Christmas cookies, fudge and buttery rolls are only a few of many Christmas temptations. The high-calorie food extravaganza often begins in early December and lasts right into the new year. Between office potlucks, family gatherings and Christmas parties with your friends, you can quickly put on weight if you do not have healthy eating strategies in place.
Consume Calories Selectively
Avoiding your favorite Christmas foods completely will likely leave you feeling deprived and may result in a binge. Shape Magazine suggests indulging in small amounts of your favorite high-calorie Christmas treats to avoid weight gain while satisfying your cravings. Don't accept every holiday treat passed your way. Save your indulgences for Christmas treats you truly love to make the calories worth it.
Share a Healthy Dish
If you are hosting a Christmas celebration, plan a healthy menu or make substitutions in the classic Christmas dishes for lighter versions. If someone else is hosting the festivities, you have no control over what is served. Bringing a healthy dish to share ensures you will have something nutritious to snack on even if the rest of the meal is full of calories and fat, according to Shape Magazine. A simple salad works well. Use the salad to cover the majority of your plate while allowing yourself a few of the higher calorie items to fill the remainder.
Keep Water Handy
Christmas is also known for its rich, high-calorie beverages, such as eggnog and hot chocolate. As with your favorite foods, a little taste of the traditional Christmas beverages won't completely derail a healthy diet. Balance these drinks with plenty of water. Reader's Digest suggests bringing your own bottled water to all your holiday events.
Pack Healthy Snacks
A bag full of healthy snacks during the Christmas season keeps you prepared when munchies strike or you're faced with a smorgasbord of unhealthy Christmas food options. Keep snacks that travel well on hand, such as dried fruit, nuts and crackers. Reader's Digest also suggests keeping lots of vegetables and low-calorie drinks on hand. The healthy snacks also help you avoid overindulging if you do decide to eat a Christmas cookie. Once the cookie is gone, dig into your health snack stash so you aren't tempted to go back for a second, third or fourth cookie.
Eat Breakfast
Starting your day off with a healthy breakfast keeps you feeling satisfied, reducing the chances of an unhealthy Christmas food binge. The holiday season is typically busy, but fitting in all of your regular meals helps keep you on track and full when you do face Christmas treats in the break room.
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