With the holidays quickly approaching those of us that haven’t even had one pumpkin spice latte (50 grams of sugar) also do not plan on following the tradition of putting on pregnancy pants and binge eating. Whether you have stuck to your New Year’s resolution up until now or you’ve only been following a new diet for a week, Thanksgiving should not be a day of torture and envy. If you have been able to stick to your diet plan then you have gained the ability to control what you eat, congrats! We are going to give you tips on how to control what you eat on this Thanksgiving & Christmas holiday without having to forgo your favorite foods.
You have 1 plate, use that plate as your main guideline. Depending on how large your Thanksgiving & Christmas gathering is will also depend on how many different entrees, sides and desserts will be available for consumption. After the “dinner is served” announcement but before grabbing a plate, take a lap around the dinner line and see what your options are, that way you can plan your 1 plate accordingly.
Starving yourself during the day is only going to cause you to overeat at dinner. Have some healthy snacks readily available to munch on in between drinks and football. Our Biltong and Droëwors are the perfect example of a healthy snack! High in protein and containing zero sugar is exactly what you need to keep your energy up, taste buds happy and not over hungry when it’s time to dish up for dinner.
If you consider yourself quite the chef then take charge of making one of the main dish options, or if you’re still new to the cooking world, commit to making a small side dish. That way you can guarantee yourself at least 1 healthy meal option, versus your only options being marshmallow sweet potato casserole or mac and cheese (OMG I think I’m drooling).
There are many additional ways of not making your holiday meals a total diet disaster and we invite you to share your favorites with us, we will add them to this list! Planning ahead is the secret - taking a small step like organizing a family walk after dinner or a big step like making a main Thanksgiving or Christmas dish, planning ahead will prevent you from making the mistake of over eating.
Let’s be Thankful.