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December Nutrition Topic – Handling the December Holiday Madness

When holiday festivities are in full swing, temptation to overload on holiday treats is everywhere.  The nonstop food fest combined with holiday stress often adds up to unwanted pounds.

• Don’t skip meals.  Eat a healthy breakfast and lunch and try to fill up on lots of low-calorie fruits and vegetable.  This simple strategy will give you more will-power to overcome excessive consumption of holiday goodies.
  
• Plan, plan, plan before parties and festivities.  Offer to bring a healthy dish (make it light).  Fill up on lots of water and maybe an apple and a light yogurt before you go.  Stick to one alcoholic drink or if that’s not feasible, alternate with sparkling water and be sure to avoid calorie-laden drinks like eggnog or sugary mixed drinks.
• Cook lighter for the holidays.  Give your holiday meals a healthy makeover and substitute broth for fats.  Use fat-free dairy products and be sure to eat skinless, white-meat turkey and to serve a light vegetable dish with your holiday meal.
• Practice a healthy holiday buffet strategy.  When faced with an exorbitant amount of rich, tempting holiday food at a buffet, practice some healthy eating strategies.  Start by helping yourself to a large salad – dressing on the side – and raw vegetables.  On a second salad plate add very small samples of entrees that look appealing.  Enjoy your salad and decide which entrees are good, then go back and take a reasonable portion of just those foods.  Plan before you get to the buffet to visit only three times:  once for salad/sampler plates, once for the entrée, and once for a small taste of your favorite holiday dessert.
• Stay active.  Don’t let the holiday frenzy crowd out your workouts – it’s more important now than ever to make your fitness routine a priority.  Experts recommend taking at least 30 to 60 minutes a day to de-stress and burn off those extra holiday calories.
• Hark back to what’s really important.  Believe it or not, this time of year is not just about the holiday goodies. Focus on celebrating this season, reveling in the sights, sounds, and warmth of sharing meaningful memories with family and friends – what the holidays are truly about!