How to eat healthy during the holidays

Enjoy your holiday meals in a healthier way

The holidays are filled with visiting family and friends, holiday parties and traditions – a lot of which include food. Dishes like mashed potatoes and gravy and pumpkin pie may be tasty, but they can be packed with sugar, salt and fat. It’s OK to indulge in a few of your favorite holiday dishes, but being selective about your food choices can help you avoid a post-holiday slump.

Tips for healthy holiday eating

Here are some tips from the Mayo Clinic that can help you stay on top of you nutrition during holiday gatherings:

• Don’t skip meals. By skipping meals, you set yourself up for failure because you’ll be hungrier than normal, causing you to overeat. Stick to your normal meal schedule and eat healthy snacks like fruit or nuts to keep your appetite in check.
• Bring a healthy dish. If you bring a healthy side dish, such as a salad or some sauteed veggies, you can be sure there will be a nutritious meal option to help you break up the other holiday dishes.
• Pick your holiday heroes. Choose which holiday foods are your favorite and stick with those. It’s OK to indulge on these treats, but the key is moderation. Balance holiday foods out with greens or fruits to break it up.
• Put healthy foods first. Start our holiday buffet round by putting healthy foods on your plate first and then making room for other holiday treats. This will help make sure you’re getting healthy options while making you selective about which holiday foods you want to prioritize.
• Avoid mindless munching. Holidays are as much about seeing family and friends as they are about eating tasty food. But socializing can sometimes lead us to graze or eat without paying attention, leading us to overeat. To avoid this, try to visit with your loved ones in areas that aren’t right next to the holiday buffet to keep yourself from snacking mindlessly.

Be gracious to yourself

Don’t make yourself feel guilty if you eat too much or not healthy enough. You can always start again by making sure your next meal is healthier. You can even incorporate some exercise into your holiday activities. A walk with family or friends after a meal can help you burn off extra calories.

More healthy eating options with Sharecare

As a Blue Cross of Idaho member, you have access to Sharecare, a wellbeing app and tool that can help you eat healthier, lower your stress level and get more active. You can find resources on a wide array of health topics, including healthy eating, as well as wellbeing tips on how to get and stay healthy.

To get the Sharecare app, visit bcidaho.sharecare.com to create your account, download the app and take the RealAge® Test. Do not download the Sharecare app directly from the App Store or Google Play.

 

Disclaimer: This wellness program is administered by Sharecare, Inc., an independent company that provides health improvement management services to Blue Cross of Idaho members. Sharecare, Inc., does not provide Blue Cross of Idaho products or services and is solely responsible for the health improvement management services it provides.

 

Posted: November 30, 2022