As the holiday season arrives, so does the temptation of eating your weight in food. With dinners, and Christmas parties it can be easy to get swept away from your routine and find yourself with a New Year’s resolution to lose some weight.
However, it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t need to diet throughout the holiday season and you don’t need to feel guilty about indulging in some of the festivities. With a few healthy holiday eating tips to help soften the holiday blow, you can take away the guilt and enjoy the time away from your regular routine.
Healthy Holiday Eating Tips
Take A Break Before Indulging In Seconds
It can take around 20 minutes for your brain to begin to send signals of fullness. During this time it’s easy to think that you’re still hungry, when in fact if you wait a few minutes you’ll see that you’ve eaten just enough with the first serving.
Remember to wait a few minutes before diving into seconds. You could save yourself on twice as many calories, and bloating yourself like a balloon.
Have A Quick Bite Before Heading Out
When people say not to go shopping on an empty stomach, the same can be said about attending dinner parties. Have a quick healthy bite before hitting the road. Apple slices, or a peanut butter sandwich. Something filling but not extremely heavy in calories.
This will prevent you from overindulging once you head out. You don’t need to fill yourself up before heading out, you just need to make sure that you have something in your stomach.
A Gathering Doesn’t Mean That You Can’t Go Out For A Walk
While you’re catching up with family and friends, go for a walk down the street. You can do this before dinner or after, whenever you can spare a few minutes. The whole gathering doesn’t have to be seated or standing in place. Go out, get some fresh air, and enjoy the company while getting some exercise.
Get Creative With Your Cooking
There are plenty of recipes online and in books that are dedicated to healthier options when it comes to holiday feasting. This doesn’t have to be full veggie recipes or a complete rearrangement of your normal cooking, but maybe you can find ways to shave off some butter, sugar, and other ingredients that are heavy on calories.
Make Sure The Whole Holiday Season Isn’t Just About Eating
Another way to ensure that you aren’t over-indulging in holiday food is by not always having it out. Just because people are together and because it’s the holidays, doesn’t mean that it’s all about food. It’s about the company of people you love and catching up.
Don’t forget about the most important part of the holidays. That’s family and friends. You’re allowed to eat some sweets and some turkey, but there are times when you can just sit and talk or go for a walk.
Have a Happy Holiday
From all of us here at Bedsiide, we hope your holiday is happy, healthy and filled with joy!
