Brooke Staats, RD, LDN, CNSC
BOSTON, MA, – The time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day marks the official holiday season and with it comes plenty of opportunities for indulgent food and drink.
Brooke Staats, RD, LDN, CNSC, Outpatient Dietitian at Faulkner Hospital, offers some tips to help you make good choices for your health during the holidays:
* Practice visualization: Imagine leaving your holiday party or event feeling comfortably full and satisfied rather than stuffed and bloated. Keeping that picture in mind may motivate you to make healthy decisions during the event.
* If you are likely to fill up on appetizers, try avoiding any that you can eat any time, such as chips and crackers. Choose one or two of your favorites but fill most of your plate up with vegetables, fruits and lean proteins such as shrimp, chicken or beans.
* Try to stick to your normal routine as much as possible. If you have a holiday party, try not to skip meals or “save up” for the event – eat normal meals beforehand so that you are more likely to make good decisions during the party. Foods that don’t normally look good to you tend to look great when you are hungry!
* Try to limit alcohol. Even one drink can dull your hunger signals and affect your sleep. The current recommendation is for one drink per day for women and two for men. Try to think up some fun non-alcoholic “mocktails” to enjoy such as pomegranate juice and sparkling water.
* Lastly, if you do overdo it, wake up the next morning and continue making healthy food and lifestyle choices. It is not one night of overeating that will affect your weight and health; it is your daily lifestyle choices that make the real difference.
For an individualized nutrition counseling appointment, please contact your physician for a referral to Faulkner Hospital’s Outpatient Nutrition Clinic, call 617-983-4455 or email FHNutritionClinic@partners.org.
