Of course, the following list is a bit tongue-in-cheek. I can’t make a list without a little bit of sarcasm. If you follow this blog, you are probably well aware of my love of “must do/not do” lists—particularly of those that are fitness and diet related. There is some seriousness to what follows, though, as the holidays are a difficult time for managing our efforts to eat healthy.
1. Breakfast. I know they say that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, but, frankly, they are all important. When and what we eat, however, is most important.
Breakfast during the holidays can be quite destructive to the diet. Weight management—particularly fat weight management—is predicated on caloric balance. There are limited calories we can consume in the day, if we are trying to lose or maintain our weight. Inevitably, we will be having celebratory meals and parties throughout the season. Family gatherings, work parties, etc. Thus, we will want to “save” our calories.
During the holidays, we may likely have visitors to our homes. We will want to be good hosts and put out a spread for every meal. As a result, our average daily caloric consumption goes through the roof. Stop the insanity!
During the height of the holiday season, choose one big holiday meal of the day—preferably late in the day. A big breakfast, inevitably, leads to over-eating throughout the day. Traditional breakfast in the US are laden with carbohydrates that spike our insulin and leave us hungry a short time later. If we skip the big breakfast and snack (i.e., graze) wisely throughout the day, we are able to conserve our daily calories for the later festive meal or party. If we are more likely to over-indulge in holiday meals and parties, it is better to reserve calories to permit us to do so (more or less) guilt-free.
2. Liquor. Personally, I am not a hard liquor kind of guy. So, avoiding hard liquor during the holidays is less challenging (technically, no challenge). If, however, you are one who enjoys the hard stuff, avoidance is better advice than moderation. Remember, we are trying to choose our calories wisely—and “opportunity costs”. On average, there is 100 kcal in a shot of alcohol. This means that the range is actually more like 90-110 kcal. As a rule of thumb, there is approximately 1.2 kcal per “proof”—e.g., vodka, at 80 proof, has 96 kcal, and gin, at 94 proof, has 115 kcal. If you are mixing shots and drinks, the calories can begin to skyrocket.
If you are inclined to have liquor during the holiday, feel free, but do so wisely. Know that you will have to cut something, food-wise, and drink s-l-o-w-l-y. Nurse that drink! Sip it. Dilute it as much as is palatable—with ice and/or non-caloric mixer.
3. Alcohol. I am not repeating myself here. There are stiff holiday drinks, and there are wimpier holidays beers, wines, and ciders. These can be more dangerous to the diet than the hard stuff, because we don’t always think about the times we refill—until we look at the bottles piling up in the recycling.
With alcohol, a key is to not start too early. “It is 5 o’clock somewhere” will destroy your weight management. Drinks and appetizers before a big meal are a sure path to diet destruction.
One does not have to declare Prohibition during the holidays. One should simply plan wisely for alcohol consumption. Reserve wine to be served at the dinner table. Unless you feel like you have to play catch-up (and, warning, getting drunk at the holiday meal is a sure-fire wat to get struck from the invite list), you can reasonably limit your alcohol calories and contain your total for the day.
4. Fast food. Seriously, you are considering going to a fast food restaurant during the holidays?? Of course, I understand holiday shopping and travel. We are always in a rush to get somewhere. For one thing, try to avoid eating out during the holidays. Save the calories for the big festive meals. If you have to eat on the road, take the time to seat and eat the healthiest possible choices. Keep yourself a little hungry to eat the choice foods at your holiday destination, where you are going to want to over-eat.
5. Hersey Kisses. First, let me say, I am a Pennsylvanian. I love Hersey chocolates. I love them too much. It is those damn shiny green, red, and silver foil packages of pure evil that visit during the holidays that I don’t like. Seriously—and I am talking directly to my wife, here—stop putting out bowls of candy during the holidays. Yes, they look festive and inviting, but they are too inviting. It is too easy to over-enjoy chocolates during the holidays. Don’t make them so accessible.
For those times when you want chocolate, keep good dark chocolate in the house. There are some health benefits to dark chocolate that warrant occasional consumption, but, overall, save calories for real foods and the seasonal treats.
6. Candy Canes. Pure sugar. Best left hanging on the tree.
7. Store-bought Desserts. Again, seriously?? Why in the world would you buy and eat Little Debbie cake and cookies or Hostess treats—or any prepackaged, sugar-laden, fat-laden, calorie-laden, disappointing dessert—when family and friends spend so much time baking family recipes that have been passed down for generations? You know you are going to eat foods that are nowhere near ketogenic or Paleo, so choose wisely. Enjoy holiday cakes and cookies, but make it worth the exercise and sacrifice that will inevitably have to go alone with the pleasure.
8. Chips and Nuts. Avoid calorie-laden snacking. There will be sufficient calories consumed with meals and desserts. Avoid filling your downtime with unnecessary calorie consumption. Ordinarily, nuts are a good go-to snack that can keep you satisfied between meals. During the holidays, we just need to avoid eating calories when we can. Instead of bowls of nuts and chips (Lay’s is truthful in their advertising—“you can’t eat just one”), munch on celery and carrots. Eat whole fruits and more veggies. Snack on foods that are high in fiber and water and low in calories. Save for the meals and desserts.
9. Bread. There is no need for rolls at the holiday dinner table. Hot, deliciously smelling rolls just beg to be smothered in butter and eaten. Remember: “opportunity costs”. Every buttered roll is a dessert that can’t be eaten. Avoid sandwiches and any consumption of refined grains. Our goal is to make the best use of our calorie allotment. Quality proteins and vegetables should be priority so that we can enjoy some seasonal treats.
10. Egg Nog. Honestly, I don’t know how people like this stuff! According to Wikipedia, “egg nog, historically also known (when alcoholic beverages are added) as milk punch or egg milk punch, is a rich, chilled, sweetened, creamy dairy-based beverage traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, whipped egg whites and egg yolks (which gives it a frothy texture, and its name) and, in some contexts, distilled spirits such as brandy, rum or bourbon.” It is calorie dense. Depending on the recipe, egg nog is in excess of 220 kcal and 20 g of sugar. There are better ways to waste calories.
Enjoy the holiday wisely. Make smart use of the calories you consume. Don’t deny yourself holiday pleasures. Just choose them with care.
Carpe momento!