Healthy Holiday Eating
Holidays are a challenging time to maintain a healthy diet.
Each year we attempt to eat healthy, escaping the holidays unscathed; these pointer will assist you with enjoying the holiday both joyfully and healthily.
With the holidays upon us, staying on track with our nutrition and fitness regimes become exponentially challenging.
Getting our 30 minutes, five times a week, of moderate to moderately intense physical activity is a daunting task. If you consider time spend shopping, cleaning, decorating and other various activities associated with holiday preparation, you may have already fulfilled your daily requirement for physical activity. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could actually count all the ripping and running you’ve been doing toward your fitness enhancement?
Well, if you make a conscious effort to walk briskly from store to store while shopping, spend a minimum of 30 minutes when cleaning, take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator, park further from the store and shovel snow (with good form) at a steady yet moderate pace; you will be augmenting your fitness regime. Snowball fights, sledding, skiing, ice skating, walking through the winter wonderland (briskly, to keep warm) are additional ways to use this special time of year for staying on track while still accomplishing all you need to.
When it comes to nutrition you can be just as creative. The American Heart Association (AMA) recommends:
- Substituting non-fat and low-fat in place of fat-rich oils, milk, cream, and butter
- Using more vegetables in place of breads in stuffings
- Using non-stick cookware instead of oils, lards and greases
- Including more vegetables choices as side dishes with holiday meals
- Remembering to eat frequent small meals so you won’t be starving at dinner time
- Preparing bite-size portions for buffet tables and use small plates
- Never rushing back to the buffet table. Give food 20 minutes to digest before making a second trip
- Placing snacks in various location to encourage movement and mingling
The holidays are a festive time when families and friends gather to share time, food and gifts. There will be many tempting, high-calorie foods on hand. Enjoy them in moderation. Remember, if you eat smaller portions, you can indulge in everything you’d like while still not over-consuming calories. The idea is to enjoy family, friends and food and come out of the holiday not regretting it.
I don’t want to sound like a killjoy, but rather your fitness-conscience, reminding you of all the hard work you’ve invested in yourself to this point. By all means, enjoy the holidays and all the festivities associated with them but do so moderately, this way you can have the best of both worlds. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!
"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love." – Hamilton Wright Mabie
