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Celebrating holidays with family and friends usually includes sharing favorite foods, stories and smiles. This season, partake in lots of smiles and stories, but try to go easy on the food you eat. This may help you watch your weight and improve your health as well.
Managing your weight calls for more than just choosing a healthful variety of foods like vegetables, fruits, grains (especially whole grains), beans, and low-fat meat, poultry and dairy products. It also calls for looking at how much and how often you eat.
Overeating at this time of the year is easy when you encounter tasty buffets loaded with everything from apple pie to potato salad. But you can enjoy wonderful foods and keep your weight in check at the same time.
The experts at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) suggest these tips for controlling your portions and your weight:
* Eat slowly so your brain can get the message that your stomach is full.
* Avoid eating while busy doing other activities.
* Try to eat three sensible meals, including breakfast, at regular times - even during this busy time of year. Skipping meals may lead you to eat larger portions of high-calorie, high-fat foods at your next meal or snack. Keep snacking to a minimum.
* Keep special treats like cookies, chips or chocolates out of sight so you won't be tempted to snack when you are not really hungry.
* When you do have a treat like cake, ice cream or cookies, keep your portion size small, eat it slowly, and enjoy it.
Another way to keep track of your portions is to use a food diary. Writing down what, where, when, why, and how much you eat can help you be aware of the amount of food you are consuming and the times you tend to overeat.
By: Rodney Wright
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