The holidays are here!

TIPS FOR HEALTHY EATING AT THE HOLIDAY TABLE

Thanksgiving is a great time of the year. The start of the holiday season, time to spend with family and friends and enjoy family traditions. Many of these traditions are centered around food and when you are trying to follow a healthy food plan – this can create stress. There are several steps you can take to help alleviate this stress and continue with your healthful plan.
Take the 80/20 approach. If you can stick to your healthy habits 80% of the time that will leave you with a 20% wiggle room buffer.
Make sure to have a high protein snack before leaving the house or pack one if you have a long drive. Examples are cheese stick and fruit, almonds, greek yogurt or peanut butter and whole grain crackers. This helps to avoid getting too hungry and making bad choices.
Alternate a bottle of water with every alcoholic drink you consume. This has a two-fold effect. Fills your stomach so you may eat less and cuts in half the amount of alcohol you will consume. (Saving calories)
Before you pile your plate, scan the table and choose only the foods that you truly enjoy. Don’t waste calories on something that you don’t really want.
It is ok to not eat everything on your plate – we have outgrown the clean you plate club! If this is difficult, use a smaller plate. This creates the illusion of eating more.
Don’t hang out next to the food table. It is too easy to nibble and graze while we chat with family and friends.
Be aware of what you are eating. Enjoy it and move on. Mindless eating is dangerous as we lose track of what we are consuming.
I will be going into this topic in depth over the next few weeks. Check in often for tips and motivation. Lastly – join us in our Holiday Weight Loss Challenge. Hold your weight over the holidays and then hit the New Year hard with the weight loss portion of the challenge! Prizes, consult with me (registered dietitian) and much more! Happy Holidays - Noreen Gallo ,R.D.