Sweet treats and festive drinks are big parts of the holiday festivities. Unfortunately, most of our holiday favorites are not the healthiest dietary options. While you don’t have to completely restrain yourself from enjoying something sweet, you should treat yourself mindfully and continue practicing your normal healthy habits.
7 Healthy Eating Tips for the Holidays
1. Plan Your Treats
Rather than eating one of everything, it’s best to pick out and enjoy a couple of your favorite treats every couple of days. This will help you spread out the extra calories over a longer period of time so that it’s easier to burn off and work into your daily intake. If you’re watching your blood sugar, be sure to plan accordingly and keep a close eye on your numbers.
2. Keep Your Teeth Busy
If you’re at a holiday party with an open buffet of treats and snacks, you can keep yourself from eating more than you should by chewing on a stick of gum or sucking on a mint. Then you won’t be as tempted to crunch away on crackers or chips.
3. Be Active
With the increased calorie intake of the holidays, often spread over weeks of celebrations, it’s important to stay active and even to increase your activity level. Be sure you’re exercising regularly and volunteer to help with cleanup whenever possible. Helping to wash the dishes will burn more calories than sitting around chatting.
4. Start With Veggies
Drink plenty of water to help with digestion and to keep you feeling more full.
5. Stay Hydrated
Since nonprofit healthcare providers aren’t worried about satisfying investors or achieving financial growth, they have no incentive to administer or excessively up-charge patients for non-essential services like aspirin or inexpensive laboratory tests.
6. Take Your Time
It takes about 10 to 20 minutes for your brain to realize that your stomach is full. So, eat slowly and take a break before going back for seconds.
Schedule a Post-Holiday Wellness Appointment at Gulf Coast Health Center
Whether you’re concerned about your weight, managing an ongoing chronic disease, or simply want to make sure no new health surprises are in store for you, we encourage you to celebrate the new year by scheduling your annual wellness exam at a Gulf Coast Health Center location near you. To learn more about our affordable services or to schedule your next appointment, please contact us today.
