‘Tis the season – office parties, family gatherings, drinks with friends, gift baskets with cookies and snacks in the office kitchen… landmines everywhere to sabotage your healthy eating habits!
The average person gains over 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year… what can you do this year to make yourself the exception? Bad eating habits also impact your immune system, which is bad news because right after the holidays, you will be facing the cold and flu season!
Here are 5 healthy eating tips to help you survive the holidays:
1. Don’t go to events hungry – have a filling and healthy snack before you leave home (e.g. veggie sticks with hummus, apple with almond butter) so that you don’t go ravenous when you hit the food table.
2. To combat the cookies hanging out in the office kitchen table, bring your own healthy snacks (e.g. apple and pear, which are in season, or some veggie sticks and trail mix).
3. Drink responsibly – mixed drinks tend to be very high in calories (up to 450 calories per serving!) so wine is usually a better choice. To prevent dehydration, which causes hangover, drink a glass of water in between alcoholic beverages.
4. Tune in to your body – stop eating when you feel satisfied! Your body takes about 15 minutes to register the feeling of satiety, so try to eat slowly and mindfully, instead of shoving everything down your throat all at once.
5. Don’t beat yourself up – if you indulge and overeat in one meal, put it behind you and get back on track the next day by upping your effort in eating less and eating healthy. Don’t give up on your healthy habits because you slip once!
To see what else you can do to not only survive but thrive in this holiday season, talk to your employer about Prananaz’ “Healthy Eating For the Holidays” Workshop.
