closest fast-food drive through or vending machine as you race around to get your shopping done. Keep healthy snacks like rice cakes with nut butter, veggies and hummus, and single serving zipper bags of nuts and dried fruit in abundant accessible supply. Make a pot of healthy veggie soup and freeze in individual serving containers readily available when needed.
Eat Moderately Keep portions small. Eat from a smaller plate to trick your eyes into being satisfied. When eating out try the "Choose 3" plan. Don't have an appetizer, bread, wine, entrée and dessert; select only three. Scope out the buffet and be selective before loading up your dish. Studies demonstrate that the most satisfaction comes in the first few bites of a food. Taste just a few bites of the real indulgent items and fill up on the less caloric choices like shrimp or veggies. Eat like a naturally thin person, just until you're no longer hungry. Don't stuff yourself!
Drink Lots of Water Sometimes we mistake hunger for thirst so keep yourself well hydrated. This is an extra important healthy holiday eating strategy when drinking alcohol or caffeine, since these beverages are very dehydrating.
Get Plenty of Sleep While not exactly a healthy holiday eating tip, remember to get enough sleep. Studies show that chronic lack of sleep results in disruption of the hormones that regulate our feelings of hunger and satiety leading to overeating and weight gain. Try to turn in early whenever you can to prevent chronic sleep deprivation related weight gain.
Move Your Body Even when times are extra busy, keep exercising—take your walk, get to yoga class, or keep your personal training appointment! Exercise helps release stress and keeps your metabolism revving, a necessity during this food-focused time of the year.
More Strategies for Healthy Holiday Eating...
Don't Skip Meals Especially breakfast! Studies confirm that those who eat breakfast consume fewer total calories daily than breakfast skippers. Eat a balanced breakfast and get your day started right. This is especially helpful during the holidays when the probability of temptations later in the day is much higher.
Watch the Alcohol It lowers inhibitions that can lead to overeating. Try to limit your drinks to 1-2 and choose lower calorie options like wine or bring back the spritzer—a combination of wine and club soda. One of my favorite healthy holiday eating suggestions is to alternate every glass of wine with a glass of sparkling water.
Never Show Up Hungry Have a little snack that includes some lean protein before you arrive at food filled event. With a manageable appetite you can make healthy balanced choices.
Control the Sugar Be especially wary of indulging in too much of the sugary stuff: cookies, candy or anything made with white sugar and flour. These high glycemic treats cause your blood sugar to go up rapidly and then crash leading to a dangerous cycle of more sugar cravings and moodiness making it especially difficult to stick with your healthy holiday eating strategies.
Shift Your Focus from Food to Fun At a party, don’t hang out near the buffet table, an overeating danger zone. Ever notice how much mindless your eating becomes when talking with friends in front of a table of food? Suddenly you are standing there wondering why the chip bowl is empty! One healthy holiday eating tip that really seems to work—fill your plate, spend some time enjoying your food and then keep your distance. Visit with fun friends, enjoy the music, or dance if you can. Remove yourself from the food. More suggestions for shifting your focus from food to fun for a successful healthy holiday eating season include skipping the cookie making this year and making some crafts instead, playing family friendly board games, taking a holiday home walking tour, going to the movies, or attending a holiday concert, rather than meeting to eat.
The Most Realistic and Balanced Healthy Holiday Eating Tip of All...
Indulge! Enjoy some special treats. If you love pumpkin pie or cheesecake, have a piece and really savor it without guilt!! Deprivation can lead to overindulging so don't deprive yourself. It's important to learn to find the joy in occasionally eating a really delicious slice of homemade chocolate cake!
A Healthy Holiday Eating Tip for Recipes...
Try a New Healthy Recipe It can be fun to take a favorite food and make it healthier. For example, save a bunch of fat and calories and make a crust-less pumpkin pie. I actually made a surprisingly yummy crust-less (wheat-less), dairy-less pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving for my step-son who has food allergies. Here's the healthy pumpkin pie recipe if you want to give it a try.
Healthy Crust-less Dairy-less Pumpkin Pie
3/4 to 1 Cup evaporated can juice crystals or natural sugar of your choice
1 Tablespoon molasses
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 Teaspoon salt
2 Cups canned pumpkin puree
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 3/4 Cups soy creamer (Silk)
2 Tablespoons Brandy (optional)
Preheat oven to 375. Grease a pie dish or similar sized oven-proof dish of your choice.
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stirring so everything is mixed together well.
Pour mixture into prepared dish.
Place in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour or until set.
Cool and enjoy!
One-on-one healthy eating coaching, fun cooking classes, and private yoga instruction in Phoenix, Arizona, to help you lead a happier, healthier, more nourished life. Ask me how - today!
