The holidays bring good cheer, family get-togethers and most all, lots and lots of food!
It’s so easy to overindulge this time of year. A single scoop of ice cream easily becomes three or four. And then there are the pies…oh the pies…“I’ll just have a tiny slice of each, please.”
Wouldn’t it be nice to savor every bite without feeling guilty or worrying about overindulging on your favorite holiday foods? Is it possible? Well…maybe not completely…but here’s a plan your waistline will appreciate.
Plan Ahead
The key to healthy eating is planning ahead. If you know you’re having a big holiday meal later in the day, eat a light breakfast so you may enjoy your holiday meal without worrying too much about overeating.
However, please don’t starve yourself before feasting because it’s so hard to make smart food choices when your stomach is screaming FEED ME!
Savor the Food
The holiday season is a special time, and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying foods that you wouldn’t normally eat. It’s perfectly fine to indulge without making it look like you’re training for one of those food eating competitions.
And even if you end up eating more than you planned, don’t beat yourself up. Remember, it’s not what you eat on Christmas Eve and Day that makes you unhealthy, it’s what you eat the rest of the year.
When you sit down to eat, enjoy how good the food looks and smells, in addition to how delicious it tastes. The thing about comfort and pleasure foods is that it’s more about satisfying your cravings than filling your stomach. Savoring them slowly helps you feel mentally, emotionally and physically satisfied.
Keep in mind that it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to let your brain know that it’s full. If you’re still hungry after twenty minutes, go ahead and have a little bit more.