Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
By Elizabeth Magee, RD, LRD
We’re here, in the thick of the holidays! Less than two weeks before Christmas and the madness and festivities have begun.
Who’s feeling overwhelmed? Are you finding yourself overbooked with kids’ activities, family gatherings, Christmas parties and top it off trying to get shopping accomplished and please everyone?
Thankfully, I haven’t had many Christmas parties, but I’m still feeling extra chaotic this year. How do we navigate everything and still enjoy it? We forget so often the reason for the season. It gets buried in all the things mentioned above. I don’t see that going away. So, let’s discuss navigating the yummy choices at all those parties!
Feeling guilty about what we’re eating isn’t fun no matter what time of year it is. You think it should be easy, but it’s not. You might have already celebrated one of your Christmases, and you still might have four to go. That’s a lot of days of thinking about what we’ve been eating.
Step 1 – Don’t show up hungry!! It always seems like it’s smart to “bank” calories all day long and eat and drink what you want but this almost always backfires. You may end up eating way more than normal and if you haven’t eaten all day (or eaten much) those holiday Moscow Mules might catch up with you quicker than you planned. After a few drinks, we seem to gravitate toward the snacks, instead of the veggie tray!
Step 2 – Think about your holiday cocktails! They end up with a lot of extra calories sometimes that we don’t think about. Can you mix drinks with soda water, or diet tonic, or diet pop? There are a lot of low-calorie mixers out there. Or can you skip the alcohol? Just another option. I like options. Do you wait all year long for that one party that has the best Tom & Jerrys? If you do, then sit back and enjoy it; they only come around once a year!
Step 3 – Were you asked to bring a dish? Bring something you know you like. If you’ve been working on losing weight, bring a dish that you don’t feel will derail your hard work. There’s no shame in that and others will probably be grateful as well.
Step 4 – Stop the guilt! Like the Tom & Jerry’s or Great Grandma Mary’s lefse, or mashed potatoes, or chocolate pie, or fill in the blank only comes around once a year then EAT IT!! Enjoy it. These are the fun things about the holidays; those traditions that only come around this time of year!
Feeling guilty about food isn’t a fun emotion, it’s a waste of energy and you shouldn’t punish yourself for eating foods you enjoy eating – ESPECIALLY old family traditions or recipes. Those deserve to stay alive for many holidays to come!
Elizabeth Magee is a licensed registered dietitian. Her posts appear monthly on OYT.
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