Enjoy Your Holiday Meals Without Overindulging

The holidays are some of the best times of the year filled with laughter, lots of food, and friends and family. Even though holidays may look a little different this year, we hope you find endless ways to enjoy them.

When it comes to holidays, typically, lots of food is involved as well as distractions that may make you end up overindulging. Here are some ways to not overindulge, but still enjoy your holiday meals!

1. Watch portion sizes by using smaller plates. The average plate size is currently 11-12 inches. In restaurants, the actual size is 13 inches. The ideal plate size and what is used in Europe is 9 inches.
2. Reading food labels helps determine portion size. The serving size of cooked vegetables is ½ cup and raw, fresh, or frozen is 1 cup. The serving size for meat is the size of the palm of your hand and ½ to 1 inch thick.
3. Start your meal with a low-sodium, broth-based soup or a salad.
4. Stay hydrated.
5. Practice mindful eating. Savor it and chew slowly to allow your brain to catch up with what is taking place. It takes the brain about 15 minutes to realize that we have eaten enough.
6. Control your stress level to help reduce cravings. Take deep breaths before eating to allow the body to relax and process what is taking place.
7. Keep meals balanced with protein. Protein increases metabolism and levels of appetite-reducing hormones.
8. Skip seconds.
9. Make sure you’re not hungry while cooking or grocery shopping.
10. Cut back on taste testing. When tasting a variety of dishes, you can consume more calories than expected.
11. Limit excessive sugar consumption. Enjoy dessert, but limit that dessert intake. If you want two kinds of desserts, try to cut the portion size to equal the normal portion of one regular dessert or slice of pie.
12. Eat before you arrive to the gathering.

Don’t forget to share these helpful tips with your loved ones as well, so we can all be a little healthier!