How To Survive The Holidays And Still Eat Healthy

The holidays are coming. And with them come constant food temptations that threaten to kill your diet before the holiday season even begins. Don’t let the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas undo an entire year of weight loss. There are some tips and strategies you can employ when facing an 8,000-calorie feast.

Keeping Your Diet During The Holidays

Tip #1: Eat Breakfast. You might think it’s a good idea to save all of your calories for the big meal by skipping breakfast. However, you will actually consume more calories because you will be hungrier when mealtime finally comes.

Instead, drink a low-calorie, fiber rich green smoothie for breakfast. Use fruits like apples and pears. That will help you feel fuller longer so you wont feel the need to eat as much during the family dinner.

Tip #2: Workout In The Morning. Get up in the morning and do a full workout. This will help you burn some of those extra calories. Exercising before a meal will also help you burn excess calories more efficiently, and hopefully, reduce the amount of excess calories that might be turned to fat.

If you are having a big holiday feast today, skip the strength training and do some heavy cardio.

Tip #3: Eat Off A Small Plate. It’s the holidays and most people are going to want to fill their plate with once-a-year goodies. A great trick for controlling portion sizes is to eat off a smaller plate.

A smaller plate forces you to take smaller portions (to make everything fit) and it promotes a sense of food abundance despite the fact that you took smaller portions.

Tip #4: Fill Your Plate With The Healthy Stuff First. Before you start taking a little of whatever is passed your way, look around to see what is on the table. Decide what you are going to eat so you can pass up the things that are not on your “must have” list.

Fill up more on the whole foods like squash, potatoes, vegetables and fruit. Take less from foods that use refined ingredients (like bread, sugary or sweetened foods) or heavy fats (butter, cream, high-fat meat).

Tip #5: Eat Slowly. Eating slowly and fully enjoying your meal will actually help you eat less. It will give your stomach a chance to tell your brain that it is full. If you are like me and and you have a hard time eating slowly, try engaging in conversation.

Focus on your family and spending time with those you love and less on the “food” aspect of the day. Take a few bites, engage in table conversation, and then take one or two more bites. This might also buy you enough time to skip seconds if everyone else eats faster then you do.

Tip #6: Make Your Holiday Feast With Healthier Options. If you are hosting, or if you are bringing dishes to a holiday dinner, consider making some healthier changes to the recipes. Skip the extra butter and milk in mashed potatoes or squash. Look for low fat stuffing. Make your own cranberry sauce that does not contain high fructose corn syrup or other additives. Make whole grain breads and avoid adding excess fat and sugar out of habit (or tradition).

Perhaps you can add a healthy dish to your table this holiday season. Try a raw or steamed kale or vegetable dish. Try a raw vegan side dish. Make a tropical fruit salad with fresh fruit rather than canned fruit that is smothered in whip cream. There are lots of delicious recipes that are perfect for Thanksgiving and other holidays.

Here are some healthy recipe ideas that you can use this holiday season:

• Homemade Vegan Ginger Cranberry Sauce
• Vegan Apple Pie Smoothie
• Raw Vegan “Eggnog”
• Raw Vegan Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
• Tropical Fruit Salad
• Raw Vegan Apple Sauce
• Blended Apple Cider
• More Holiday Recipes
• More Raw & Vegan Recipes

Read more articles and find recipes for green smoothie weight loss.