Healthy Holidays

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

TIPS ON HOW TO AVOID A CALORIE OVERLOAD THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS

The holidays are a great time to connect with family, fellowship with friends, and rejoice that Jesus came down as the Light of the World to save us and equip us to point others to His life changing and saving power. It is also an amazing time to enjoy traditions like baking cookies and feasting with family and friends. Many people try to justify over-indulging by claiming that it’s the holidays so it’s okay to splurge because there are ten parties and friends’ houses to go to. Then January comes and people try to deal with the aftermath of a calorie overload io they make a New Year’s Resolution to join a gym, eat healthier, and participate with Christian Fitness every day on CTN (a shameless plug for our show 😁).

We have a few tips to help you this holiday season and the first one is to “use your brain to avoid the gain”. What we consume is always a choice so before eating anything, especially during the holidays, think of the fact that you are what you eat. Everything that you put into your mouth is a seed and will yield a harvest. So, it’s important to plant vitamins and nutrients and try to limit inflammatory sugars.

Here is a quick scenario to help you understand the effect of excess calories this holiday season. If you only ate your regular meals, which never happens during the holidays, but for the sake of this exercise let’s say that you eat normally, but you add just three cookies per day for the next 30 days. That equates to an additional 8 pounds in only one month. To put it into perspective, you would have to run 6 miles every single day to burn off the calories from those 3 cookies. I love cookies but they aren’t worth 6 miles. So, we’re encouraging you to break the cycle and make some simple changes this year. Here are a few additional tips.

Learn to say, “No Thank You”. If someone offers you something unhealthy, simply explain that you are trying to avoid sweets because you’ve made a commitment to be healthier and you want to start now and not wait until the new year.

Instead of eating an entire piece of cake or cookie, only take two bites. You just reduced the calories by 70%.

Chew each bite for 15 seconds. While chewing slowly, you might notice that in the 30 seconds it takes you to finish just two bites there will be several people that will consume an entire piece of cake in that same amount of time.

Put your fork down after each bite (or if it’s a cookie or handheld item, place it down on a napkin or plate). There are numerous studies that prove that eating slower is healthier. In 2008, the “Journal of American Dietetic Association” published a study in which they monitored 30 women eating on two separate visits at two different rates of speed. When they ate more slowly they consumed fewer calories, drank more water, and rated their meal satisfaction higher than when they ate quickly.

Split a desert with 3 or 4 people. This is an add-on to the two-bite technique.

If you are hosting an event you can still have dessert but offer everyone a healthier alternative. Serve small 1-2 ounce pieces of dark chocolate.

There’s no simple solution to being healthier but there are ways to avoid and minimize the traps that cause us to consume too many calories. Justifying that “it’s the holidays so it’s okay to go overboard” does not help your body try to deal with the unhealthy overload. Is one single cookie worth running 2 miles? Absolutely not. But only taking two bites and then walking around the block with family or friends after dinner will create a much healthier holiday. Start new habits and traditions now to build a healthier future.