5 Simple Steps to a Healthier Holiday Season

Why is it that we know we will likely overeat yet we still accept doing it? Read more and find out why as well as the 5 simple steps you can take to make this holiday season a little healthier.

If you’re like me, you spend many hours during the holiday season wishing you had put that extra piece of Christmas cake down before stuffing yourself silly. How many of you know you will overeat during the holidays this year? I bet many of you said yes.

Why is it that we know we will likely overeat yet we still accept doing it? Every year I go through the same ritual. For each and every dinner during the holidays my mouth begins to salivate. Just as the saliva prepares my digestive system for receiving the coming feast, my thoughts usually flush forward begging me “please don’t overeat, you know how you will feel”.

Like every holiday season before, I will overeat on a few occasions this year. I know at some point I will be lying on the couch wondering why, why, why I did it again. Bloating, stomach ache, gas and heart burn are just a few of the symptoms many of us can expect to experience over the coming weeks.

If you know you are likely to overeat this holiday season I would like to share with you my top 5 easy tips you can use to help reduce the impact that extra cookie or piece of cake will have on your health.

1.    Try filling your plate up only half way

I now many of you are laughing at that one, but this will give your mind some time to send the required signals to your brain when you are full. The more food you have on your plate means the more you will stuff yourself before you realize you are no longer hungry. Once the half plate is finished, choose to fill it up again half way with only vegetables. This will ensure you don’t eat excessive amounts meat, which is hard for your body to digest. For the men out there, trust me, cutting down on the meat will allow you to feel so much better at the end of each meal.

2.    Listen to your gut

When you begin to feel full acknowledge the feeling. Don’t just sit there and continue shoveling in the food. Pay attention to your full signal and wait 2 minutes before taking another bite. If at the end of the 2 minutes you are still hungry, take a few more bites, but continue to pay attention to what your body is saying.

3.    Drink lots of fluids

Many of us get into the habit of eating bite after bite without taking the time to stop and drink some fluids. There are many reasons why drinking is important to your digestive health. You really want to make sure that you are staying hydrated with water, not pop, alcohol and coffee. I know it’s the holidays, but try and drink as much water as possible this season. Water is the key fluid for flushing all the toxins out of your body.  Water is also great for relieving feelings of hunger.

4.    Save room for dessert

This is a tough one. How many of you get to the end of your second plate of food and realize “oh no, I forgot about dessert” and then do your best to shovel in at least one piece of cake and a few cookies. Yes, I am guilty of this every year and this year I have come up with a tool to make sure I save room for dessert. I am going to eat it my dessert first. No, no just joking. I am going to place one piece of the smallest sweet, delectable, scrumptious dessert I can find right beside my plate of food. This will ensure that I save the room required to have at least two pieces of that yummy goodness.

5.    Tell a friend or family member

Let someone close to you know that you do not want to overeat during the meal. Request of them to be sure to throw a chicken bone or piece of carrot at you as a reminder if they notice you stuffing yourself silly. Having the support of a loved one during the holidays for eating a little less is an important step to avoiding the belly blues.

The holidays are only a few weeks away which means you can take the tips I have given you and practice them a few times before the main event roles around. The more you begin to incorporate healthier habits when it comes to overeating, the sooner you will reduce digestive ailments and allow you body to utilize the nutrients it is getting from your food. Remember, one of your digestive systems main functions is to pull nutrients out of the food you eat. If you overeat, more energy is required for digestion. This results in less nutrients reaching your cells to provide health. It also means you lose energy and therefore search for the quickest location to lay your head down. 

It is your choice. Choose to be that guy or girl passed out on the sofa just after dinner or use the tips above and enjoy the holidays with a little room to spare.