Healthy Holiday Eating Tips
If you’re ready to ring in the holidays in a healthy way this year, these healthy holiday eating tips will give you the tools you need to stay on track. Whether you’re celebrating with family, friends, co-workers, or on your own, the holidays can be a challenging time for healthy eating. With so many seasonal treats, holiday meals, and parties, the amount of sugar, alcohol, and calories can add up to much more than your regular eating routine. But eating healthy during the holidays is possible.
This holiday healthy eating guide will help you follow some basic nutrition tips this holiday season. If you’re wondering how to have a healthy holiday, read on for 12 tips that will help you stay merry and healthy this season:
Eat colorfully. It can be easy to overeat desserts and processed foods at holiday gatherings but it’s important to get enough nutrients in your diet each day. Whether you’re eating at a buffet or Christmas dinner with family and friends, choose different foods that give you a variety of colors on your plate. Colorful foods tend to have more nutrients - such as red, orange, yellows, and greens, which are often the colors of fruits and vegetables.
Include fruits and veggies. Going along with the first tip, eat plenty of fruits and veggies. It’s tempting to go right to desserts and snack foods during the holidays, but make sure you also get enough fruits and vegetables. Some healthy foods for family gatherings include sweet potatoes, collard greens, broccoli, salads with mixed greens or kale, and vegetable casseroles. Fruit salad and fresh fruits make an excellent appetizer or snack choice for holiday gatherings.
Slow down. You can enjoy your favorite holiday foods in moderation, but before saying yes to seconds, give yourself at least 10 minutes to digest and think about it so that you don’t overindulge. Skip seconds on foods you don’t love or that aren’t nutritious and enjoy your favorite holiday foods in moderation.
Be picky about indulgences and prioritize your top favorite holiday foods. Enjoy your most-liked foods and skip the extra desserts and snacks that you don’t love. Instead of eating everything available, pick and choose your favorites and balance out indulgences by also making healthy choices like fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean protein.
Don’t skip meals. Sometimes it’s tempting to skip a meal if you have a big holiday feast coming up, but it’s important to stick to a regular eating schedule. If you go to a big Christmas party or New Year’s Eve meal with an empty stomach, you’ll be more likely to overeat processed snack foods and desserts into your mouth. Eat regular meals and you’ll be able to strike a better balance.
Pre-eat before holiday events so you don’t arrive with an empty stomach. Have some healthy snacks before events such as Greek yogurt, fruit, and lean protein like grilled chicken or some nuts. Pre-eating will help you stay more focused on the event and the people around you since you won’t be hungry, and you’ll be less likely to overeat.
Update holiday recipes to be more healthy. Most holiday recipes can be modified to have healthier components. Cut down on sugar or try natural sweeteners like maple syrup or honey. You can also use less butter, go for healthy oils like olive oil, and skip things like adding bacon to a dish. Recipes with frying can often be modified to baking for a healthier option.
Drink more water. Food requires water for digestion, and water will also help you feel more satiated and less likely to overeat. Have a glass of water between sweet drinks or alcoholic beverages and this will help you stay hydrated and cut down on alcoholic drinks.
Don’t stand by the food table. Location really is everything, and standing by the snacks will make you much more likely to mindlessly eat. Situate yourself away from easily accessing all the food and you’ll be surprised how much easier it is to eat in moderation.
Take a walk. It’s important to keep moving throughout the holiday season, and walking is an accessible way to burn off excess holiday calories while keeping your heart healthy. Take a walk with your family or friends after holiday meals, and you’ll enjoy the time together while creating a new healthy holiday tradition.
Cut back on processed foods. Homemade holiday snacks and desserts will almost always be healthier than processed ones. Processed foods often contain excess salt, sugar, and fats that you can skip by making your holiday eats.
Focus more on people, and less on food. The holidays are about celebrating the people we care about and appreciating them. Try to keep this in mind as you attend holiday gatherings, and savor the people around you. Shifting your focus from food to people will help you enjoy the holidays more and your loved ones will be grateful.
Enjoy Healthy Holiday Eating
Healthy holiday eating doesn’t have to be a strict program of denial. You can still enjoy your favorite holiday dishes with some planning and balancing. Eating healthy during holidays is something that everyone can do. Even though there are more temptations than usual during the holidays - with parties, gatherings, and holiday feasts, it is possible to maintain a balanced, healthy eating plan. Eating regular meals, enjoying your holiday favorite sweets and snacks in moderation, staying active, and choosing homemade foods over processed foods will help you stay on track with your healthy holiday eating.
