10 Dietary Tips for Healthy Holidays

1. Alcohol is loaded with calories. Try substituting with sparkling water or club soda (an added benefit is feeling more full with water so you won’t eat as much). Add a small amount lemon, lime, or other fruit juice to your water for added flavor. Another great alcohol substitute is a festive virgin “bloody mary” with a celery stick. If you feel that you JUST have to have that drink, vodka with club soda or sparkling water and wine are your best choices in limited amounts.

2. Eat healthy foods before you go to a party, especially protein foods. Your blood sugar will be more stable so you won’t eat as much. At the party, eat plain fish or lean meats first (i.e. cold shrimp, smoked salmon, turkey breast). You may then be too full to eat a lot of the other foods.

3. At a buffet, graze to take a taste of enticing items, but spend most of your time with the raw vegetables and heart healthy guacamole and humus dips. Consume a variety of foods, but without consuming large volumes. When at a sit down meal, eat slowly, chew and savor your food. Studies have shown that individuals who eat slower will not consume as many calories as those who eat quickly.

4. If you want a rich dessert, keep your fat and carbohydrate intake low the rest of the day to compensate.

5. Watch out for raw foods (raw fish, steak tartar and eggnog made with raw eggs) or foods left out too long at room temperature. They could harbor harmful pathogens such as salmonella, shigella, listeria, or e coli. For food preparation, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water for a full 20 seconds before and after handling raw products. Make sure to store and prepare your raw foods properly to avoid spreading bacteria.

6. Avoid foods high in saturated fat. These are typically very high in calories. For example: 8 oz. eggnog = 340 calories, 1 slice pie with whipping cream = 520 calories; 1 cup standard poultry stuffing = 500 calories. Instead, opt for healthy fats such as chestnuts and pecans.

7. Exercise more to burn more calories during the holidays. Cycling, fast-walking, and cross-country skiing are great ideas. Even shoveling the snow off of your driveway and sidewalk counts. After a big meal, go for a walk which will cut down on post-meal snacking. If you still cannot find time to exercise outside the office, why not try some “Workspace Workouts? Desk push-ups, chair squats, and bent-over reverse flyes (bend your waist to drop your chest toward the top of your thighs; lift arms up and out to the side a few inches and squeeze shoulder blades together one each repetition.) only take a few minutes, but can produce big results if you do them whenever you have a chance.

8. Offer to bring your favorite healthy recipe to the party and spend most of your time eating it. That way, you won’t have to worry about leftovers. If you are hosting the meal or you are the guest, here are some tips to make life less stressful and more enjoyable while minimizing caloric damage:

• Let people help in the kitchen! When someone offers to help you out, give them a specific job that will help alleviate some of the burden on you.
  
  
• Start a meal with a broth based soup to start. Calories in liquid form (unlike water) make people less hungry, and studies show that they reduce the calories consumed later.
  
  
• Eat a big salad at the start of a meal. It will help fill you up so you don’t have so much room for calorie-laden foods.
  
  
• If a relative or friend is repeatedly pressing her pie on you and you don’t want to offend her, take several tiny portions. She’s more apt to notice how many servings you had than how much you ate.
  
  
• Experts recommend eating a nice, sensible breakfast before a big holiday meal. You won’t be as ravenous, making it less likely that you will overindulge at the meal.
  
  
• Remember, it is just one meal! Do everything you can to emphasize the familial aspects of the gathering over the gastronomic. The meal is a transitory experience that will be gone from your system within 24-36 hours, while the memories (good or bad) could last a lifetime.
  

9. If you have food sensitivities or allergies, call your host before the party to determine what foods would be safe. There is nothing worse than having an allergic reaction or digestive distress when you are trying to have fun.

10. Don’t begin a diet during the holidays or become obsessive about avoiding tempting holiday fare. If you restrict yourself too much, you’ll either be depressed or “pig out” later. Remember that the average adult gains 6 lbs. from Thanksgiving Day through New Year’s Day. If you can even maintain your weight during the holidays, you’ll be one step ahead when it is time to make your New Year’s resolutions.