Healthy Eating During the Holidays
submitted by Taylor O’Shaughnessy, B.S.
Nutritional & General Healing Consultant at Simplicity Healing
Contact: www.simplicity-healing.com - (248)805-1190- Rochester, MI
Healthy Eating During the Holidays
The Holidays are a wonderful time of the year. You are around family and other loved ones celebrating life and eating good food! Unfortunately, everyone knows that during this time of year weight gain is relatively common. Surveys suggest that the average person gains 5 pounds during the holiday season. However, several studies now show that the average weight gain during the winter holidays is just one pound! This information should come as a relief to you; conversely, the news isn’t all positive. Studies show that most people never lose that one pound each year1. That means from 25 to 45 you have gained 20 pounds just from the holidays each year! During adulthood, the average weight gain a year is 1-2 pounds. By piecing these two bits of information together we can conclude that much of midlife weight gain is due to holiday eating!
So how do we limit this weight gain due to the good food (and drinks) that come with the customs of the holiday times and how do we get a jump start on our traditional “let’s lose weight” or “be more healthy” New Year’s Resolutions?
- Cut the butter! Lots of holiday recipes use lots and lots of butter and it really does give it that rich flavor; however, try cutting down the butter in recipes and use olive oil. A good general rule is to use 3/4 cup of olive oil for every cup of butter called for in a recipe.
- Don’t forget the veggies! Although it is common to get sidetracked by the meats, mashed potatoes, and all the yummy desserts, don’t forget your veggies! It is important to include your seasonal vegetables to receive all of your important nutrients that you won’t be getting from those mashed potatoes or pumpkin pie!
- Eat Slowly! Although we all know that holiday food is so yummy, slow down and eat slowly. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to realize it is full. Waiting it out will make it less likely for you to overeat. Sit back and enjoy the conversation around the dinner table. Then, if you’re still hungry go back for seconds!
- Stay active! We all have probably heard this a million times, but it is extremely important to keep moving during this busy time of year even if it means doing extra laps around the mall when Christmas shopping. It is important to have at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day. You can even incorporate this into family fun time with the kids by taking them sledding or ice skating!
- Get your Zzz’s! The holidays and seeing old friends often means going out more and sleeping less. It is important to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. When you get less sleep, it becomes harder for your body to regulate your blood sugar causing you to crave high-fat, high-sugar foods.
Finally, it is important to remember to enjoy yourself during the holidays. You should not limit yourself because of the fear of weight gain. REMEMBER, EVERYTHING IS GOOD IN MODERATION! With that being said, eat the cookies that Cousin Fran made but, don’t eat the whole box!
Happy & Healthy Holidays,
The Simplicity Healing Team
References:
1. Yanovski, Jack A., et al. “A Prospective Study of Holiday Weight Gain.” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 342, no. 12, 2000, pp. 861–867., doi:10.1056/nejm200003233421206.