Happy, healthier eating over the holidays
No one wants to be a holiday buzzkill, but with a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report finding that by 2030 half of all U.S. adults will suffer from obesity, the holidays are an important time to be smart about indulging. Several studies have found that adult weight gain is significant during the period from the last week of November through early January.
The good news is that you can enjoy yourself and make smarter choices. The key is planning.
Headed to a party? Consider what kinds of food and alcohol will be on the menu and decide ahead of time how much you are going to indulge. Maybe this will be your “free day” and you’ll stay on track the remaining six days this week. If not, it’s time to practice moderation. Choose one or two things that you know you’ll enjoy, and have a small portion of each.
Balance these indulgences with healthier choices such as veggies, and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and keep yourself feeling full. You can give yourself an advantage by snacking on something nutritious before you leave the house. And, by all means, do not hang out by the dessert table.
Are you throwing a party yourself? This is your chance to try out some healthier recipes – think smoked salmon and veggies with flavorful dips.
Providing alcohol? No problem, you are the host. It is your responsibility to make sure all of your guests have a good time and get home safely. Use that as an excuse not to drink or have more than one or two beverages for the night. Switching off between alcohol and water is a great way to keep a drink in your hand and cut out those extra empty calories.
Remember: Liquors, sweet wines and most cocktails will contain anywhere between 150 to 450 calories. Watch out for those high-calorie beverages. Opt for less-calorie-dense drinks such as light beers and drier wines. Use non calorie mixers such as club soda, diet sodas and water.
Baking or making a bunch of non-healthy goodies? Send everyone home with a goody bag. If you have to lend out your favorite containers with your food, that’s just another excuse to see your friends again.
Finally, we know that exercise falls off during the busy holiday season. If you can’t stick to your normal exercise routine, try sneaking in a walk with friends or family, start a holiday hike tradition or try some basic exercises such as push-ups, squats or planks at home to start your day right. Getting something in during the day is better than nothing at all.
John Pecchia
John Pecchia is owner of Get In Shape For Women in Porter Square.
This article was a pleasant surprise. Pragmatic and relevant. Thank you John
Not a bad set of suggestions, but it is important for folks to be aware that it is not just these things that cause weight gain in the winter.
Additional things to do is make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D and try to spend some time in sunlight when it is available.
Vitamin D is essential to digestive operations of your body and metabolism. Your Metabolism slows in the winter months and tries to store up energy as it assumes food scarcity (thank your caveman brains for this and generations of food scarcity for thousands of years).
Get fresh meats and fish when possible, canned or even frozen foods and prepared to reheat foods in the stores have more salt and preservatives in them. Salt will make your body store more liquids and mess with your system, and winter foods are often over salted. All that leads to excess weight.
Avoid White Bread, White Rice, Common Pastas. Use Whole Grain in baking, or alternative flours to reduce calories. Brown or Multigrain Rice instead of White, and Whole Wheat Pasta, Lentil Pasta or Brown Rice Pasta instead of the cheap pastas found in most grocery stores. Starches without enough Fiber can cause sugar surges in your system and that leads to weight increase or eventually diabetes-2.
Avoid Beer in Winter… if you must have alcohol have wine… Beer spikes your sugars, wine doesn’t. Wine with a meal is best as it helps digestion and slows the process which reduces sugar spikes.
Sugar is not your friend. Avoid anything with more than 10g in a serving or you can again be heading towards obesity or diabetes-2.
While the weather holds, try to take a walk after meals.