You should make your own list – a list of naughty and nice holiday foods!
All of us want to enjoy the holiday festivities but most of us would like to avoid the weight gain that usually comes with eating all those fabulous foods served at the celebrations. Although many holiday foods spell dietary disaster, some are not so naughty; in fact, some may be good enough to make it onto Santa’s Nice List.
We’ve all heard that fruits and vegetables are good choices for a healthy diet, but when it comes to holiday foods we need to have more information than that. After all, holidays are special times. We want to indulge and enjoy the festivities. With that in mind, we are sharing some information that we hope you will find helpful during the holiday season.
Top Tips
- Healthy choices are always a good bet
- Keep serving sizes in mind
- Choose ‘unsweetened’ over sweetened, or select foods sweetened with an artificial sweetener
- Dark chocolates and hard cheeses are a good choice
Heart Healthy Considerations
Heart health is a very important consideration for any age and of course, certain foods can help prevent heart disease. For instance, the unsaturated fat, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals in nuts are very heart-healthy. Unsweetened applesauce can provide heart-healthy fiber.
Eating Those Naughty Holiday Foods
We need to be realistic about things – the naughty holiday foods are extremely tempting and we will probably eat some of them. In fact, we shouldn’t try to completely avoid them – after all, it is the holidays and we deserve to enjoy those delicious treats. We just need to have a handle on things.
Choose the high calorie foods that you will eat carefully. Stay in control. Mind the portions you serve yourself.
Make Santa’s Nice List
You will get your own certificate for making Santa’s Nice List if you remember to follow these tips. Final thoughts relate to the fact that even when you gather for a meal, although you will be eating, the real purpose of the gathering is to enjoy the company of friends and family.
After you eat you should move away from the food. Perhaps chewing on a piece of gum or sucking on a piece of hard candy will help you resist the urge to munch on chips and other foods that might be sitting out. The point is to focus your time on bonding with the people you are surrounded by.
