Ten Tips for Healthy Holiday Eating

by Alesha Jansen

Eating healthy and not gaining a lot of weight during the holiday months coming up soon can be tricky, but not impossible. Just remember to keep it realistic, enjoy the holidays, (don't stress as that may cause weight gain). It is also recommended to avoid losing weight during the holiday time.

Below are a few tips you may find helpful in keep those holiday weight gains off:

1. Do not skip meals, as you may be tempted to binge and choose less healthy options.

2. Keep up the exercise; not only does it help relieve the stress, it helps improve self-image, strengths your body and betters circulation. Quality of night time sleep will increase along with positive moods as your body is producing happy feelings naturally called endorphins. If you are short on time, try HIIT workout, it only takes 10 to 15 minutes and you will feel wonderful knowing you have your exercise in for the day.

3. Don't try and lose weight doing the holiday. This can leave you feeling frustrated, instead aim to keep your current weight.

4. Try and keep your plate well rounded with a variety of veggies and fruits, add some in your favorite foods.

5. Enjoy yourself, eat until you are satisfied; aim for smaller portions and chewing your food slowly will also help.

6. Try not to drink your calories as alcohol beverages are loaded in calories and sugar.

7. Again DO NOT STRESS over the extra piece of pie you just had! It takes 3500 extra calories per week above your normal calories intake to gain ONE pound. So relax, and go lighter on the next meal!

8. For pot luck time meals bring your own healthy dish to the table!

9. Cook favorite meals that are lower calorie department and are loaded in healthy benefits for your entire body!

- skip the skin on the turkey

- eat less bread and more of your veggies and fruit

- replace bread crumbs or fried onion rings with healthier options such of almonds or sprouted flours (since they digest like a vegetable and have a lot of nutrients packed into them.

10. DRINK water! Water helps keep your body running smoothly, helps flush out toxins, increase alertness, better performance, help give your skin that glow, may prevent headaches, moodiness and helps your metabolism. Water is also a great way to make you feel full.

A good rule of thumb to follow for the amount of water you should drink in a day is take your body weight, divide in half and that is how many ounces you need to drink. Example: if you weigh 140 you should be drinking 70 oz. of water a day.