5 Tips for keeping a healthy diet during the holidays

All the articles in this blog are written in collaboration with and under the supervision of the health professionals at our gastroenterology centre.

Do you want to enjoy end-of-year parties, Christmas, birthdays, receptions for work, etc.? But you are afraid of putting on weight, having stomach aches and other digestive discomforts? Discover the advice of the welliecare Clinic in Brussels – specialised in digestive system diseases – to make the most of the festive season while maintaining a healthy and balanced diet!

How to avoid gaining weight during the holidays ?

1 – Eating healthy snacks

To maintain a healthy diet during the holidays, take healthy snacks (vegetables, pre-cut fruit, dried fruit, oilseeds, etc.) with you to eat between meals. This will prevent you from feeling hungry and consuming excess calories.

Healthy snacks are rich in vitamins and nutrients. This way you can avoid the munchies and at the same time do your body good during this period of excess. A common mistake is to “save your calories” by depriving yourself in the days leading up to the feast. By doing so, you will be throwing yourself on all the fatty and sugary foods. And this, in parallel with your body storing more fat because of the previous deprivation!

Therefore, by eating properly and healthily before the holidays, you can eat only what you really want without overeating.

You can also drink water regularly, which will reduce your cravings for snacks. We often tend to confuse thirst with a desire to snack. That’s why it’s important not to forget to drink water!

In addition, in winter we tend to hydrate less well because we don’t feel thirsty like in summer. Keeping a bottle of water with you allows you to stay hydrated throughout the day.

Drinking water has many benefits for the body, including the elimination of toxins, cell renewal, improved blood circulation, etc. So why deprive yourself?

2 – Prepare your food programme in advance

For the festive season, it is essential to set up a food programme beforehand. This way you will be prepared and avoid falling into certain traps that will lead you to overindulge. To do this, make a list of easy-to-prepare dishes that you and your family enjoy.

Then prepare them in advance to make sure everything goes smoothly during the festive season. For example, you can use the myfitnesspal app to help you choose the right foods based on their calorie content for a healthy and balanced holiday meal.

Choose low-calorie foods to prepare your meals. Because as you know, to lose weight you need to eat fewer calories than you burn!

You can easily use various applications to prepare a healthy and balanced meal.

Of course it is easier and quicker to order good food from a caterer. However, the amount of salt, sugar and fat cannot be controlled. You will end up with extra calories that you could do without. Therefore, preparing your own treats allows you to limit your calorie intake and maintain a healthy diet during the holidays.

In your preparations, certain foods can be real allies for your figure. This is the case with seafood: rich in zinc, calcium, selenium, iron and magnesium, it is low in cholesterol. So don’t deprive yourself of oysters, crabs, mussels, crabs and other shellfish!

So are protein-rich foods. It is important to ensure that you get enough protein during the holiday season.

3 – Eat vegetables

Fill half your plate with vegetables and fruit at mealtimes. This is a great way to limit your intake of high-calorie foods. The other half of your plate will contain meat (one quarter protein) and potatoes (one quarter starch). This is a good ratio for healthy eating during the holidays.

Not only are many vegetables low in calories, but they also have many benefits for our bodies!

Eating vegetables is good, eating them consciously is better!

Holiday meals are not a marathon; family gatherings are an opportunity to take time to enjoy the meal and discussions with your loved ones. Putting down your utensils regularly, chewing slowly, pausing between bites, pausing for a few minutes before refilling are all practices that will allow you to ease the work of your digestive system while enjoying the company of your loved ones.

This way you can enjoy your meal to the full while avoiding stomach aches and other digestive problems!

4 – Limit alcoholic drinks

Be very careful with alcoholic drinks, creamy drinks and soft drinks which are very high in calories. Drink slowly and in moderation. If you drink alcohol, alternate alcoholic beverages with lower-calorie drinks, such as sparkling water or plain water.

The human body primarily eliminates ethanol from alcoholic beverages at the expense of fat, which is stored more. To avoid this, it is important to avoid combining alcohol with caloric foods.

To avoid drinking too many of these high-calorie drinks, choose narrow glasses.

But it’s always best to drink water to stay on a healthy diet during the holidays.

5 – Doing physical activities

Burn off excess holiday calories with a variety of physical activities. Even if you have a busy schedule, there are exercises that can be done very quickly and that are effective for the body. This is the case with the 7-minute workout. And if you’ve been working out, now is not the time to give up!

On the other hand, if you find it difficult to exercise, take advantage of the snow, markets, holiday decorations, sales, etc. To go for a walk.

A walk of about an hour will burn 300 calories. And 30 minutes of walking every day is good for the body and mind. So why deprive yourself? Take more walks or go for a jog. In addition to having a good time, you’ll do your figure good and your body will thank you! A healthy diet during the holidays, in addition to physical activity, is the key to optimal health and weight!

Did you like this article? Let us know in the comments what tips you use during the holiday season to eat healthily! Would you like to go further and benefit from the support of our health professionals? Contact us via this appointment form. Our multidisciplinary team is here to help you !