Navigating your nutrition during the holidays is always tough, so here are our expert tips to foster healthy habits this year!
Eating healthy during the holidays is a two-front battle that entails indulgent options at both parties and at home. From eggnog and sugar cookies to multi-course meals and buffets, the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day are like a minefield for fitness enthusiasts.
The good news is that our nutrition coaches are here to help you when it comes to creating realistic expectations as you focus on developing healthy holiday eating habits. We know how the holiday season is inevitably indulgent, and that it’s perfectly normal to give yourself some added flexibility this time of year.
You’ll experience temptations on nearly a daily basis during December, which is why a little planning can go a very long way to keep you eating well while also enjoying your favorite foods.
Here are our holiday nutrition tips to foster healthy eating habits this year!
Nutrition Tips For Holiday Parties
No matter if you’re going to a buffet-style office party or a sit-down family dinner, the social gatherings you enjoy during the holiday season will surely feature some challenges toward maintaining your healthy eating habits.
Keep the following in mind as you prepare for your upcoming holiday parties:
1. Eat Beforehand
Be sure to eat healthy breakfasts and lunches prior to going to a holiday party, and consider a good energy booster shortly before the event as well. Skipping meals to reserve calories before a holiday party can often backfire, and it’ll also make you feel sluggish throughout your day.
Light snacks before parties like raw veggies and fruit are a great way to manage your appetite, and you can even consider a protein-filled dinner before arriving when you know the party doesn’t include a full meal.
Having a little food in your stomach will always help you to avoid high-calorie finger foods that can be incredibly tempting!
2. Survey The Party’s Food Options
When you arrive at a holiday party, take a few seconds to quickly survey what food options are being offered.
When you’re doing these surveys, try to identify what your healthiest options are and what might be your big indulgences. Once you know your options, create a quick plan that allows you to enjoy some of your favorite holiday treats while also maintaining healthy eating habits.
Some popular, low-calorie holiday food options include salsa, grapes, raw veggies, shrimp and chicken kebabs.
3. Avoid Hors D’oeuvre & Buffet Grazing
When you’re at a holiday party that offers buffet appetizers or passed hors d’oeuvres, be sure to wait for the food to come to you. A lot of the more interesting party snacks will be on passed platters, and this type of staggered service will help you eat less and slow down your eating pace.
When the party is just a buffet, keeping a safe distance is a key strategy. After you’ve got your plate ready, step away from the buffet area so you’re not too tempted to quickly go back for seconds. The same thing goes for popular holiday snacks, because keeping them out-of-reach is an easy and effective way to avoid temptation!
4. BYO Healthy Food
Although not every holiday party will give you the option to contribute a dish, it’s a good idea to bring healthy food when these opportunities present themselves during the holiday season.
This strategy is particularly useful at potlucks, so consider providing a healthy spin on typical holiday comfort food.
5. Be Cautious Of Alcohol
Eggnog is not only the most popular alcoholic beverage during the holidays, but it’s also a notorious threat to diets. The same thing goes for holiday punch drinks that tend to be full of added sugar as well.
What’s particularly harmful about drinking alcohol at holiday parties is that it’ll often diminish your inhibitions and lead you toward overeating. But as long as you treat holiday cocktails sort of like a dessert treat, you should be just fine!
6. Make Decisions About Dessert
Desserts are essentially impossible to avoid at holiday parties, and it’s almost like the main attraction of each social gathering this time of year.
Eating beforehand is big when you’re trying to limit your desserts, because this will keep you too full to overindulge on party dessert dishes.
7. End Party Eating With A Mint
It’s often tempting to keep eating at holiday parties when you’re actually pretty full, which is why you should keep a mint or piece of gum in your pocket.
Not only will a mint make your breath smell fresh for the rest of the party, but it’ll also suppress your appetite and help you avoid overeating.
Holiday Nutrition Tips For The Home Front
Parties aren’t the only places where you’ll experience temptations during the holiday season, and your everyday lifestyle certainly isn’t immune to unhealthy tendencies during this time of year.
Although you might come across fewer indulgences at home, it’s always easy to slip off track when it comes to staying healthy.
Here are some holiday nutrition tips specifically oriented around staying healthy while you’re relaxing at home:
1. Carefully Choosing Your Holiday Indulgences
It’s normal to keep some guilty pleasure snacks lying around your house, but it might be time to temporarily clear them out.
You’ll definitely experience peak indulgences while you’re at holiday parties, so making an extra effort to cut back on your typical cheat foods at home can go a long way to help you maintain your nutritional balance.
2. Baking Enthusiasts Beware
It’s normal for baking enthusiasts to get extra excited during the holiday season as you feel tempted to prepare all sorts of old favorites and new recipes.
Try baking only about one day’s worth of special treats, and then share your extras with your friends, neighbors, coworkers and family as a part of your holiday cheer!
3. Be Prepared For The Inevitable Sneak Attacks
We all know just how busy we tend to get during the holiday season as shopping, errands and party preparations take up more of our time than usual.
This means that you should be cautious of sneaky appetite cravings that pop up while you’re on the go, which means prioritizing healthy restaurants and take-outs instead of fast food options.
And if you know that you’ll be particularly active on specific days, bring dried fruit or a bag of nuts to fill you up prior to your next healthy meal.
Contact The Rising Legends Nutrition Coaches For More Holiday Nutrition Tips!
Everyone is 100% unique when it comes to nutrition, which is why it’s so important to keep in touch with our esteemed specialists when you’re having trouble maintaining your diet during the holiday season.
Our team of nutrition coaches is always just a few clicks away when you need more holiday nutrition tips, and we look forward to seeing you in the gym this December!