Healthy Holiday Season

Rather than overindulging or depriving yourself during the festive season, follow some of these healthy eating tips to prevent weight gain and remain reasonably healthy.

Do not skip meals prior to a large holiday meal. Eat a lighter breakfast and lunch, and if you need to snack, have a fruit before your meal. By skipping meals you will end up eating more. Go easy on appetizers. Focus on the vegetable and dip tray, tortilla chips and salsa, and shrimp cocktail rather than potato chips and cheesies. Minimize your chesse and crackers and pastry wrapped appetizers.

There are a lot of things you can do to lighten your meal. Take the skin off the turkey. Most of the fat is in the skin. Choose white meat rather than dark. Go easy on buttering your rolls and adding butter to your vegetables. Also, cranberry sauce, applesauce and chutney are all lower fat alternatives to gravy.

Lighten up on your drinks. A wine spritzer rather than a glass of wine has less calories. Liquor mixed with a diet pop or tomato juice will also save you calories. Liqueurs are usually high in calories and the cream based ones, high in fat. Eggnog can be high in calories and fat also (unless it is the a lower-fat version). However, it is a classic and great holiday drink which is hard to resist. Try to drink it in moderation. Also, do not forget water - - a thirst quencher and it fills you up with no calories. Drink at least eight glasses a day. Drinking a glass before your meals curbs your appetite.

Roasted chestnuts are a popular and tasty holiday treat. Did you know that chestnuts contain pectin, a water soluable fiber, that curbs overeating because it slows the digestive process?

Of course, you can always choose to host a holiday meal yourself and therefore, prepare lower-fat and lower calorie foods and still make it a tasty and satisfying one. For example, use evaporated skim milk in instead of cream when making soups, sauces or pumpkin pie.

It may be a bit more challenging to regularly continue your fitness program during the holiday season with the many parties and family visits you will be attending. However, try to continue your routine when you can - - but not to the point where it will stress you out and cause guilt feelings when you cannot. Instead, do some different activities that fit into the holiday season such as skating, skiing, tobogganing with the kids, romping in the snow with the kids - - help build a snowman. As well as providing activity, you will also be devoting quality time with your children. Go for brisk walks, either alone, with friends or with your dog. The fresh, crisp winter air will make you feel refreshed and stress-free. Aim to get about 45 minutes of movement everyday.

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