Eating Healthy Through The Holidays

     The holiday season is a fantastic time of year to spend with family and friends. Undoubtedly, with the holidays come holiday parties, gatherings and lots of sugary, salty and fatty foods. It's important to maintain a healthy lifestyle year round but also enjoy yourself and indulge in your favorite treats from time to time. Here are 10 tips to stay healthy this holiday season. 

1.     Be Realistic – The holiday season is not the time to put extra pressure on yourself to lose weight. Instead of trying to lose weight over the holidays set a goal to maintain your current weight.

2.     Make Time For Exercise – one fantastic way to maintain your weight over the holidays is to exercise. If you’re traveling and can’t make it to the gym simply taking a brisk walk outside with family and friends is a great way to stay healthy over the holidays.

3.     Fill Up Before You Head Out – before leaving for a holiday party or gathering eat a light, healthy snack like vegetables and hummus or a large piece of fruit and a handful of nuts. This will help curb your cravings for sugary foods and you will be less tempted to over-indulge.

4.     Don’t Stuff Yourself – eat until you are satisfied but not until you are stuffed. The point of holiday meals is to enjoy time with family and friends. Sit down, relax, and enjoy your food slowly. Savor the meal and the good company without walking away miserably full.


5.     Beware Of Beverages – alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are typically packed with lots of calories and very little nutrients. Drink both in moderation.

6.     Remember, Mistakes Happen! – If you overeat at one meal then simply cut back on your portions at the next meal. But don’t make over-eating a habit.

7.     Scan The Buffet – Before digging into the holiday buffet scan the items available and pick out the healthiest options. Remember, fruits and vegetables should fill at least half your plate.

8.     Trim The Fat – every tablespoon of fat on your meat equals approximately 100 calories ⁽¹⁾

9.     Bring A Dish – want to ensure that there will be something at the holiday party you will enjoy? Bring your own dish to share! By bringing your own dish you can control exactly what you eat while being an excellent party guest.

10.   Have Fun! – Instead of sitting around in front of the television or being the couch potato at a holiday party get up, move around, mingle and talk with other party goers. If you’re at home look for a fun project to do like making wreaths or creating a gingerbread house. 

1. Nelson, Jennifer and Zeratsky, Katherine. Healthy Holiday Eating - Remakes of Favorite Recipes. Mayo Clinic. [Online] December 5, 2012. [Cited: November 29, 2012.] http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-holiday-eating/MY01046/METHOD=print.

 

Making Over the New Year You

With the New Year here, many of us are considering how to make lasting impacts on our waist lines in 2012. A few key changes can add up to noticeable improvements to our health as well as our moods. The determining factor in making those New Year’s resolutions into enduring behavior changes is starting small. Managing our expectations can lead to positive reinforcement when we meet our goals. This is true even when the goals are slight improvements.

Our tendency is to dream big but it is the little steps that make all the difference. Each little step can add up to persistent changes in our daily rituals.

Here are some common New Year’s resolutions according to usa.gov and ways to break them down into manageable little pieces for easier integration into everyday life:

1. Get Fit

- I will park in the farthest parking space and walk to the store from that space.

- I will walk into a restaurant rather than using the drive-thru window.

- I will walk 30 minutes every other day.

2. Lose Weight

- I will lose 1 pound per week for 15 weeks.

- I will replace one high calorie food item per day with a low calorie food item.

- I will replace one sugary beverage with water every day.

3. Eat Healthy Food

- I will eat one healthy food item per day.

- I will replace one unhealthy food item per day with a healthy food choice.

- I will eat one healthy meal one day a week.

Remember to celebrate the small successes you have made at meeting your goals- this will reinforce your new lifestyle. Celebration does not have to mean eating a whole cake by yourself, but perhaps having a small slice of your favorite pie to celebrate losing 5 pounds over 5 weeks or going to see that movie you’ve been wanting to see after running 30 minutes 3 times a week for the past week are a couple good examples.

Commemorating our achievements helps us build momentum to withstand obstacles toward the development of our new habits.

Wishing you health, wealth and success in the 2012!

Stop Feeling Guilty this Holiday Season

Any foods- even holiday treats- can fit into a healthy eating plan. The key is moderation and balance.

The holidays are not the best time to try and lose weight. The best goal for this time of year is to maintain your current weight. Forget the all-or-nothing mentality. Aim to eat well 80 percent of the time. Depriving oneself of special holiday foods may cause overindulgence later or feelings of guilt. Don’t beat yourself up if you happen to go overboard one day. Instead of allowing that one day to be an excuse to “fall off the wagon,” accept the fact that you are human and will make mistakes. Attempting to eat perfectly all the time can be like setting yourself up for failure.

Set yourself up for success! Try these easy tips:

• Don’t starve yourself the day before a big meal or a holiday party. Eat small meals throughout the day to avoid hunger and keep your metabolism going.
• Stay active and keep moving. Keep your exercise routine during the holidays or fit in exercise by walking while shopping, ice skating with family, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Plan ahead by having healthy snacks like carrots or almonds on hand in case a snack attack strikes while out and about.
• At holiday parties, choose raw vegetables and fruits, boiled shrimp or scallops, pretzels, or whole grain crackers. Socialize away from the buffet table. Conversation is calorie free! Go easy on the alcohol.
• Instead of completely depriving yourself of holiday foods that you enjoy, try a small amount, like a spoonful, of each.
• Bring a healthy dish to a holiday party so that you know there will be a healthy choice to eat

Most importantly, stop feeling guilty! Accept yourself, faults and all, and enjoy this holiday season.

~GSU Coordinated Program Interns Group V

10 Reasons Why Getting Enough Is Important !

1. To break down and digest food, and carry nutrients in the bloodstream.
2. Water helps digested food pass through the body quicker, preventing constipation.
3. Replenish bodily fluids.
4. Regulate body temperature
5. Keep the kidneys healthy.
6. Keeps joints and eyes lubricated.
7. Keeps the skin hydrated and looking healthy and glowing.
8. Water is the main component of muscles and keeps them toned and firm.
9. Water aids in the metabolism and elimination of fats.
10. The brain is comprised of a lot of water and therefore needs replenishment to keep it working well.

Ways to Increase Your Water Intake

1. Carry a water bottle
2. Drink a full glass with each meal and at least a half a glass with every snack
3. Add citrus to your water, such as lemon or lime
4. Buy less soda and other beverages and drink water instead
5. Eat more fruits and vegetables; they contain high amounts of water
6. Try water flavoring mixes such as Crystal Light

~ GSU Nutrition Integrated Program Interns Group V

Healthy Holiday Eating

Food is everywhere during the holiday season, making it tough to stick to your healthful eating and exercise habits. With a little attention, however, you can make it through the holidays without losing track of your healthy lifestyle.


Is it true that the average person gains 5 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day?

I always overeat at holiday functions. Can you give me some tips to help keep me on track?




There are many ways to keep your calorie intake under control during the festivities. Try these tips and see which ones work for you:

Food

• Limit gravies and dressings made from pan drippings or heavy cream. Instead of pouring from a gravy boat, pour into a spoon and drizzle on food.
  
• Most mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes are already made with butter or cream, so avoid putting extra butter on top.
  
• Survey the entire table before you take any food. Decide what foods are worth eating and what can be ignored, and then stick to that decision. Why waste calories on foods that don’t bring you pleasure?
  
• Eat a snack before you leave home. If you arrive at a party starving, you’ll be more likely to overindulge.
  

Beverages

• Eat your calories instead of drinking them. Stick to lower calorie or calorie-free drinks (diet sodas, water, light beer, or wine spritzer) instead of punches, eggnogs, and mixed drinks that can have up to 500 calories per cup.
• Sip a large glass of water between every alcoholic drink. This will help keep you hydrated and you’ll drink fewer calories by the end of the night.



• When you are the host or hostess, include nutritious and lower-calorie foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean meats on the menu.



• When you are a guest, bring along a lower-calorie dish to share.



• Watch your portion sizes



• Don’t cover your plate completely with food. In most cases, especially when it comes to holiday sweets and alcoholic beverages, less is better.



• Drop out of the “clean plate club”. Leave a few bites behind every time you eat, especially if you are eating something you don’t really care for.



• Enjoy your favorite holiday treats but take a small portion, eat slowly, and savor the taste and texture of the wonderful foods of the season.


--Emily Harrison and Meghan Stewart, Masters Students in Nutrition and Dietetic Interns at Georgia State University

Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin Soup
Prep time: 10 min, Cook time 35 min

Ingredients:
2 and 2/3 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 15oz can pure pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup reduced fat milk
Black pepper, cinnamon, or nutmeg to taste.

Directions:
Heat stock, salt, pumpkin, onion, thyme, garlic, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered.

Reduce heat to low, and simmer for another 15 minutes, uncovered. Stir in milk. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with fresh parsley.

Yields 4 servings

Nutrition Per Serving (1 muffin):
Calories: 180 Fat: 2g Protein: 3.5g Carbohydrate: 18 g Fiber: 4 g Sodium: 357 mg