NUTRITION KNOW HOW: HEALTHY HOLIDAY TIPS
1. Focus on Biological Hunger – Eat balanced and nutritious meals and snacks to keep blood sugar levels steady and avoid getting overly hungry. This will help avoid sugar cravings and food choices that can set you up for blood sugar spikes and dips (i.e. the morning donut in the office after a skipped breakfast). Having a treat after a balanced meal can also help keep portions smaller.
2. Modify Your Choices – Bring a healthful dish that you enjoy to a party, make sure to have an alternative snack before or at an event that addresses your biological hunger (i.e. an apple and peanut butter) and tweak foods to increase nutrient value and/or decrease added sugars (i.e. use whole grain pastry flour for baked goods and go with a 1 pump holiday flavored latte).
3. Plan Your Indulgences – Plan indulgences to help you look forward to something instead of dreading the need to avoid it. This can mean identifying what you’ll have ahead of time (leaving room to be flexible) as well as keeping certain items out of the house as needed and going out for them (i.e. making a trip to the bakery to indulge in an iced holiday cookie).
4. Practice Mindfulness – Tune into your hunger cues and understand why you might want a particular food. Maybe you needed to address biological hunger, maybe you’re really not that hungry, maybe it’s nostalgia or maybe it just tastes good! Bringing awareness to the situation can help you be proactive rather than reactive. Try savoring a holiday treat from a place of choice versus shame or guilt.
5. Remember the Reason for the Season – Consider other things about the holidays that you look forward to whether it’s time with family and friends, time off work, holiday music, movies or special programs etc. Realizing all the things you enjoy that are not food related may help the holidays seem less daunting and more joyful.
6. Practice Self-Care – (similar to #5) Think of ways you can treat yourself that don’t involve food whether it’s a getting a massage or manicure, taking a nap or going to the movies. And keep in mind that self-care can also mean prioritizing health by making time for exercise or eating nutritious foods. ;)
7. Keep Moving – Stick to your usual workout routines as much as possible and/or try to get in the habit of moving as a way to decrease stress/practice self-care and promote overall wellness. Maybe even incorporate activity at holiday get-togethers like a winter walk after dinner or going outside to throw a football.
8. Get Back on the Wagon – If you have a day or days when you think your choices were less than stellar then start reeling it in and take the next best step. Try not to be black and white (i.e. binging one day and dieting the next) or identify yourself or foods as bad, which is dis-empowering. Instead, focus on what you can do and get going!
Enjoy!
Author: Miriam Chang MS, RDN