Sunday, October 9, 2011

Tips for HealthIER Holiday Eating

We get so many questions from people asking how they can stick to their diet during Christmas or Thanksgiving.  With the mounds of stuffing and glistening gravy in front of you, its hard not to stuff yourself into a coma!  Here are a few tips to balancing your meals and not going overboard during the holidays.


Don’t go to Dinner Hungry
Missing the first meal of the day slows down your metabolism, which causes your body to store more calories later, and you may end up gorging at dinner because you're extra hungry

Give your Plate a Healthy Makeover
Vegetables tend to be noticeably absent in many Thanksgiving meals. Bring or make a healthy salad or steam some fresh vegetables as a healthy addition to your meal. Remember its a great season for fresh vegetables, make sure to get in 1 bright orange vegetable (sweet potato, carrots, even mango) and 1 dark leaf green (spinach, kale, brussel sprouts) at your meal! 

Socialize at the Table 
This goes in conjunction with the first point; people who starve themselves all day are extra hungry and therefore eat at warp speed. It takes your body a full 20 minutes to realize its full so talk to your friends and family while at the dinner table in between bites.  And chew your food fully!  The more you chew your food, the better your body will digest it. 

Thanksgiving Dinner isn’t an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet! 
Thanksgiving plates often resemble small food mountains.  Try and fill half your plate with vegetables, quarter with lean meat, quarter with starch.  Try using a smaller plate, or don't feel the need to fill a big one and eat everything off of it.

Mindfully Splurge
There’s always a ton of super yummy food at Thanksgiving.  But if candied yams or gravy aren’t your thing, why eat it?  Just because its there doesn’t mean you need to fill up on it!  Have a small taste of your favourite unhealthy options, and only splurge on a full portion of one of these dishes (whether it’s dessert, creamy mashed potatoes or buttery homemade rolls!).

Have a Pickle! 
The acidity in pickled juices can aid in the digestion of complex carbohydrates (the starches)

Save Dessert for Later 
After such a big meal, do you really need to stuff yourself with dessert right away? Make a small plate for yourself for later... you'll enjoy it way more when you're less full I promise.

Drink Tea
If you're skipping dessert and don't want to be bothered by your beloved grandmother pushing a heaping mound of chocolate cake at you, ask for a hot cup of green or herbal tea. It'll keep you at the table and chatting with everyone (plus you'll get in some extra anti-oxidants!

Drink Lots of Water
Limit your intake of wine and pop to one glass

Take it Outside
It's a beautiful time of year so why not suggest the family goes on a casual walk through the local park after dinner? Its great family bonding time and also the opportunity to burn off some of those excess calories. 

Most importantly: don’t beat yourself up if you go overboard!
You are NOT going to gain weight from one overindulged meal.  And that’s no reason to starve yourself before or after either!  The best advice we can give is to listen to your body and eat consciously And most importantly, have fun and enjoy time with your loved ones!

1 comment:

  1. Hi, I write a blog about vitamins, nutrition, and other random health topics at http://healthyeducator.blogspot.com/
    I really like your article and all the tips it gave. It's a good idea to start implementing them now, so people will be covered when the holidays come around!

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