How to avoid a Thanksgiving stuffing
Nikole Gavriilidis
Issue date: 11/18/09 Section: Life
"Why can't holidays revolve around fasting?" asked my sister as she loosened her belt. Although we love the holidays for its endless amounts of holiday cheer, thanksgiving, and love, we also love the holidays for the stuffing, eggnog and sugar plum fairies.
The fact is that across all cultures food brings people together-- cultivating conversation and quality time among family and friends. We may get caught up in the decadence of holiday spreads from the 10 lb turkey to the New Year's champagne, but, there are ways to keep happy and healthy without overindulging during the holiday season. Here are some tips to prevent you from being sidelined with a bulging abdomen, an upset stomach, or irrevocable guilt.
•When you are at a holiday gathering prevent mindless eating by making it a point to only eat with utensils. This prevents the excessive intake of appetizers and finger foods.
•Eat before you arrive at a holiday event. Showing up with a rumbling stomach will only force you to hastily cure your insatiable hunger by reaching for calorie latent foods. If you are thinking that skimping calories prior to a holiday dinner will help you stay within your daily calorie intake, it is the wrong assumption. To maintain your will power and blood sugar, eat breakfast and lunch along with a fiber filled snack to keep you satiated throughout the day.
•Make sure you are taking in an adequate amount of water daily. This will keep your metabolism working throughout the holidays.
•Use smaller plates when eating dinner or dessert, it will trick your eyes into thinking you consumed more than you actually did.
• Don't deny yourself of a specific craving. Making a food off-limits will only subconsciously make you crave that food more. So if you are craving grandma's apple pie, take a piece and enjoy.
•Spend time with family and friends rather than taking a spot near the food tables. Proximity and temptation have a directly proportional relationship.
•Remember that there will always be leftovers during the holidays so there is no need to eat all you can at one sitting because odds are you will be having it for lunch all week long.
The fact is that across all cultures food brings people together-- cultivating conversation and quality time among family and friends. We may get caught up in the decadence of holiday spreads from the 10 lb turkey to the New Year's champagne, but, there are ways to keep happy and healthy without overindulging during the holiday season. Here are some tips to prevent you from being sidelined with a bulging abdomen, an upset stomach, or irrevocable guilt.
•When you are at a holiday gathering prevent mindless eating by making it a point to only eat with utensils. This prevents the excessive intake of appetizers and finger foods.
•Eat before you arrive at a holiday event. Showing up with a rumbling stomach will only force you to hastily cure your insatiable hunger by reaching for calorie latent foods. If you are thinking that skimping calories prior to a holiday dinner will help you stay within your daily calorie intake, it is the wrong assumption. To maintain your will power and blood sugar, eat breakfast and lunch along with a fiber filled snack to keep you satiated throughout the day.
•Make sure you are taking in an adequate amount of water daily. This will keep your metabolism working throughout the holidays.
•Use smaller plates when eating dinner or dessert, it will trick your eyes into thinking you consumed more than you actually did.
• Don't deny yourself of a specific craving. Making a food off-limits will only subconsciously make you crave that food more. So if you are craving grandma's apple pie, take a piece and enjoy.
•Spend time with family and friends rather than taking a spot near the food tables. Proximity and temptation have a directly proportional relationship.
•Remember that there will always be leftovers during the holidays so there is no need to eat all you can at one sitting because odds are you will be having it for lunch all week long.
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