How To Eat Healthy Over The Holidays
Sticking to a healthy eating plan is often difficult to do during the holidays. Here’s how to eat healthy over the holidays and avoid holiday weight gain.
With all the delicious meals and desserts available during the holiday season, it’s easy to overindulge, completely blow your healthy eating habits, and gain weight. Planning ahead can help you avoid overeating and prevent gaining a few extra pounds over the holidays. Try these easy tips for eating healthy during the holidays.
Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Research suggests those who start the day with a healthy breakfast eat fewer calories throughout the day. Start your day with a heathy bowl of oatmeal topped with fresh berries and slivered almonds (avoid adding sugar, try cinnamon instead!). A peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole wheat toast is another filling option. Make a fruit smoothie made up of non-fat or almond milk, strawberries, half a banana and a tablespoon of protein powder. Scrambled egg whites with spinach and salsa is another filling option with lower calories.
Limit Food Portions
Part of what makes the holidays fun is eating those favorite foods you only eat once per year. You don’t have to give up your favorite holiday foods, but eat high-fat and high-calorie foods in moderation. If you have trouble stopping after just a couple bites, take sips of water frequently so that you’ll fill up faster. Don’t over fill your plate and try to avoid going back for seconds.
Eat Frequent Meals
Avoid going to parties or sitting down at the table overly hungry. Eat small frequent meals throughout the day to prevent overeating later on. Eat a small snack before heading off to a party. Do not skip meals to try to save up your calories for later in the day or evening when you know you’re going to a party since skipping meals can lead to overeating. 
Fill Up on Fiber
Control your appetite by filling up on high fiber foods like fruits and vegetables. Not only does fiber keep you feeling fuller longer, eating high fiber foods as appetizers will help you eat less during your meals. Try to fill the majority of your plate with vegetable side dishes. Tip: start with eating your salad before the high fat foods on your plate, this will help you feel fuller from salad than from butter and mashed potatoes.
Listen to Your Body
The body sends cues to let you know when you’ve eaten enough. Instead of continuing to eat until you are completely full, stop eating when you are no longer hungry. Stopping before you are stuffed takes practice. No need for stretchy pants!
Get Back on Track
With all the goodies at your fingertips during the holiday season, it’s often difficult to avoid overeating. Keeping your healthy eating habits throughout the holidays takes patience and practice. If you do happen to throw your healthy diet plan out the window over the holiday season, don’t be too hard on yourself. Once the holidays are over, just get right back on track.
Stick to Your Workouts
Remember to carve out time for your expertise routine! Even if this means getting up a half hour early a couple days a week to be able to fit it in. Don’t let your calorie intake increase and your exercise level decrease. That is where the weight gain happens. Hit the treadmill, the workout DVD, Yoga video on YouTube, whatever you need to do to keep active.
The holidays don’t have to mean loss of fitness and weight gain. You have all the tools to make the holiday season fun, but also healthy. Remember, everything in moderation.
Here are some other posts you might like:
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Top 10 Gift Ideas For The Healthy Home Chef
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