This post originally appeared on the Friedman Diabetes Institute blog.
With the holidays comes food. Everywhere! At the annual office party and family get-togethers. At neighborhood gatherings and holiday celebrations. Add holiday stress, traveling and a ridiculously long to-do list — that does not include trips to the gym — and any diet will suffer. FDI nutritionist Lynn Polmanteer has some tips to help manage this time of intense eating.
Stay active! Even though it’s a busy time of year, it’s important to fit exercise into each day. Try not to break your routine. If you usually go for a 10- to 20-minute walk in the morning, continue doing this. Instead of sitting on the couch after a holiday celebration, grab your coat and go for a walk with your family and friends. Walking after eating can help to bring down your postprandial blood sugar; you’ll simultaneously burn a few calories, too!
Don’t drink your calories. Keep your nonalcoholic drinks calorie- and carbohydrate-free. Choose water, seltzer or diet soda instead of juice or regular soda. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation: one drink for women and two drinks for men. Beer, wine and alcohol all contain calories, so if you’re watching your weight it’s wise to be mindful of this. If you drink hard liquor, be careful what you mix it with. Avoid the sugary mixers: Chose diet tonic, diet soda, club soda or seltzer instead of regular tonic, juice or regular soda.
Follow the Plate Method. Check out what is being served before you fill up your plate. Remember you want half of your plate to be vegetables, one-quarter of your plate to be carbohydrates and one-quarter of your plate to be protein. Holiday meals are often carbohydrate-filled, so pick a couple of your favorites and keep the portions small.
Don’t skip meals. If you skip breakfast and lunch, you’ll probably overeat at dinner. We suggest having a small snack before going to your friend’s or family’s house. This will prevent you from overindulging on the heavy appetizers.
Don’t overdo it on the desserts. Have smaller portions of the other carbohydrates — mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing — to allow for a little bit of dessert. Keep in mind that the first bite or two is the best, so either have a small slice or split a piece with someone. And, most important, keep the focus on friends and family instead of food. Isn’t that what the holidays are all about?
Share how you stay out of eating “trouble” during the holiday.
(Parts of this blog were previously posted in Lynn Polmanteer’s column on Healthline)