The best thing about the holiday season is obviously the food! Yes, with so many delicious appetizers, main meals and desserts to choose from, it’s hard not to get off track with our healthy eating habits that we have been steadfast in since the summer. But don’t jump off the bandwagon just yet “ follow these tips to help you enjoy food this holiday without the guilt.
Everything in moderation
If you’re already following the rules of moderation for your current eating habits then continue to do so when it comes to the holidays as well. Stop thinking that you have to go overboard just because the season only rolls around once a year. Get that idea out of your mind right now! Instead just try and enjoy food like you normally do without feeling that you have to eat more than you want.
Pick and choose
Have you ever noticed how picky children are when it comes to what they eat? Well, you need to be the same whenever you’re attending a party or going out to eat. Try and fill up your plate with items that you really want to try, rather than trying everything just because it’s on the table. A good way to determine if an appetizer or main dish is worthy of your plate is to see if it is a different then the foods you usually eat. After all, you don’t want to eat the same food over and over, right?
Make it balanced
If you’re one of those people who go straight to the sweet holiday treats when at your family’s annual Christmas or Hanukkah gathering and don’t think twice about adding any sauté©ed vegetables to your plate, you need to rethink your eating approach. Sure, Nona’s cinnamon cookies and holiday eggnog taste like heaven but you still need to make sure to get the right amount of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and if you’d like meat servings. A helpful mental tool to keep on track is to picture your meal with more than half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter filled with whole grains and the rest or less with sweets and goodies.
Stay on track
It’s very hard to eat well during the holidays but not impossible. If you find yourself caving or indulging too much, keep track of what you eat with a food diary. By writing down everything you gobble up, it allows you to see what you are eating, how much of it you’re eating and what you might want to cut out. But it’s not all about control – keeping track also let’s you plan out how you want to enjoy all the great and different foods and it let’s you see what you have already tried so you can keep trying and indulging in new foods!
