Maintaining healthy eating habits can be difficult year-round, so when the holidays do come around, I know the struggle of trying to maintain your hard work of saying no to sweets and limiting the intake of alcohol. Over here at the CGS team, we are the first to admit that eating clean can go out the window as soon as the holidays come rolling around. Bad holiday eating habits can catch up with us!
Sure, it can be difficult to avoid the tasty treats, but this time around we are trying to make better decisions and avoid the bad holiday eating habits. After all, some things that are considered bad are only bad if you overindulge! Check out these six ways you can join us in avoiding the bad habits during the holiday seasons.
Drink Water
Consuming water helps us feel full without over indulging on too much food! If you plan on spending holidays around friends and family and know there is going to be plenty of yummy treats, try drinking a glass of water or two prior to consuming anything.
Thanks to the water you consume before eating, you may not overindulge as much as you originally would have. Water has no calories and will help you stay hydrated for when you do plan to drink any alcoholic beverages. If by any chance you forget to drink some water before eating, simply have a glass or two with your meal. By the way, drinking water isn’t just good for the holidays. Check out 8 Reasons to Drink More Water.
Eat in Moderation
I absolutely would not want you to starve yourself, so why go in full deprivation mode and have a horrible time with temptations everywhere?! The rule of thumb is to enjoy life and everything in moderation is fine. It is when you start to overdo it and load your plate full of sugar and fats that you will most likely regret it the next day.
No need to rule out eating your mom’s favorite dish this holiday season, but instead of going to get thirds and fourths, perhaps stick to consuming the first plate and see if you are still hungry for more. Moderation is one of the most vital ways in keeping a healthy eating style and should be incorporated all year, especially during the holidays.
Make A Plan
Making plans can be so cliché. However, in order to stay on track with your healthy eating habits, it is important to have some what of a plan prior to going all willy wild. A plan will ensure that you do not go rogue and indulge in items that you had not consumed in a while.
The last thing you need is bringing something back into your diet after it was gone for so long, and then having an upset stomach. The plan is nice and it does not need to be broadcasted to any guests while enjoying the holidays – it simply can be a small pact that you have made with yourself to ensure you stay on track. If you do need an accountability partner, then feel free to share with them if that helps you!
Be Realistic
One of the toughest things we do is have ideas in our heads that are simply not realistic. “Yeah, I’m going to fast for thirty days and only consume water and air!” First off, that’s crazy, and secondly why in the world would you rob yourself of life? Life is all about making memories and living in the moment.
Being realistic is telling yourself that I am only going to have a few glasses of wine and that is it. Remaining true to yourself during the holidays and your eating habits can be hard, but do not get down on yourself for wanting to have a good time with loved ones. In the back of your mind, you know your limits and you should stay true to you and your goals!
Practice Mindfulness
Being mindful is really easy (once you get used to it), and we believe everyone should practice it. Being mindful is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly react or be overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
This is one of the best ways that can help you not drift off course and eat bad during the holidays. You can include practicing mindfulness during this holiday season when eating by being mindful of when you are full or at your limit. When we ignore that feeling, we consume even more than what we wanted which leads to us feeling ill or gaining the weight that we worked so hard to get off in the first place.
Swap Sugar Out
Many of the holiday foods that we’ve all come to love include a lot of sugar. By swapping the sugar out, you are making a healthy eating habit and still being able to enjoy a good time. For instance, if your auntie threw down in the kitchen and made her infamous candied yams, bring a dish for the entire party to try that also includes sweet potatoes, just without the sugar.
The dishes are similar but of course one has a slightly healthier touch to it. You are knocking two birds out with one stone, eating clean and bringing a dish for everyone else to enjoy as well. You may even be able to convince others to eat healthier with you too!
Related: How to Stay Healthy During the Holidays
May the good eating odds be forever in your favor during this wonderful holiday season. Between the infamous mac and cheese, grandma’s popular dessert, and loads of wine, we can only hope for the best outcome possible. If we stick to these simple tips, I am confident our holiday eating habits may be better than last year’s.
What is one of your worst eating go to items? How do you overcome bad holiday eating habits? Like and check out our Facebook page, and don’t by shy about joining in on the conversations! We love hearing from you all so while you are at it definitely check us out on our Twitter and IG page @citygirlsavings.
1 thought on “6 Ways to Avoid Bad Holiday Eating Habits”
Great read! These tips were insightful and take it further than just “avoiding bad foods”!