Ten Holiday Healthy Eating Strategies

Holidays are always a challenge to healthy eating.

Here are some of my personal strategies:

1. Pre-eating!..this learned from my ever slim girlfriends..eat a meal or a good sized snack with a bit of fat and protein at about 5-6..then you are not so hungry when those hi cal low food value hors d'oeuvres are being passed around and you can pick and choose which you want being already a bit full 2 sticks of celery with a really high quality sugar free tablespoon of peanut butter is great for this as it is very filling and while fatty the fat is "good" fat 
2. Make your first cocktail Water!..yes and the second and third too if you can..wine is fine in moderation but it is harder to be moderate after we imbibe
3. Always cook a bit more of anything you cook than you need. Save the rest for later either to make another thing out of it or for another meal later. I am still eating the turkey stew I made after thanksgiving that is frozen in one person portions and ready to go when I am casting about for something to eat
4. Portion Control everything! but especially treat foods. Stick to your healthy eating plan as much as you can and drink more water!
5. Savour tiny amounts of treat foods. Denying yourself all these treats all the time will build up too much pent up demand. 
6. Use smaller plates and teaspoons instead of soup spoons
7. Focus on what you are eating..it counts if you are talking, standing walking, it all counts. If you look at, chew or drink slowly and smell the food, your body will register much better the whole experience. If you gobble it and ignore that you are actually eating you won't have experienced the fullness of the experience, nor will you feel full..try a food meditation!
8. front load the carbs..have your carbs for breakfast, lunch..that's it! Never..or almost never for dinner. My favorite comfort dinner? Pasta and red wine!!! could anything ruin a diet more??? So its a once a month or less treat
9. Eat early when possible..It may be socially difficult but when it is not its the best plan..
10. Dance! Vigorously! It uses calories!