HEALTHY HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

HEALTHY HOLIDAY EATING TIPS 

HEALTHY HOLIDAY EATING TIPS 

It’s that time of year again—the “holidays”—that
span of time that encompasses Thanksgiving,
Christmas, and New Year’s which is the foundation
for many a neglected post-holiday resolution.
During these six weeks, emotions are elevated,
hopes are high, stress is strong, and the annually
recurring tempest of the temptation of tasty treats
and caloric cravings adds yet another dimension
(well, at least for some of us) to the joys and
festivities of the season: the dreaded holiday weight
gain!

Avoided by some about as much as the plague,
while invited by others like Santa at a discount deer
sale, holiday weight gain has become as much a
preoccupation during the season as the more
traditional elements of cooking, cleaning, and
celebrating.

Good food—and lots of it—is both expected and
encouraged during these special times, but
excessive indulgence can bring on its share of
payments to the piper called the human body, that
wonderful biological machine which possesses a
nasty little ability to detect when too many caloric
deposits have been made and not enough
withdrawals.

In order to help you navigate the extremes between
self-indulgence and self-denial—neither of which is
recommended—the Men’s Health Network suggests
the following 10 healthy holiday eating tips to keep
you satisfied, healthy, and trim.
BEFORE YOU GO…

1. Aim for weight maintenance rather than

weight loss –

Accept the fact that the holiday
season is not the best time to focus on weight
loss—that is, unless you’re absolutely certain that
preparing for next September’s triathlon, right now,
will really give you that winning edge. Instead, focus
on holding steady and minimizing weight gain. Go
ahead and give yourself permission to indulge a bit.
One day here and there “off the diet” or eating plan
isn’t going to make you overweight, but don’t go
overboard. Then when January arrives, you’ll at
least be able to avoid the shame of not living up to
that resolution that you knew you weren’t going to
keep anyway.

2. Eat before you go – 

Before heading out the door
to the meal or party, eat a small meal or have a light
snack. Having some food already in your stomach
keeps your metabolism revved up and gives you a
slight feeling of satiety (satisfaction), which will help
guard against overeating later. Starving yourself,
“saving up” your calories for the “big meal,” and
going to the event on an empty stomach are likely to
increase feelings of deprivation and anxiety, as well
as promote stress eating, all of which are a sure-fire
recipe for over-indulgence.

3. Plan ahead –

Now c’mon, ‘fess up, you’ve been
to these things before; you know what to expect, so
claiming ignorance won’t cut it. Therefore, have a
plan—no, not for winning the “Who Can Eat The
Most Without Passing Out” contest for the third
consecutive year—but for self-control, especially
when it comes to your most tempting treats (e.g.
chocolate). Think ahead about the things—sights,
aromas, feelings, cravings, emotions, socializing,
even that prodding from your well-meaning
grandmother who still thinks you look too skinny—
that trigger your personal patterns of overeating,
binging, or “pigging out,” and then make plans to
avoid or combat these things beforehand so they
don’t become overwhelming.

4. Keep exercising –

Maintaining—or even slightly
increasing—a regular schedule of physical activity
will help decrease your appetite, keep your
metabolism stoked, and give you a little caloric
leeway to allow you to dig in to that sweet treat
that’s just got your name written all over it.
Emphasize aerobic activities, e.g., walking, running,
cycling, elliptical training, jumping rope,
rollerblading, swimming, etc., and aim for at least 30
minutes on as many days as you can. Still,
remember that your mouth can always outperform
your legs. In other words, storing fat through eating

is always much easier to do than burning it off
through exercise. So, unless you’re putting in daily
marathoner’s workouts, don’t expect your exercise
routine to make up for several days of gut-bustin’
extravaganzas. If you’re going to work hard at
exercising, don’t negate the benefits by stuffing
yourself meal after meal.
ONCE YOU’RE THERE…

5. Drink lots of water –

Sipping on a glass of cold
water or ice throughout the event is a good way to
keep you feeling full (and therefore curb the
inclination to overeat) and stave off dehydration
from consuming too many high-sugar, high-salt
goodies. An additional reason to avoid dehydration
is that it can actually mimic hunger, tempting you to
eat more when you should really be drinking more,
especially water.

6. Practice portion control – 

It’s not necessary to
repeat out loud to yourself, “I will exercise selfcontrol.
I will exercise self-control. I will …” Still,
you’ve heard it before: moderation is the key. Sure,
it’s nice to dig into some palatable pleasantries that
you might not routinely have, but is it worth the extra
time and effort required later to work off that milehigh
mound of food? (Remember, you don’t really
have a gun to your head forcing you to finish all of
it.) It’s highly unlikely that anyone is going to starve
after they leave, and besides, no matter how full you
get, hunger has a strange way of returning, so
eating until you’re totally miserable doesn’t exactly
testify to the superiority of the human intellect. So,
eat up and sample what you want, just keep your
portions reasonable, chew your food slowly, enjoy it,
and keep your return trips to a minimum.

7. Eat slowly – 

Besides being a huge turnoff in
public, inhaling your food undermines the body’s
messaging system that signals fullness and satiety.
Eating and chewing food slowly gives the stomach
time—usually about 20 minutes—to tell the brain
that it’s feeling full. On the other hand, when food is
gulped down, by the time the stomach sends its
fullness signal to the brain, it’s too late: you’ve
probably already consumed not only too much
volume, but too many calories as well. And if you’re
like most people, who want to not only enjoy the
food, but also prolong the meal itself, then the
situation is compounded as more and more “fast
food” is heaped into an already overloaded stomach
and metabolism. Slow down—the food’s not going
anywhere! (And besides, if you have to chase it, it
probably wasn’t cooked well enough anyway, and
you were better off not having it.)

8. Eat food because you’re hungry, not because
it’s there –

Make a deliberate decision to control
so-called recreational eating. Most people throw
real hunger out the window when they attend
holiday gatherings. As a result, they end up eating
with their eyes rather than their appetites. Try this:
after you arrive, take some time to examine what’s
available, and then decide what you really want. Fill
up your plate, eat slowly, and then consciously
determine to put the brakes on for a while so that
your stomach can send its signal to your brain.
Filling up a large dinner plate will provide you with
more than enough volume, calories, and nutrients.
And don’t continue hovering over the dessert table
once you’ve had your fill. Move away.

9. Veg out on veggies – 

If you absolutely must
self-induce that oft-desired state of deep
gastronomical delight, then do it with low-calorie,
high-fiber vegetables. Filling up on healthy
vegetables instead of high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt,
and high-caffeine treats will make you feel full and
provide an abundance of needed nutrients, but
without the drawbacks of dehydration, nervousness,
weight gain, and further overeating.

10. Enjoy yourself – 

Hey, they don’t call it “the
most wonderful time of the year” for nothing! Sure,
the food’s inviting, but it’s not the only reason to
enjoy the festivities. Allow yourself to enjoy other
people (family, friends, coworkers, even new faces),
the meaning of the season, personal reflections,
renewed spiritual dedication, holiday games, and
the fun and memories that you’re being blessed to
have. Food will always be available, but loving
relationships are both fragile and temporary.