Feature Articles: Food, Fitness and Holidays
Holiday eating strategies
Food, food, everywhere you turn there’s food! “To avoid over-indulging, you’ll need some proven tips to reduce the potential for the average holiday-season weight gain of five pounds,” says Susan Mills-Gray, nutrition and health specialist with University of Missouri Extension. “For years, people have been told to drink lots of water before going to a holiday event, but honestly, that just doesn’t work for most of us,” she added.
These updated tips have brought success to many people during the holiday feasts in the weeks to come.
- Be realistic – don’t focus on losing weight during the holidays.
Focus on maintaining your current weight. You can get back on
track with weight loss when the diet danger zones of November
and December have passed. Also, don’t let yourself justify binge
eating over the holidays because you expect to restrict food
after Jan. 1. Plan in advance to eat a little more when you
face holiday temptations. This way, you can enjoy treats more
often, and you’ll be less likely to binge.
- Don’t go to a holiday event hungry. We eat more and faster
when we’re hungry. Eat healthy throughout the day to keep glucose
levels stable and to boost metabolism. This will work to reduce
hunger for an evening event. Choose a high-protein snack before
an event such as an apple with peanut butter, yogurt,
unsalted almonds or walnuts, hardboiled egg, or nonfat mozzarella
cheese.
- Watch your portion. Treat yourself to a nice drink, sweets
or creamy dips without guilt, but keep portion sizes under control.
This is a great way to sample different foods. Commit to the
idea of “small
plate, no piling”.
- Survey party buffets before filling plate. Decide what you’re
going to eat in advance, and make only one trip to the buffet.
Fill small plate with ½ vegetables, ¼ lean meat and ¼ starches.
- Avoid recreational eating. It takes about 30 minutes for
the message to get from the stomach to the brain that it’s full.
During this time, you can pile on the calories through social
eating – food is there and everyone else is eating. Enjoy your
choices, and then wait at least 30 minutes before deciding if
you would like a bit more.
- Make sure whatever you’re offered is splurge-worthy. We
all have some favorites that we look forward to during this
time of year. Why waste calories on foods you can have anytime
(chips, salted mixed nuts, dip, etc)? Try rating food options
on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 is best) and have a bit more of the
foods that are truly special and unique to the season.
- Make a conscious choice to limit high-fat items. If it’s
creamy, fried, or cheese-filled, it’s going to be loaded with
calories. Commit to tasting portions. Low fat, high fiber foods
allow you to eat a larger amount for fewer calories and not
feel deprived.
- Use intense mints, gums and strips. These dull
the taste buds and also trigger satiety messages to the brain.
So use one when you arrive and more when you find yourself wanting
to nibble.
- Choose alcoholic beverages wisely. Alcohol is high in calories
– liquors, sweet wines and sweet mixed drinks may contain up
to 450 calories per 6 ounces! Alcohol can lessen inhibitions
and induce overeating. Also, calories from alcohol tend to be
stored in the abdomen. If you choose to drink, select light
wines and beers and use non-alcoholic mixers such as water and
diet soda. Ask for your drink in a tall, slender glass so
that you actually receive less while giving the illusion of more.
- Go easy on eggnog and punch. Many holiday beverages are
packed with calories. An eight-ounce glass of non-alcoholic
eggnog made with whole milk has 342 calories. Choose calorie-free water or diet sodas
to help fill your stomach and keep you hydrated.
- Maintain perspective. Overeating one day won’t make or break your eating plan. And it certainly won’t make you gain weight. It takes days and days of overeating to gain weight. If you do overindulge, don’t just give up. Plan to get back on track the next day. There are going to be a few bumps on the road to healthier eating and we have to acknowledge this to avoid guilt and despair.
For more information, contact your local University of Missouri Extension
Center or this faculty member directly at
mills-grays@missouri.edu.
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Last update: Thursday, December 17, 2009
