Diet Tips for Healthy Holidays

How to Keep the Holidays Healthy and Happy continues…

Diet Tips for Healthy Holidays
Larrian Gillespie, MD, author of The Goddess Diet, tells WebMD that fiber is very important when eating richer meals than usual. "Nuts are a good source of fiber," she explains. "Sprinkle them over your food. They make you feel fuller."

Gillespie also suggests switching your biggest intake to mid-day. This gives you more time to work off the calories.

Hot fluids, Steelsmith says, like soup or tea can also thin out mucus secretions that can trap bacteria and viruses. She also suggests eating plenty of garlic, which has strong antiviral, antibacterial and immune-stimulating properties.

Rubbing on hand sanitizer before a meal can stave off the unfamiliar germs.

Gillespie recommends liberal consumption of the holiday staple, cranberries, to stave off possible digestive distress from copious amounts of turkey and chicken, which can sometimes be cooked inadequately.

Steelsmith also advises packing a one-a-day multivitamin.

Steelsmith recommends drinking a lot of filtered or bottled water as you go through your day, even on shopping forays. Heat in a sauna, with plenty of sweating, helps detoxify. Or even taking a cold shower. Brrrr! Her prescription is to let hot water run down your spine for a count of 10, then cold for a count of five, then hot for a count of 10, for three cycles. "End with the cold," she says. "This is great for energizing."

Before a party, of course, plan to eat and drink sensibly:

Drink water beforehand. Alternate sparkling water with an alcohol drink, if you wish to drink.
Fill a plate and don't hover (or should that be Hoover?) over the buffet.
When you load a plate, aim for 2–3 bites of each food that appeals to you. Better to eat something in moderation than yearn for it later and maybe overindulge.
You also can put some calories in the bank before a party. Eat lightly at all other meals of the day, but don't starve yourself all day. That can lead to that buffet-hoovering syndrome.

How to Keep the Holidays Healthy and Happy continues…

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SOURCES: Laurie Steelsmith, ND, author, Natural Choices for Women's Health: How the Secrets of Natural and Chinese Medicine Can Create a Lifetime of Wellness. Larrian Gillespie, MD, author, The Goddess Diet. Fabio Comano, certified trainer and exam manager, American Council on Exercise.

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