Healthy Decisions During Holiday Meals and Treats

Mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, Grandma’s pumpkin pie, and other holiday favorites can be a wonderful part of any celebration.  But to keep feeling your best, you know you need to eat in moderation and stay active. As holidays approach, it’s important to think ahead and make a plan.  Consider your health goals for the holiday season. Tasty treats tend to appear more often at work and at gatherings, and also come as gifts.  You may find more tempting treats as you grocery shop.  

The key is not only what you eat, but how much you are moving. Even little bits of extra exercise can be very helpful for everyone over the holidays.  Plan ahead for how you’ll add physical activity to days that might involve a lot of sitting.  Enjoy catching up with family or friends on a walk or a jog instead of on the couch.  Stroll through the neighborhood in between meals, or play a game of flag football.  

The emotions of holiday celebrations can affect your eating too.  Joy, sadness, and stress are all associated with overeating during the holidays.  Consider ways to reduce stress and manage emotions.  These might include talking to a trusted friend, meditation, physical activity, or just getting outside.  It’s also okay to decline invitations without feeling guilty.  People who are emotional eaters may be particularly vulnerable to temptations around the holidays.  

• Food journaling can help you become more aware of what you eat and make healthier choices.  You can identify unhealthy habits that need to change, like drinking too many sugary drinks or eating large portions.   It will help you recognize patterns that you might not have noticed otherwise.  For example, you might notice that you eat more when you are stressed or bored.  You can use your food journal to set healthy eating goals, like eating more vegetables or cooking more at home.  Food journaling can help you track how you feel after eating and to identify foods that leave you satisfied and full of energy, versus those that make you crave more or crash your energy and help you decrease unconscious eating.  In a Kaiser Permanente study of nearly 1,700 participants, those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who didn’t.  The study also found that the frequency of keeping food diaries was a strong predictor of weight loss.  
• Enjoy a healthy breakfast to help prevent overeating later on.  You may think that by skipping meals you are doing yourself a favor by cutting out calories, but you may very well be setting yourself up to overeat come party time.  

• Choose a smaller plate and eat what’s best for you first.  Fill at least half your plate with fruit, veggies and lower calorie items. You’ll have less room for the smaller portions of the richer foods.  Remove your plate as soon as you are finished and move away from the food table!  Try brushing your teeth if you are tempted for more, or pop a sugar free mint in your mouth.  The feeling of a fresh palate can curb additional eating.
• Use strategy around meals and not depend on your willpower.  At a big sit-down supper, be the last one to start eating, and the second one to stop eating.  Sit next to a fellow healthy eater or at least sit next to someone you know who eats slowly, so their pace can slow yours.  Wait for all the food to presented before making choices.  Enjoy the special things and try to avoid the common foods that you can enjoy any time of the year.  Make the decision before you start to eat that you will be satisfied with just a few bites of a calorie dense foods. Choose your indulgences wisely!  If you start to help with clearing dishes and cleaning the kitchen as soon as the meal is finished, you might find you have no room for dessert. 
• Bring a healthy dish to a party.  This way you know that there is a healthy choice for you to have.  Make sure you avoid attending a gathering already hungry.  Have a healthy snack before you arrive and drink a big glass of water.  If you drink a glass of water before each meal, this will help you stay hydrated, fill up faster, and help you eat less.  
• Avoid beverages that are high in calories and in sugar.  Have some sparkling water with fresh lime or orange.  It’s amazing how quickly calories from alcohol and sugary drinks add up. Try not to drink your calories for the day!

• Exercise especially on days you eat a holiday meal.  Your metabolism will be running higher and chances are you will choose better foods.  But remember, you can’t out exercise a bad diet.  Follow the 3 bite rule for rich foods and desserts.  This way you can savor the taste without feeling deprived. 
• Set goals for yourself over the holidays.  Read them first thing in the morning, throughout the day and before bed.  Put your self-care on your calendar.  Share these goals with somebody to help your stay accountable.  
• Support your family and friends too.  Encourage them to eat healthy during celebrations throughout the year.  If you are serving dinner, consider baking, broiling, or grilling food instead of frying.  Make take home containers available ahead of time, so guests don’t feel they have to eat everything in one sitting.  
• Stay positive and don’t give up! Falling out of habits your’e are trying to accomplish for a few days does not mean your effort is hopeless.  Simply acknowledge that you slipped up and get back on plan the very next meal!