Tips For A Healthier Holiday Party

tips-for-a-healthier-holiday-party

No one wants to spend the holiday season deprived of its delicious abundance. But no one wants to end up piling on the pounds either.

They-say

“Eat before the holiday party”  //  “Skip the eggnog”  //  “This 50 calorie skinny cocktail is the lightest”

Conventional diet advice means you’re missing out on the most wonderful time of the year. There is always so much chatter about ways to make your holiday dinner healthier. One dinner will not make you fat. 365 dinners will. So rather than stressing out about how you’re going to say no to Grandma Vivian’s coconut pineapple cake, spend your mental energy on the Squiggly Line Effect.

Squiggle

Here are a few tips that work well for me to tackle the holidays with both enthusiasm and mindfulness:

Starving

When I eat before the holiday party I end up having two dinners, which is even more calories then if I’d just eaten at the party alone! I used to have a big salad before just to ensure that I got vegetables with my dinner in the event that the party had no crudités. But that fills up valuable stomach space! I have decided that having a salad for lunch and no vegetables for dinner is perfectly healthy a few times a year (or month…). Vegetables rule but like I said above, we’re talking about very few days of the year. On days when I have a big night ahead, I try to have a smallish lunch followed by a small afternoon snack so that by the time the party or Christmas dinner arrives I’m hungry but not famished. Hunger IS the best sauce, you know!

holiday-party, healthier holiday party

eggnog

Everyone knows eggnog is one of the most calorie dense drinks on the planet. But what would Christmas be without it? I actually find the lighter versions of nog to be just as delicious, but make sure the ingredient list is still recognizable. You don’t want to trade calories for chemicals. For Thanksgiving I actually found some grass-fed nog and it was wonderful after dinner the night after Thanksgiving – when I wasn’t so full. So with eggnog or pie or the cheese plate – enjoy a little. Just make sure you keep your portion on the small side.

drink

Maybe a light beer is less calories than a White Russian, but if you have 5 of them because they taste like water, you’re not saving very much! {That was probably a terrible example because I doubt many of you drink 5 Buds on Christmas!} Anyways, my point is drink what you want most and what you will savor. My drink of choice – red wine divided into a few small pours. Some before dinner and some with dinner. Sometimes I try to branch out and try a new beer or cocktail, but really I just want the wine, so I end up drinking that on top of my experimental drink. Figure out what you love and stick with that – even if there is zero alcohol involved.

flakes

I don’t mean for this post to sound preachy – more power to you if you can say no to nog! The bottom line for me, and perhaps most importantly, is to focus on how I feel. And this includes keeping the threat of a hangover close to heart! Sort of like how intuitive eating will even itself out over time, if you focus on how you feel you aren’t bound to eat so many calories that you gain permanent pounds. Enjoy the evening just enough so that you sleep well that night and wake up refreshed in the morning. The older I get, the easier it is for me to know when I hit that point. Your body will tell you when the holiday is over.

have-your-christmas-graphic

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