Maintain, Don’t Gain This Holiday Season

Are you already dreading all the food you will consume during the holiday season? The traditional holiday plate has about 2,400 calories when it’s filled with delicious casseroles, sides, breads and desserts at family gatherings. Don’t worry though, you can escape the holidays without the added weight and temptation by following these healthy holiday tips:

Tip #1: Have a game plan for the holidays.

Planning your meals helps reduce the number of calories, fat and sugar consumed. Choose 3-4 dishes that are absolute favorites and forgo the rest. Also, swap high-calorie ingredients for low-calorie ingredients. For example, this could be switching out sour cream for low-fat cheese, Greek yogurt and Splenda for sugar, etc.

Tip #2: Don’t forget about portion control.

This can really help during the holidays if you are mindful of how much is going on your plate. Instead of going for two scoops of the sweet potato casserole, have only one scoop. Smaller portions of each food will help you not be over-stuffed and not feel deprived.

Tip #3: Remove excess fat.

Eliminating the skin from the turkey will reduce the amount of fat you eat. Throw in some fresh vegetable dishes instead of casseroles to cut down the amount of fat consumed.

Tip #4: Cut sodium.

Ease up on the amount of gravy so you are consuming less sodium. Also, turkey has less sodium than ham.

Tip #5: Skip the calorie and sugar-filled drinks.

Instead of grabbing a glass of sweet tea or soda, grab a cold glass of water. This is a simple way to cut extra calories from a holiday meal. If you want to drink something with flavor, choose a sugar-free option.

Don’t wait until the New Year to start eating healthy. Get a head start by being mindful of your holiday plate and prioritize your exercise schedule during the holidays as much as you can!

Need a future reference for how many calories each dish at Thanksgiving or Christmas can carry versus the exercise needed to burn it off? Print out this article or take a screenshot to have this handy!

Exercise Needed to Burn Off Your Favorite Holiday Treats

Sources:

Harvard Health

BCBSMS Article Archives