Healthy holiday eating strategies

My colleagues over at AcuDownloads offered this helpful guide to figuring out some healthy holiday eating strategies to help you maintain some food balance this holiday season:

Pie. Cookies. Chocolate. Eggnog. Champagne. The holiday season is filled with rich and tempting food. You eat and drink with your friends and loved ones to celebrate how much you care about them.

But we all know that too much of a good thing is no longer good. Too many rich foods can lead to extra pounds, digestion upsets, mood swings and a generally "yucky" feeling. It's all about balance. Good, healthy holiday eating can make the difference between an enjoyable holiday season and a miserable one. The trick is to enjoy treats without overdoing them. Make a healthy holiday eating strategy and plan to enjoy the holiday celebrations without feeling bad the next day.

Strategy #1 Moderate

Decide on a moderate way to approach the treats that are most tempting to you. Avoid brash decisions like "I won't have any holiday cookies this year." It’s easy to break unreasonable rules. Instead, make a moderate healthy holiday eating plan.

For example, if cookies are your weakness, allow yourself to eat 1 cookie at the holiday cookie exchange. If you can't decide between your 2 favorite cookies, have a half of each. Either way you won't feel deprived, but you won't overdo it either. Pick your battles to get maximum enjoyment with minimal deprivation.

Strategy #2 Substitute

Find healthy alternatives for rich, high calorie food. Substitute nuts and fruits (both fresh and dried) for cookies or candy. Drink sparking juice instead of soda, and herbal tea instead of juice. Make eggnog with skim milk instead of cream. During a meal, eat mostly vegetables instead of potatoes and stuffing. And remember, sweet potatoes with brown sugar or marshmallows are closer to a dessert than a vegetable.

Strategy #3 Avoid Hunger

The hungrier you are, the more likely you will binge on bad foods. Remember to eat breakfast. Eat a healthy meal before you go to a party. Start every big meal with hot soup. Fill up with healthy food so you don't race to the bad stuff.

Strategy #4 Maintain Healthy Routines

Don't stop your healthy habits just because it's a holiday. Continue to drink lots of water and get enough sleep. Make time to exercise. Spend meaningful time with your loved ones. Take time to meditate or pray. Get outside. Maintain the healthy habits that you already have. When you feel good, you'll be less inclined to eat foods that make you feel bad.

Strategy #5 Journal

Keep track of what you eat and how you're feeling. Write about your stresses and emotional upsets. Compose poems and short stories. Keeping a journal will give you a non-eating outlet for stress and remind you how good it feels to be healthy, happy, and creative.

Strategy #6 Trick Yourself

Trick yourself into thinking you’re eating a lot. Use small plates to make modest pie portions seem larger. Pour drinks into tall, skinny glasses to drink less. Fill your dinner plate with salad before adding the entrees. Full plates make small portions seem big.

Strategy #7 Partner Up

Get a healthy holiday eating buddy. Partners make it easier to keep your healthy commitments in the face of indulgences. They provide accountability and support.

Look through this list of strategies and pick the ones that are the most helpful and the least difficult. Write down your list of healthy holiday eating guidelines and post them where you see them several times a day. Commit to following them.

Good luck and happy holidays. :-)