Holidays: Your Complete Healthy Holiday Eating Guide

by Darlene Josaphe on December 6th, 2018 | 2 Comments »

Is it possible to eat healthy during the holiday season and not feel deprived? There are ways you can cut calories and still enjoy holiday feasts without being sad and depressed because you can’t indulge in Grandma’s tempting delicacies. The holidays only come once a year—and those great foods may not appear at any other time of the year.

How You Can Eat Healthy During the Holidays

Here are some tips about how to make it through the holidays without gaining back the weight you worked so hard to lose:

Change recipes to reflect a more health-conscious version.

Grandma’s recipes can likely be changed to become healthier without losing the taste and texture you love. For example, use a fruit puree, such as applesauce, rather than oil in a cake recipe, use egg whites rather than whole eggs, and use fat-free dairy products rather than whole fat.

Have a plan.

When you arrive at a party, check out the food offerings before digging in. Note the veggie tray and other items that aren’t so full of calories and begin there. Remember, you can have a sampling of holiday treats, just watch the calories and portions.

Bring your own food.

A family pot-luck is a perfect opportunity for you to bring low-calorie foods that you love and indulge in those. Again, you can sample other dishes, just be sure not to go overboard on the caloric intake.

Enjoy the people.

Spend most of your time at a holiday get-together with friends, relatives, and making new acquaintances rather than hovering around the food table. Suggesting games to get your mind off food is a great way to enjoy your time at the party and it’s something that everyone can join in and have fun.

Eat before the party.

Don’t skip breakfast or lunch because you plan to “pig out” at the party. Eating a meal or snack before can help you pass on those tempting desserts and calorie-laden drinks.

Avoid excessive alcoholic beverages.

Calories in holiday drinks can sneak up on you. As you drink, your will power becomes less aggressive and the alcohol is an appetite stimulant, causing you to eat and drink more than you intend. A glass of water or diet soda with lemon or lime is a good substitute.

It’s difficult to diet during the holidays when there are so many tempting dishes within your reach. There are office parties, relative and friend celebrations, and enticing advertisements in all the media types. But it’s not impossible to avoid weight gain during the holidays.

Just paying attention to a few of the above tips can reduce your caloric intake during the holiday weeks and will keep you from waking up on New Year’s Day and dreading the scale.

What are you doing this holiday season to make sure you are eating healthy?

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