Holidays bring emotion, family, memories and FOOD…the perfect recipe for a nutritional catastrophe, but fear not, my 7 Nutrition Hacks for ANY Holiday will set you up for success.
Whether it’s Thanksgiving, a birthday or any other holiday, the tendency we have is to overindulge in both eating and drinking.
Use these 7 tools to help you better deal with EVERY holiday.
- Eat the food, just not all of it. Eat 1 plate of food, mostly filled with lean protein (Turkey, fish, lean beef, tofu, etc), vegetables (AMGAP, as much green as possible), and healthy carbs (sweet potato, mashed potatoes, rice). Garnish by adding very small servings of guilty pleasures (if you’re able and this doesn’t trigger binge eating).
- Limit alcohol & sugary beverages. This is a hard one, but if you’ve got a goal it’s worth it. Have seltzer with a lime, or if you absolutely have to, have one glass of white wine. Sip it and savor it. If you need to, have a diet soda or a coffee drink.
- Drink a ton of water. This will keep you full and dilute the sodium found in many holiday foods.
- Remember why you’re there. You’re there for the company, for the memories, for the good times. None of these things require overeating or drinking. Eat slow, enjoy every bite, savor every sip. Enjoy the conversation and catching up.
- Have dessert… only if you REALLY need to. BUT, make it something REALLY worth it. Have a half serving. Dessert Option 2: make your own healthy dessert and bring some to share. A large, beautiful fruit salad is never frowned upon.
- Protein up! Drink a protein shake 60 minutes before mealtime. This will bring you into the meal already satiated and not ravenous.
- Stop before you’re full. See #4. Eat slow, chew slow, enjoy the heck out of your food. Doing this will allow your brain to catch up to your stomach and STOP overeating.
Use these tools to enjoy every holiday to its fullest and still get the results you want. It’s hard when you start but it gets easier over time.