The holiday season is upon us, and while it’s fun for many people who get to spend time with their families, it can be a nightmare for health aficionados who are watching their diets.
Maxine Siegal, Consumer Report’s dietitian, said that healthy eating during Thanksgiving comes down to being aware of how much you’re consuming.
“Be mindful of how much you serve yourself,” said Siegel. “That way you can sample many foods without going overboard. But double or triple your portions – which is easy to do – and you could consume a sky-high number of calories.”
The same rules apply during other holidays post-Thanksgiving.
If you’re hosting guests, portion and diet control become a bit easier. You can determine exactly what is served, and opt to purchase healthier foods that have low calorie counts and trans fat.
To host a healthy, successful event, you need to read the label and accomplish the following:
1. Start With the Turkey
EWG provides some great tips on how to select a turkey that fits your dietary needs. Look for ones that have labels that read “No GMO” or something similar. GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. Also look for a turkey that was bred naturally, and wasn’t provided growth promoters and antibiotics.
2. Move Onto Other Food Items
After you’ve chosen the turkey, begin selecting other items to complement it. While the types of items you choose depend on the household, the approach will be similar: Find items that are healthy.
To pick out products that fit your health regimen, it’s critical to know how to read labels. We suggest learning how to do this well before the event to ensure you’re not rushing.
3. Don’t Overeat
Caryn Honig of the Health Weigh pointed out what she called a “fascinating” occurrence between how adults and children eat. Children eat until they’re full and then stop. Adults, on the other hand, are much more likely to “lose control” of how much food they eat, and their “eating habits become anything but natural.” This holiday season eat like a child, which is to not overeat at all.
The holidays should not be about counting calories. You can avoid the latter by hosting an event that focuses on healthy eating.
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