Create a Healthier Holiday Season
As we head toward the New Year, now is a perfect time to get a jump start on healthy goals. December is a month packed with many holidays and religious celebrations. It’s easy to forget about exercise and healthy eating. Sweet treats, excess food and drink seem to be everywhere. Many people experience added stress during December. This is an emotionally charged time of year often filled with unrealistic expectations. This month it’s important to maintain self-care routines such as exercise, healthy eating and to reserve personal time to relax and unwind.
To counteract rising levels of stress, it’s a good time to begin controlling those things that are still within our control. This includes our nutrition, exercise and sleep habits.
Here are some suggestions to help you enjoy the holidays, while avoiding traditional holiday weight gain:
• Plan time for regular exercise. It helps relieve stress, gives you more energy (to get through all the holiday events) and will help negate any weight gain.
• Don’t skip a meal because you are going to a party. Treat it as a normal day of eating.
• Never go to a party hungry. Before leaving home, eat a light snack to curb your appetite. You will be less tempted to overindulge in high-calorie items.
• Volunteer to bring your own healthy dish to holiday gatherings. Then you will have at least one healthy option to enjoy.
• Survey the entire party table before filling your plate. Only choose your favorite foods and skip the others. Include lots of fruits and vegetables.
• Using a smaller plate will help with portion control. Don’t stand too close to the food. It will be too tempting to keeping eat more than you need. Fill your plate once and enjoy the food. Then give up your plate and enjoy a low-cal beverage and the company of people around you.
• Savor a few of your favorite holiday treats, but enjoy smaller portions.
• Beware of empty-calorie beverages: alcohol induces overeating and even non-alcoholic beverages can be full of calories and sugar.
• If you can, volunteer to have the party or gathering at your home. You’ll be able to control most of the food and beverages.
Try taking the focus off of food during the holidays. Turn candy or cookie-making traditions into “non-edible” projects, such as making wreaths or a gingerbread house. Plan group activities with family and friends that aren’t all about food. Play board games or go on a walking tour of decorated homes.
Small changes = big rewards over time
Small changes in both diet and physical activity can make a big difference over time. You can begin improving your diet and physical activity habits by making small, incremental changes. Limit calories from added sugars and saturated fats, and reduce sodium intake. If you consume more fiber and eat lean protein, you’ll feel full longer. Even just 10 minutes of physical activity a day (parking the car further away from the entrance, taking the stairs, standing/walking meetings, etc.) can have an impact over time.
“Good” versus “bad” fats
Choose foods with “good” unsaturated fats, limit foods high in saturated fat, and avoid “bad” trans fats. “Good” unsaturated fats — monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — lower disease risk. Foods high in good fats include vegetable oils (such as olive, canola, sunflower, soy and corn), nuts, seeds, avocados and fish.
Avoiding a sugar situation
Recognize the added sugar currently in your diet. Added sugars are any sugar or sweeteners added to foods or beverages. They add calories without adding important nutrients. Consuming less sugar over time can help with weight loss and reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and even some types of cancer. Reducing the sugar in your diet can actually reduce your “sweet tooth” cravings over time.
Learn to control (but accommodate) your food cravings. Completely eliminating your favorite foods may be more harmful than helpful. Instead, allow yourself small portions, but only on occasion. Read food labels and pay attention to serving sizes.
A final reminder
If you start making some healthy choices in December, you’ll have a head start in January when we turn the page to the New Year.
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