Why is it that the time between Thanksgiving and New Years becomes an eating frenzy for so many? Why can’t it be a time for celebration, appreciating what we are thankful for and visiting with friends and family? Unfortunately for so many people health takes the back burner and they overeat, over drink and subsequently worry that they have gained weight.

I propose that everyone this year break the vicious cycle and enjoy the holidays.

The holidays are a good time to practice moderation. Trying to eat perfectly on a holiday or at a party is setting yourself up for failure. The only way to eat perfectly is to stay at home and skip the holiday parties, but that’s impractical. When eating healthfully it is important to understand the 90-10 principal: you should eat healthy 90% of the time and 10% of the time enjoy eating the foods at holiday parties. So how can you enjoy eating the holiday foods without going overboard?

Here are several ways for dealing with the holiday eating:

• Eat breakfast. Eating breakfast is especially important, because it influences your food choices the rest of the day.
• Eat a healthy snack. Snacking before you leave for a party will prevent you from being ravenous at the party.
• Follow the “one plate rule.” If you are invited to a buffet meal, try to limit what you eat to the amount of food that fits on one plate, and there are NO seconds!
• Workout in the morning. Getting your activity out of the way in the morning means you can’t make excuses for avoiding exercise later in the day.
• Pick veggies. If you are preparing the holiday dinner, make sure there are lots of vegetable dishes to choose from. If you’re the guest at the party, bring salad or a vegetable dish, this will ensure you have at least one healthy food option.

Being proactive with your eating during the holidays puts you in control. So remember enjoy the holidays but employ moderation in order to prevent regrets later.

photo credit: Tyler Love via photopin cc