When it comes to eating at Christmas dinner, the terms low-fat, carb-conscious, and heart-healthy get tossed out the window. While there is no way to escape the calorie laden treats and eats of Christmas dinner, there are ways to avoid certain pitfalls when it comes to the annual feast. This holiday season, vow to stay healthy and not fall victim to excess with our easy tips!
Tips to Stay Healthy this Holiday Season
- First thing first, make sure to start off your day with a balanced breakfast. Just like any other day out of the year, skipping the most important meal of the day will leave you hungry and at risk of overeating when it comes to lunch, dinner, and snacks. You might also want to workout with weights before the big meal in order to get the protein and other nutrients help to build mass instead of fat.
- To stay healthy during Christmas, it is important to pace yourself when you are fixing your plate. Instead of trying everything available, stick with the foods you know you are going to like. If you like certain things that are packed in calories and fat, try to limit yourself to smaller portions. After you are finished, go put your plate in the dishwasher because second plates are a huge over eating disaster.
- If you are participating in some kind of crash diet and can only allow yourself to certain foods, get off of the diet. A recent study by, of all people, the French, has found that placing yourself on a food restrictive diet during the holidays will result in a backlash and make you gain more weight after you eventually cave in to temptation.
- If you are worried about diving head first into the leftovers in order to get fueled up for some hot shopping, make sure to give away as much as you can to relatives, friends, or to the dog. Instead of following the cooking instructions on boxes and packages, try to cook fewer portions and quantities of your favorite foods.
- One of the foods you can indulge in is the main event of the meal! You can stay healthy if you skip the flurry of desserts and just indulge in a bit of turkey instead!
With all of the tips available to maintaining a healthy weight and not over doing it on Christmas, the fact remains that it is only one day out of the year. You are off work, with the family, and surrounded by bountiful portions of delicious food. You owe it to yourself to indulge a little bit on special occasions. If you stay healthy the rest of the year, it’s okay to indulge a bit during the holidays.
