Holiday Dinner with Friends

8 secrets to healthy living during the holidays

Indulgence is part of the holiday season –a solid month straight of party invitations, cookie exchanges, and main-event meals – but it's also important to make your health a priority.

We asked Stacey Toews, a registered dietitian at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH), for her healthy lifestyle tips to keep you feeling great through the holiday season without depriving yourself.

  1. Watch your portion sizes. It is very tempting to take a second helping or large portions of your favorite holiday foods. Instead, take a small serving of the ones you really love so you can enjoy all of your favorites. 
     
  2. When raising your glass, replace or alternate alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic ones. Alcohol adds extra calories – and drinking too much is associated with a wide variety of health problems. Choose cranberry juice with sparkling water, soda water with lemon, etc. as an alternative.
     
  3. Avoid saving all of your calories for a holiday event or meal: when you hit the dinner table hungry, it's hard to fight the urge to eat everything in sight. Snacking on healthy alternatives such as a few nuts, fruit, or yogurt an hour or two before the event will make you less likely to take large portions or extra appetizers.
     
  4. Fill up on fiber and protein to keep you feeling satisfied longer. Low-calorie, high-fiber foods such as apple slices with some almond butter, or vegetables and protein-rich dips like hummus or Greek yogurt-based tzatziki are your best choices.
     
  5. Make room for the treats you really enjoy. If you know that you will want to have dessert after a meal, then choose a smaller portion of foods at meals and limit the appetizers. And enjoy every bite!
     
  6. Avoid having bowls of nuts or candies available in the house to snack on during the day. Although nuts are a healthy choice, they are also high in calories that can easily add up when you grab a handful every time you walk by the bowl.
     
  7. Choose a bowlful of mixed seasonal fruit or a single fruit for dessert. Having a pomegranate, persimmon, blood orange, or kiwi feels like a treat when these delicious fruits are in season. 
     

  8. Keep active! It is easy to want to take a holiday from everything including your exercise routine; however, exercise is a perfect way to compensate for eating those extra treats and keeping your energy levels high. Make sure you check with your doctor before adding or starting a new exercise routine. Make exercise fun by going tobogganing, skating or cross-country skiing with friends and family. If you can't make it outside, try some exercises you can do inside. Aim for 30 minutes of activity daily.

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