Indulgence is part of the holiday season –a solid month straight of party invitations, cookie exchanges, and main-event meals – but it's also important to make your health a priority.
We asked Stacey Toews, a registered dietitian at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH), for her healthy lifestyle tips to keep you feeling great through the holiday season without depriving yourself.
- Watch your portion sizes. It is very tempting to take a second helping or large portions of your favorite holiday foods. Instead, take a small serving of the ones you really love so you can enjoy all of your favorites.
- When raising your glass, replace or alternate alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic ones. Alcohol adds extra calories – and drinking too much is associated with a wide variety of health problems. Choose cranberry juice with sparkling water, soda water with lemon, etc. as an alternative.
- Avoid saving all of your calories for a holiday event or meal: when you hit the dinner table hungry, it's hard to fight the urge to eat everything in sight. Snacking on healthy alternatives such as a few nuts, fruit, or yogurt an hour or two before the event will make you less likely to take large portions or extra appetizers.
- Fill up on fiber and protein to keep you feeling satisfied longer. Low-calorie, high-fiber foods such as apple slices with some almond butter, or vegetables and protein-rich dips like hummus or Greek yogurt-based tzatziki are your best choices.
- Make room for the treats you really enjoy. If you know that you will want to have dessert after a meal, then choose a smaller portion of foods at meals and limit the appetizers. And enjoy every bite!
- Avoid having bowls of nuts or candies available in the house to snack on during the day. Although nuts are a healthy choice, they are also high in calories that can easily add up when you grab a handful every time you walk by the bowl.
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Choose a bowlful of mixed seasonal fruit or a single fruit for dessert. Having a pomegranate, persimmon, blood orange, or kiwi feels like a treat when these delicious fruits are in season.
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Keep active! It is easy to want to take a holiday from everything including your exercise routine; however, exercise is a perfect way to compensate for eating those extra treats and keeping your energy levels high. Make sure you check with your doctor before adding or starting a new exercise routine. Make exercise fun by going tobogganing, skating or cross-country skiing with friends and family. If you can't make it outside, try some exercises you can do inside. Aim for 30 minutes of activity daily.