Making Healthy Holiday Choices

Posted On: 11-25-2016

Eating a healthy diet is incredibly important—it helps to reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease, contributes to a healthy weight, and improves overall quality of life. Unfortunately, even those who are most careful about following healthy diets can become overwhelmed and distracted during the holidays.

To curb any negative effects, you need an action plan ahead of the holiday season. Follow these tips to stick to your goals and avoid the guilt:

•   Keep your unhealthy foods stored out of sight. You may have gotten a plate of cookies from your neighbor, but you don’t need to put them front and center on your table. Tuck them away to have in small portions (or better yet, share them with someone else) and keep a bowl of fruit most visible for snacking.

•   Carry gum with you. Once you go to a holiday party and eat a modest plate of food, start chewing some sugarless gum to reduce your cravings for a second helping or the dessert table.

•   Eat before you go. If you know you’ll be at a holiday party, you can cut back on eating too much by having a healthy, light meal at home beforehand. That way, you won’t be tempted to overeat out of hunger once the food is served.

•   Focus on the healthy options. Whether you are at a workplace buffet or a restaurant, skip the unhealthiest options completely. If you don’t even see them as available choices, it is a lot easier to choose—and enjoy—a salad or something else light.

Above all, the best way to make healthy holiday choices is whatever combination of tricks you discover work best for you. Use the support of family and friends to help you stick to your healthy meal plans this holiday season.

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