Healthy Thanksgiving Tips

No need to forgo a slice of Thanksgiving pie to avoid holiday weight gain. Enjoying food favorites in moderation and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle will do the trick.

1. Eating should not be the focus of celebrations. Try not to put so much emphasis on food, because you are there to enjoy the company of friends and family.

2. Although saving up calories by skipping meals before family get-togethers may seem like a smart idea, it can backfire and lead to over-consumption. Start each day with a healthy breakfast and don’t miss meals.

3. Have a healthy snack, such as an apple, handful of carrots or whole-wheat crackers, before big meals.

4. While there may be more food temptations during the holidays, maintain a regular diet and exercise plan. If you do overindulge, get back on track the next day.

5. Be aware of mindless munching before and after meals.

6. Alternate glasses of high-calorie egg nog, juice, punch and alcohol with a similar serving of water.

7. Consider portion sizes for each food group before filling a plate. The largest portions on the plate should be vegetables and whole grains, followed by fruits and lean proteins. Dairy should be consumed in small amounts, or one to two servings per day.

8. Keep vegetables a low-fat option by skipping butter and gravy.

9. When choosing grains, limit picks to either a mashed potato, stuffing or dinner roll, or smaller amounts of all three. Try to select whole-grain options.

10. Bring a healthy dish, like raw veggies and hummus.

11. Desserts should be limited to one small portion. Select fruit-based options, like apple crisp instead of apple pie.

12. Move away from the buffet after filling your plate and spend time focused on family and friends, instead of food.

13. Eat slowly and wait about 20 minutes before refilling your plate.

14. It’s OK to turn down “food pushers.” Politely say their dish smells good, but you are too full to try it.

15. After baking, store pies and cookies out of sight and limit yourself to one sweet treat per day.

16. When shopping during Black Friday, keep nutritional snacks at hand and eat a balanced breakfast to avoid fast food.

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Commandments for Your Fitness and Health

1. Thou Shalt Not Eat My Neighbor’s Cake
Control your portions and stop eating so much. You don’t need more. You had yours, and you don’t need another serving. Portion control is key to a healthy life. Eat less.

2. Thou Shalt Not Seek Out Shortcuts
Pills, powders, diets? Please. You might be sent to Health and Fitness Hell.

3. Thou Shalt Listen to My Body
Missing work ’cause you’re sick? Just feeling tired and runned down? Your body speaks to you. These are signs, the small jabs to the chin. The next messages are uppercuts like diabetes and heart disease. And they hurt. Listen early, and make changes as soon as possible, or the knockout punch is coming.

4. Thou Shalt Drink Water
Energy drinks, fruit juices, fizzy and sports drinks – don’t drink it. Toughen up by putting water in your body. Water works and the body was meant for it.

5. Thou Shalt Lose Weight
Obesity costs the U.S. billions per year. Lose some weight before diabetes becomes the common cold. Yes, you can do it!

6. Thou Shalt Not Seek Perfection
Be healthy and be happy – aim to look good in your best pair of jeans and a shirt. That’s the goal, and we can all get there.

7. Thou Shalt Control Your Booze
Be classy, not a drunken sailor. Know your limits for these empty calories.

8. Thou Shalt Exercise
Be active any way you can! Our bodies were meant to move. Sweat, swear, laugh, and get moving. You must exercise.

9. Thou Shalt Not Make Excuses
I don’t have time. I don’t have the energy. Nothing works for me. Excuses, excuses! Move your body. Feed your body with healthy food. Find a way to get it done.

10. Thou Shalt Cut the BS
Turn off the television. Put the smart devices down. Video games? Please. Teach your children a healthy lifestyle. Don’t be an obesity statistic. Be better than all that BS that wastes time. You know exactly what you should do.

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Make Healthy a Lifestyle Change

The stress of dieting and restricting certain foods can be exhausting, leading to even more severe health and weight problems. Here are some ways to work toward a healthy body weight and balanced eating habits without dieting.

Step 1: Acceptance
Accept where you are right now. It’s important to be happy at every size and shape. Do not let life pass you by or put your goals on hold until you reach a certain body weight. Stay positive about what your current body can do for you. Turn negative self-talk into positive affirmations every day.

Step 2: Give yourself permission to eat real foods that you enjoy
Buy real whole foods instead of processed items. If something is low-fat or sugar-free, it likely has artificial ingredients, which are not only unhealthy but also unsatisfying, and could lead you to overeat. If you love sweets, don’t buy sugar-free pudding or candy. Instead, enjoy a single serving!

Step 3: Portion control
Eat what you want, but eat modest portions. Instead of counting calories or cutting out certain groups of nutrients, have the discipline to stick to single servings. It’s important to eat throughout the day and not skip meals or snacks. This helps you control portions because you’re never famished.

Step 4: Plan ahead
Stay on track throughout the day with food you enjoy on hand. Try new recipes and snacks and have things ready to go for what may be a busy week of work, school and practice.

Step 5: Focus on self-care
It is so important to find happiness and joy in your daily life. Find time for yourself, exercise, get adequate sleep and pursue the activities you love. If you are not taking care of yourself emotionally or physically, food can be a source of comfort.

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Tips for Eating Right for Life

Nutrition is personal, and it can seem very hard when you do not know what works. Read on to get some new ideas from the following tips.

Try to consume whole grains at every meal. Studies have shown that people who choose whole grains over refined carbs tend to be healthier. Some options for you are whole wheat pasta, brown rice, and especially whole wheat bread that you can include in your daily balanced and nutritious diet. By eating whole grains you are providing your body with both the fiber it requires along with nutrients that are not present in refined carbohydrate products.

If you reduce your portion sizes by a quarter at meal time, you will consume less calories during the day. This is a great tip for people who have a tendency to overeat, to decrease portion size and lose weight in a healthy way.

Try eating different types of protein, aside from meat, daily. Protein can come from a variety of delicious foods. You can try eating eggs, peanut butter, tofu, fish, nuts, beans, and more. You might choose to use some of these items as a main dish, or incorporate them into other recipes. Protein should be varied to remain interesting.

You need to eat enough healthy calories for your system to function properly. Eating roughly 2,000 calories of nutritious vegetables, whole grains and proteins is better than eating 2,000 calories of junk food. The types of foods you eat and the quantity you eat are equally important.

Gradually reduce the amount of sugar and sodium that you eat. Your taste buds will become used to this, and sugar and salt cravings will diminish. Your reduced intake of sugar and salt will help you become healthy. Start by making small changes to your diet and you will be less likely to give up on your overall goals.

Make sure your nutrition consists of plenty of lean meats and fish, low fat milk, whole grains and nuts if you care to be healthy. When you incorporate smart food choices into your nutrition, you will enjoy better health.

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