Eating Clean During the Holidays
Summary: Eating clean can be tough anytime, but especially so during the holidays. Here are 4 quick tips I follow that might help you avoid holiday binging and falling off the wagon.
I don’t mean to ruffle your feathers but with Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching it is not only the season for thanks and giving…it’s also the season for making excuses. And I’m not quite sure why?
Really, eating healthy for holiday’s is no different than eating healthy any other day of the year other than the fact you are probably going to be surrounded with a few more temptations. But still, it boils down to choices.
But despite that, I still get questions from clients and readers about how to avoid those temptations and make it through the holiday season unscathed and without packing on an extra few pounds.
Here my holiday-specific guide.
1) Learn to follow portion control. The biggest risk for you during the holiday season is probably gorging. Just because there are 15 different dishes doesn’t mean you have to sample each and every one. Again, control is the key. If you know what you’re going to face before you get there it will be easier to avoid.
2) You can still eat natural. Turkey and ham are just fine. In fact, protein like that is a good anchor for a meal. There is usually always a salad to be had. I’m not talking about a noodle salad or anything like that. But a garden salad of some type. If that isn’t available there is usually a dish with an assortment of vegetables: carrots, celery, olives, broccoli, etc. Also, nearly every holiday meal I’m around has a nice fruit salad. Yes, sometimes they have a ‘glaze’ of some sort on them. If you can get by without that do it. If not, make the best of the situation.
3) Watch out for hidden sugar. One of the best anti-aging and weight loss principles you could ever employ is to severely limit how many processed sugars you allow into your body. The more insulin sensitivity you have, the better off you’ll be. But sometimes you might have a misconception about sugar. For example, most people know to stay away from eggnog during Christmas. But they automatically assume it’s because of the fat content…wrong. Take a look at how much sugar eggnog has and it’s almost enough to single-handedly induce diabetes in most folks. Actually, a lot of milk-based products follow this same trend. Tread lightly. If you’re looking for a little alcohol to take the edge off seeing too many relatives maybe get a beer, a glass of wine or a mixed drink with water. My favorite is a whiskey-water.
4) Learn to time your meals. Let’s say you do overeat a little bit. My solution? Stop beating yourself up over it and start a partial fast. Don’t eat the rest of the day and skip breakfast the next morning.