My Favorite Strategies to Manage Holiday Eating Challenges
A 4 minute read
A holiday buffet can be navigated so that you can enjoy the festivities and maintain your health and wellness goals.
The holiday season often brings two common challenges: time constraints and the tendency to overeat special goodies and treats that we don’t normally eat. We all struggle with maintaining a balance between celebrating (with food and drink) and our health goals.
The holidays shouldn't have to be a choice between savoring the moment and staying true to your wellness goals. With strategy and planning, it's entirely possible to enjoy the season and eat nutritiously.
In this blog post, I will guide you through my favorite time-saving tricks for efficient holiday meal prep and mindful techniques to enjoy festive eating..
Time-Saving Strategies
I know time is in short supply. Let's explore some effective time-saving strategies for holiday meal prep and cooking.
Start with Pre-Prepped Ingredients
Go semi-homemade
Embrace the semi-homemade approach to give yourself a break without sacrificing the home-cooked feel of your meals. Utilize high-quality store-bought items and give them a personal touch. Here are some semi-homemade suggestions.
Use store bought rotisserie chicken to create a hearty chicken chili or shred it for a quick and nutritious lettuce wrap.
Use pre-chopped produce. They are perfect for roasting, adding to salads, or snacking.
Frozen cauliflower rice makes an excellent stir fry.
Olives and nuts make great meal additions and salad toppers.
These shortcuts are not just about cutting corners, they're about smartly allocating your efforts where they count the most.
Keep Recipes Simple and Repeat
Cook Once, Eat Twice
Batch cooking can streamline your meal prep. This doesn't mean eating the same meal repeatedly but preparing components that can be used in various ways throughout the week. For instance:
Cook a large batch of cauliflower rice or quinoa at the beginning of the week. This can then serve as the foundation for different meals, from stir-fries to salads.
Hard-boiled eggs are another versatile ingredient that can be made in bulk and used for snacks, to enhance salads, or make egg salad.
Shredded chicken from the rotisserie makes an excellent addition to salad.
Sheet Pan and One-Pot Meals
Sheet pan and one-pot recipes are not just a boon for your time but also for your taste buds, as they allow flavors to meld together beautifully while minimizing cleanup.
Try your hand at creating "baking pockets" with parchment-lined foil for moisture-rich, perfectly roasted fish.
Combine a protein with seasonal vegetables on a sheet pan for an easy meal that simplifies serving and cleanup.
And for those who own an Instant Pot, it's a perfect time to experiment. With minimal effort, you can have a delicious meal like Chicken Cacciatore or Chickpea Stew ready in no time.
Strategies to Prevent Overeating
Have an Eating Plan Before Leaving Home
Eat a Healthy Snack Before Attending Events
Eat a healthy snack before going to a party. A combination of fiber, healthy fats, and protein can curb hunger and help you avoid overindulgence at the buffet. Think apple with almond butter, a small Greek yogurt with berries, or a handful of nuts and vegetables.
Hydration Strategies to Reduce Hunger
Don’t forget to drink your water. It is easy to loose focus on your water consumption during the holidays so double down on your water drinking strategies. Drinking water is not only essential for your overall health but also a fantastic tool for managing your appetite. Sometimes our bodies mistake thirst for hunger. Ensuring you're well-hydrated can help prevent mindless snacking. Aim to drink 8 - 12 ounces before you start eating and keep sipping throughout the event
Limit Alcohol!
Smart Buffet Tactics
Plate Selection Tips
Would you believe the size and color of your plate can influence how much you eat? Choose a smaller plate to help control portions. A study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that a high contrast between the color of the food and the plate—think pasta on a red plate versus a white one—may help you eat less.
Navigating a Buffet: What to Choose First
When you approach a buffet, scan the entire table before making your selections and be choosy. Start by filling your plate with protein then salads and vegetables, and finally choose a small portion of special holiday treats and goodies. If you choose a treat and don’t like it DON’T eat it. Make the sure the indulgence is worth the calories, sugar, fat and gluten.
Indulgence
Balancing Healthy Options with Holiday Treats
While I do recommend your balance your plate with mostly nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, also eat and enjoy enjoy your favorite holiday treats. Personally, I look forward to this special time of year when I enjoy a variety of traditional pies, cookies, and my family’s brandy soaked fruit cake made from a decades old recipe. My holiday simply would not be complete without these treats. I look forward to them and I eat them without apologies or guilt.
The "One-Plate" Rule to Enjoy Variety Without Overeating
Adopt the "one-plate" rule: fill one plate with a little bit of everything you'd like to try, rather than going back for multiple rounds. This way, you can enjoy a variety of flavors without overeating. Enjoy the food as part of the celebration, don’t make the food the centerpiece of the event.
Additional Holiday Strategies
The holidays don't have to be a time when your wellness goals are put on hold. With a few adjustments, you can navigate the season's temptations while still engaging in the festive spirit.
Navigating Holiday Treats
Selecting Wisely
When faced with a buffet of holiday treats, it can be challenging to choose wisely. A good tactic is to be selective and prioritize treats that are special to the season, ones you truly love, rather than those you could have at any time of the year. When you do indulge, savor the flavor and eat slowly to increase your enjoyment and satisfaction.
Homemade Over Store-bought
Opt for homemade goodies when you can. Not only are they often more satisfying, but they're also usually made with more whole ingredients than store-bought versions, which often come with added preservatives and artificial flavors. And if you have made cookies have a plan to get them out of your house once made and enjoyed.
Incorporating Activity into Your Celebrations
Active Traditions
Create new traditions that involve activity. Whether it's a family football game, a post-meal walk, or a morning jog to kick off the day, these activities can offset some of the day's caloric intake and boost your mood and energy levels. This year my family ate Thanksgiving Dinner early then took a walk. It helped us digest our meal and helped me metabolize the sugar from the pecan pie I had for dessert.
Pairing Activities with Social Gatherings
Instead of traditional sit-down gatherings, consider events that involve some form of activity. Ice skating, walking through a holiday-lit park, or volunteering to set up a community event can all be festive and active ways to celebrate the season.
Managing Stress and Dietary Temptations
Mindfulness and Moderation
The holiday season often brings stress, which can lead to emotional eating. Practice mindfulness and stress-reduction techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga. Being mindful can help you recognize when you're eating out of stress rather than hunger. I find it especially helpful to take 3 deep breaths before a meal or snack.
Setting Realistic Goals
Set achievable goals for the holiday season. Rather than aiming for weight loss, you might aim to maintain your weight. This can relieve some of the pressure and help you focus on moderation rather than restriction.
Have a Plan to Manage the Food in your Home
This is the time of year that well meaning friends and family gift goodies and treats. I absolutely love this tradition; I have a plan in place so the food is not sitting in my kitchen inviting me to eat it every time I walk through.
Conclusion
Embrace the Spirit of the Season
The holiday season, with all its indulgences and merriment, is a brief interlude in the grand scheme of the year. It's a special time meant for joy, reflection, and making memories with loved ones, not for stress or guilt about food and time management.
Balance and Enjoyment
Allow yourself to indulge in the seasonal delights with a plan for balance. Use the strategies we've outlined to manage your time effectively, so you're not overwhelmed by kitchen duties. Approach your holiday feasts with mindfulness, enjoying each bite and the unique pleasure that comes with holiday meals.
Keep Perspective
While it's easy to get caught up in the moment, remember that these festivities are temporary. Soon enough, you'll return to your usual routine and healthy eating habits, which will continue to support your long-term health goals. The holidays are a time to celebrate, to give thanks, and to indulge a little—knowing that you can return to your established healthy practices with the new year.
Carry Forward the Joy
Take the key strategies for time management and mindful eating you've learned and apply them not just during the holidays, but as part of a sustainable approach to a joyful, healthful life. You've got the tools to enjoy the holiday season to its fullest, without compromising the well-being that you work towards year-round.
May your holidays be filled with cheer, cherished moments, and the comforting knowledge that a few days of indulgence are part of the joy of life. Wishing you a happy, healthy, and balanced holiday season! Barbara
