“It’s the holiday season again.”This simple sentence brings up all kinds of images before our eyes.Holidays mean family, visiting neighbors, going to parties, getting dressed up and going out, going to concerts.It means food drives, maybe volunteering at the local soup kitchen.It means decorations.Holidays also mean mistletoe, pine trees perhaps, and tinsel.Holidays also mean gingerbread, mincemeat, fruitcake, turkey, ham, cookies, pecan pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie, champagne, red wine, white wine, restaurants, hors d’oeuvres, cheese, popcorn, hot chocolate, cider, wassail, chocolate cake, any other kind of cake, tarts, candy canes, and chocolate chocolate chocolate.And it’s when we get to this last part that our mouths start to drool and, at the same time, fear fills our hearts…and our stomachs.The holidays are both wonderful and terrible because they involve so much good (read rich) food.Holidays can mean the end and the ruin of that diet you’ve been so good at the last 10 months.Holidays can mean the return of that ghetto bootie you’ve been desperate to get rid of.Holidays can mean saying hello again to that beer belly that your wife hates so much.I’m too lazy to even diet the rest of the year, but when I hear the word “holiday,” I start to dread too.Holidays can mean all of this, but they don’t have to!There are lots of ways to make sure that you don’t gain that universally feared weight during the holidays, and during the rest of the year too.Because we all know that holidays aren’t just a November/December thing-Valentine’s Day, Easter, the Fourth of July, Memorial Day barbecues-it seems like there’s danger lurking in every month of the year.
Whether you’re starting a new diet plan right now, or just want to make sure that you’re eating well, you need a balanced diet. Or maybe you’re already on a diet plan and want a new one or just want more information.No matter where you are in your weight loss plan (or where you aren’t), the point is that holidays can be dangerous.With all of that wonderful food around, what can you eat?It kills the party if you bring your own tofu.Plus, you can feel left out when you’re munching on your celery sticks while everyone else is digging into the cheese ball and the mashed potatoes.And who wants to be drinking bottled water while everyone else clinks their champagne glasses?
Even if you’re on a diet, or if you just don’t want to gain that fabled holiday weight, you can still eat during the holidays.Even better, you can eat during the holidays and not feel like an outcast.Be part of the party this year!Just choose your holiday foods carefully.There are many foods that you can eat during the holidays without sacrificing your diet and weight loss goals.
First of all, before you even start eating, remember the following tricks to keep yourself in shape.
1.Control your portions!
Even if you decide to indulge and eat that piece of chocolate decadence, or your mother-in-law’s pumpkin cheesecake, you can still be in control.Just ask for a small piece.You still get the great taste, you still get to join in the party, but you’re not sacrificing anything.There’s no reason to be a glutton.Just eat small.One trick is to use a small plate.Studies have shown that people who use smaller plates eat less, even when they ask for seconds.
2.Watch yourself during certain situations.
When at a party or another social situation, make sure that you’re not just digging in and pigging out so that you can be like everyone else.You can eat what’s there, but just nibble.You don’t have to eat the whole time.
Here are some foods that taste great, are a traditional part of the holiday celebrations.Even better, these give you added boosts of antioxidants and other helpful nutrients so that you feel and become even healthier.
–squash
–brussels sprouts
–sweet potatoes (just skip the one with marshmallows on top)
–pumpkin pie (especially when seasoned with ginger)
–fruits
–vegetables
–white meat, like turkey breast
–trail or chex mix