Moderation for Health

By Tiffany Broden
Contributing Writer

It’s the ho-ho-holiday season and if you’re not careful about what you eat, you’ll soon be looking like Santa. It’s hard not to be tempted by the giant feasts, desserts and endless winter drinks, but it’s times like this to watch and be aware of what and how much you consumes – after all, you are what you eat.

When the whole family is together, a large feast is usually in order. Turkey, ham, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, lefse, pumpkin pie, cranberries and every kind of cookie imaginable. It can be a bit overwhelming and you’re going to want to try everything. And that is fine, as long as you do it in moderation. That’s the key word this year. Moderation. Skip the second heaping pile of stuffing and just choose one dessert. During the holidays, we as a culture seem to forget what is good for our bodies. We use them as an excuse to eat however much and whatever we want. And it’s not about always eating healthy, but it’s about eating right.

If you’re not the host of a lavish feast this year, be proactive and have a plan. There are different reasons why we overeat. Some people eat to avoid hurting the feelings of those who spent time preparing the food. Maybe it’s your in-laws and you get nervous so you relax with food, or maybe you just get plain exited about holiday eating. You can overcome this if you just have a plan.

The first thing: do not starve yourself before the meal. Eat a healthy breakfast and snack on fruit or vegetables throughout the day before the meal. Skip the cheese and crackers for appetizers and go for the veggie tray instead. This way you won’t overindulge in foods that you may regret later.

Next, be wary of sugary and high dairy foods. These are the ones that will get you such as the yams with marshmallows on top and brown sugar, green bean casserole, the mashed potatoes. They seem like they’d be healthy since they’re vegetables but that’s just their disguise. Of course you can eat them, just in moderation. Another good tip for this is to balance your plate out. Make sure you have something from all of the food groups, not just one or two.

Another thing to be wary about is your alcohol consumption. You can use the excuse that wine is full of antioxidants and is good for you but in reality, only in moderation. Be careful of creamy drinks such as eggnog and rum and chocolate martinis, as these are easily why you feel the need to diet on New Years Day.

Third, exercise. It’s the holidays and if you were too busy to add exercise into your regular routine, make it a holiday routine since most of us are out of school and work and have extra time on our hands. Take a family outing to the ski lodge. Play Wii Fit or bundle up and go on a walk. Most gyms also have day passes or offer a buddy pass. A yoga class is A good way to bond with family members you haven’t seen for a while. This way you’ll have something other to talk about besides the food and Uncle Freddy’s mishaps. It doesn’t have to be boring, make it fun. If you are hosting the family get-together don’t feel pressured into making traditional foods. You don’t need another 20-pound turkey on Christmas when you still have leftovers from Thanksgiving. Switch it up. Make fish your main meal. Try to go an ethnic route and make something delicious and different. There’s no holiday rulebook saying you have to have stuffing with gravy. Be creative and show the family how great of a cook you really are.

If you must make traditional holiday foods, make everything homemade so you can control salt, sugar and butter content. Make your own stuffing so it’s not filled with preservatives and salt. Use real cranberries and less sugar. When making cookies, substitute applesauce for eggs. You can also substitute water for milk in baking and no one will know the difference. (Trust me, I do it all the time.) There are tons of food substitutes and all you have to do is search online a little bit.

One other thing you can do for your guests and yourself is to stock up on healthy foods such as whole grains, fruit and vegetables. For appetizers make hummus and crackers instead of cheese and crackers. Leave out the ranch on the veggie tray and use balsamic vinaigrette instead.

The goal this year is not to feel deprived of the foods you love, but to feel good about yourself after the meal is over. The reason why humans eat is so that we have energy, and you shouldn’t feel sleepy after eating, you should feel recharged. Don’t feel guilty saying no to that second piece of pie. If you’re full, no one is going to judge you. They’ll envy you because come New Years, you can have a more constructive resolution than dieting. Just remember to enjoy this year in moderation so you don’t come out of it looking like that Butterball turkey you deep-fried.

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