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Ten Tips for Healthy Holiday Eating Without Derailing Your Diet

In Nutrition, Uncategorized by Compleo Physical TherapyLeave a Comment

Our Registered Dietician/Nutritionist Kay Williams is here to help with the holidays! Check out some of her tips to help keep you on track.

Weight gain during the holidays can be a concern for many. If you do not feel confident about taking good care of yourself with food during the holidays, consider trying some of these tips:

Healthy eating tips for holidays

Pay attention to possible emotional eating. The holidays can be stressful, and food is a handy coping skill. What are some other coping skills? Going for a short walk might be a healthier coping skill, for example.

Make a decision, before you attend a gathering or start your day cooking, that you are only going to eat at the table. This automatically limits mindless eating.

Start your day with some idea of how you will feed yourself each day. Visualize what you would like your plate to look like and be reasonable. Your plate should have a variety; remind yourself that all food nourishes your body.

Do not deny yourself of the foods you really enjoy. Rather, take time to sit down and eat them, savoring each bite that you take. Remind yourself that small amounts taste just as good as large amounts!

Eat slowly. If you will slow down, savor each bite, your brain will catch up and let your stomach know when it is full. If you eat fast, your brain will be delayed and you will usually eat more before you feel the fullness, then you may feel miserably full. Eating slowly helps prevent this scenario.

A few other tips:

  • Before getting seconds wait 10 minutes to give your brain time to “catch up.”
  • Make room for veggies!
  • Don’t skip meals.
  • Lose the guilt! If you feel that you are out of control, just get back on track the next day
  • Stay active during the holidays. Continue to move! Activity makes your sensations of hunger and fullness stronger and easier to detect.
Contact Compleo at 254-892-4957 if you’d like to set up a visit with our Registered Dietician/Nutritionist today!

 

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