Eating Healthy During the Holidays

It's that time of year again. You look forward to it all year, but are you ready to throw all the healthy eating habits out the door?
Here is a disturbing statistic:
Thanksgiving meals are typically between 3000-5000 calories! That is over double what is recommended for the average person to consume a day.

What can we do? What is the first thing that you think of when Thanksgiving is mentioned?
FOOD!
Well, it's time to shift the focus. Thanksgiving should be focused on being thankful for the people around you and spending time with the people that you care about. Shift the focus away from the food, towards the social aspect on these holidays.
There are things that you can do to prevent you from stuffing your face and putting yourself into a food coma.
What to do before the feast?

• drink lots of water
• eat a small snack before you go to a party or the thanksgiving feast, so you aren't starving when you get there
• offer to bring a healthy dish with you
• scope out the options before making your selections
• plan ahead- if you know you are going to have a piece of pie, cut down on the main dish!

Tips to avoid overeating

• eat breakfast
• fill up on veggies
• chew slowly
• know when you are satisfied
• go easy on the servings- you only need a small taste of each dish

Modify your recipes

• take off the turkey skin
• use egg whites or egg substitutes instead of whole eggs
• substitute applesauce instead of oil
• use reduced-fat or light options in recipes
• add vegetables to bulk up the recipe without adding a substantial amount of calories

What to do after the feast?

• avoid the food coma and don't sit down on the couch
• clean up- wash the dishes
• play with the kids
• go for a walk with the family

I will be posting some healthy alternative recipes soon, so stay tuned! :)