A lot of us think that proper holiday etiquette is to eat whatever we see. After all, your aunt and grandma and mom cooked these dishes, so it would be rude not to eat. And while this may really be good manners, a lot of us get carried away and pile the holiday food onto our plates and pile the weight onto our bodies.
At all times of the year, even around holiday time, there’s a proper way to eat. If you want to know how to eat properly over the holidays, we’ll go over a few useful tips you can employ to help keep that weight off.
How to Eat Properly Over the Holidays in Four Simple Tips
1. Water is Your Friend
Most of the tip-based articles dealing with holidays are all going to emphasize the importance of drinking plenty of water. And for good reason: water not only keep your thermogenic process going so that you burn more calories, but staying properly hydrated helps you to burn fat (so your liver doesn’t have to pick up your kidneys’ slack), and it can help you feel full so you won’t eat as much. We’re mostly made of water for a reason; go ahead and drink some!
2. Resistance Is Not Futile
Resisting the urge to fill your plate to the edges will help you avoid putting on weight during the holiday season. Now, you don’t have to completely avoid all of those foods you want to taste, but let “taste” be the keyword here, and don’t go gorging yourself on these foods. If you’re still hungry after you eat, resist getting seconds!
3. Pace Yourself
One of the best ways to eat less is to eat more slowly. You might not think so, but when you eat slowly your body is able to give the proper signals that you’re full. You can eat a small plate of food slowly and feel more satisfied than if you gobble down a large plate of holiday food. Aren’t facts just great!?
4. Small Packages
To know how to eat properly over the holidays, you have to know how big your portions should be. For example: don’t take a big slice of pie, take a glorified sliver. Eat it on a small plate with a small fork and take small bites. You’re craving the flavor of the food, not the portion size. That’s an important thing to remember! Just eat a small piece slowly and you will be fully satisfied.