The average American gains 7 ½ pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years. Here are 5 tips to help you at this year’s parties and family get togethers.
- Eat a Snack First: getting a well-balanced breakfast and lunch on the day of the party will help you avoid overeating. For most of us, we will too hungry to resist the tasty food offered at most holiday parties.
- Portion Control: nothing different with party eating than other meal times regarding portion control. Be smart, only put what you know is a smart portion in your plate and walk away from the table or the tray of goodies. Desserts and drinks, chocolate and other sweets are traditional holiday foods – don’t completely restrict yourself, but use small portions and moderation as your rules of engagement.
- Watch High Fat and Cholesterol Foods: heavy cream based soups, cheeses that fill casseroles, pie crusts, fried foods and holiday time meat and sausage rolls are full of fat and artery clogging lipids we need to avoid. One of the traditional holiday drinks – eggnog is typically made with high fat egg yolks and heavy cream.
- Choose Your Alcohol Wisely: heavy in calorie beers, liqueur and ciders are usually high in calories and some smarter choices could be a nice dry wine, Bloody Marys and diet mixers.
- Increase Your Water Intake:alcohol and coffee can dehydrate your body.