Stay Your Diet

It’s easy to fall off the diet wagon when friends and family visit during the holidays. It is difficult to decline a piece of chocolate cake smothered in butter frosting. It’s also easy to over-indulge at the holiday dinner table. It is easier to resist the urge to have a second helping of mashed potatoes and gravy, and the sugary sweet pecan pie won’t look so enticing if you are not hungry when you sit down to partake of the holiday feast. A few easy to implement tips can help you resist the urge to over-eat and eat foods that can destroy your diet.

Begin your day with a high-fiber, nutrient rich breakfast. Skipping breakfast can result in hunger and it can slow your metabolism. People who eat breakfast have more energy and are less hungry during the mornings. A high-fiber breakfast is not only good for you, it keeps you feeling full longer. Oatmeal with low-fat milk and fresh fruit, like bananas or blueberries, is a great way to get vital nutrients and fiber. Drink a glass of calcium and Vitamin C- rich orange juice with your breakfast. Whole wheat waffles or pancakes made with whole wheat flour and sweetened with light corn syrup or fresh fruit can provide most of your daily fiber requirements. 

Water is essential to good health, yet often we do not drink enough water. Start the day by drinking a large glass of water. Drink another glass of water mid-morning and another glass before lunch. Drink more water in the afternoon. Just before you sit down with your family and friends at the holiday banquet table drink another glass of water. A large glass of water just before your holiday meal will help you feel more full so you will be less likely to over-eat. Eat a salad before the main course. Select fresh vegetables, such as spinach, tomatoes, radishes and shredded cabbage. Select shredded carrots instead of cheese and don’t load your salad with  a high calorie salad dressing. A light vinegar and olive oil salad dressing will bring out the flavor of the vegetables and add far fewer calories. 

Put no more than one cup of a variety of side dishes on your plate. Resist the urge to have a second helping. Chew your food slowly and savor the flavors. Chewing slowly also helps stimulate the secretion of digestive enzymes in your mouth. The stomach is slow to send signals to the brain, so you may not know you are full right away. Eating slowly gives your stomach time to signal the brain that you are full and it’s time to stop eating. When you are full, remove your plate from the table to avoid putting a second helping of stuffing on your plate.