| EATING
HEALTHY DURING THE HOLIDAYS |
 With
holiday season fast approaching, people are already salivating over the full tables
of turkey, potatoes, stuffing, and all the trimmings that adorn a Thanksgiving
and Christmas table. The tradition has always been that we put off any dieting
arrangements for the holidays and promise to buckle down once the special days
are behind us. But the typical rationale of the holiday partier is one that is
born of misconceptions and denials. The methods many of us use to justify our
actions at these parties, and the concepts we have of how to combat the holiday
weight gain, are mostly wrong and/or make it even harder to maintain or lose weight
over the holiday season.
The problem we all face has many faces. But they all spring up during holiday
feasts. We battle with the fact that we have a table full of perennial favorites
- turkey, gravy, stuffing, yams, potatoes, cranberries, and more. We also cope
with the mood in the air - a celebratory occasion, with family visiting, alcohol
flowing, and many things to take your mind off of portion control and eating well.
There is also the conflict of interest when our bodies tell us to have the seconds
of chocolate walnut cake and our minds remind us that we want to look good in
the New Year.
There are so many things that can sway your mind from keeping on message about
weight management, so it is important to be prepared! By knowing in advance what
you need to be mindful of, you can help control your cravings and be sure to make
the right decisions when sitting around the table reminiscing about the year gone
by, or giving thanks for all we have. Ever hear the expression "an ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of cure"? Well, it's even truer during the
holidays, as preparing for the onslaught of high calorie food and drink will help
prevent you from countless hours at the gym after January 2nd to work off the
intake.
So, a major thing to be prepared for is the drinking. Obviously, drinking is
a main part of holiday festivities, and can be a major precursor to bad eating
at the table. Everyone knows that alcohol reduces our inhibitions, and it can
also increase our appetites substantially. So knowing how to draw the line is
necessary for avoiding some pretty nasty eating this Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Many people do not drink, and for those this section is not important. But for
those who even indulge in just a couple of drinks should know to pace your drinking
throughout the night, to avoid the lowered inhibitions and any other effects
that drinking may have on you. Make sure that you limit yourself. Between every
drink, have a glass of water (or a diet soda or soda water/carbonated water).
This will give your body some extra time to eliminate some alcohol before you
ingest even more. Also, when taking part in toasts, sip your champagne instead
of downing the flute.
For your meals, try staying away from the very filling dishes, these typically
have to most calories. Don't have seconds, since you probably ate enough the
first round. Make small portions on your plate, and savor what you have instead
of gorging on it. Try not to use gravy, as it is full of fat and extra calories
you don't need. Try and prepare a steamed vegetable side dish that will be full
of vitamins and low on calories. Turkey, contrary to popular belief, is very
good for you as a lean protein source. It is full of nutrition and low on fat.
You can use the turkey from Thanksgiving and Christmas to make turkey sandwiches
for the days to come, using low-fat mayo and whole wheat bread; this is a very
healthy and filling meal.
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