8 Healthy Eating Tips for the Holidays

With the holidays fast approaching, let’s address the elephant in the room. Healthy eating and the holidays don’t go together, right? If you’re like many Americans, you try to eat right, but get derailed by the holidays and switch into high gear with your diet and fitness routine after the new year. While this is a common tendency, it doesn’t have to be your reality. To help you break this pattern and come out of the holidays healthy and fit, let’s look at eight healthy eating tips to follow this holiday season.

1. Munch on Healthy Snacks Before Dinner

If you’ve ever made a trip to the grocery store on an empty stomach, you know that hunger-powered trips usually result in more impulsive junk food purchases. The same is true of sitting down at a feast on an empty stomach. Your hunger may overpower your willpower, leading to overeating. You can remedy this by munching on a healthy snack before dinner.

2. Don’t Forget the Veggie Tray

Incorporating a veggie tray into your holiday spread will allow you to fill up on something healthy to avoid eating too many of the unhealthy options on the table. If you’re visiting someone else’s home for the holidays, ask them if you can bring a veggie tray to share.

3. Take Time to Savor

Take time to enjoy and appreciate your food. When you practice mindful eating, you may eat more of the right foods and less of the wrong ones. Some studies suggest that mindful eating may reduce anxiety and unhealthy weight gain.

4. Eat Smaller Portions

Holidays are a time for celebration, so no one wants to feel limited by their diet choices. You can still eat many of your favorite foods, just opt for smaller portions. When you start small, you won’t feel obligated to overeat. Eating smaller amounts may also allow you the satisfaction of getting seconds without overindulging.

5. Fill Your Plate with Balanced Nutrition

Choosing the right balance of protein, carbohydrates, fiber and fat can allow you to walk away feeling good instead of sluggish.

6. Take It Easy on the Sweets

No holiday is complete without sweets, but moderation is the key to life. Allow yourself a small treat or two, but don’t overdo it. Sugar leads to inflammation in the body and can leave you wishing you had exercised more self-control.

7. Plan to Take a Stroll

Plan to take a short stroll after dinner to improve your digestion, regulate your blood sugar and ramp up your metabolism.

8. Use Smart Substitutions

If you’re cooking this year, you have more control over the ingredients you use and how you cook your holiday favorites. Opt for fewer calories by air frying and steaming food when you can.

Holistic Vitality Center Wants to See You Succeed!

At the Holistic Vitality Center, we understand healthy weight is important to both physical health and happiness.  There is no one-size-fits-all approach to health, so we tailor our treatment plans to each individual who entrusts their health to us. 

If you want help maintaining your weight for the holidays, reach out to us at (919) 848-3333 today!

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