The holiday season is filled with joy, and it’s also filled with food. Many people tend to over-indulge during this time, snacking on foods packed with sugars and drenched in salt, and this often leads to a little bulge around the middle. Overeating and putting on weight during this season is a common problem. A Consumer Reports survey found that what 37 percent of people dreaded the most about this time of the year was gaining weight.

One of the simplest ways to avoid eating too much is to eat smaller balanced meals instead of skipping meals. Eating meals regularly will help nourish your body and help you avoid eating too many high-calorie snacks and appetizers. When you do have snacks, serve them on a small plate or napkin, which “normalizes the portion” and can limit how much you’re eating. If you are going to be on the move and headed from work to a party, consider bringing a healthy snack with you, like fruit or nuts, so you don’t arrive famished.

We know that holiday food is typically high in calories, but during the festive season we often forget to factor in the drinks. Alcohol is packed with empty calories. Plus it weakens the willpower and makes us more hungry. Often when we eat, it’s because we’re thirsty, so drinking water can help with calorie control as well as taking care of the body’s vital functions.

Dietician Juliette Kellow says we need to change the way we view special occasions and stop thinking we can eat and drink what we want during these times. She said, “Constantly viewing special occasions as an opportunity to splurge on fat and calories can seriously pile on the pounds over the course of a year.”

~ adapted from Caitlyn Cox

At Massage Therapy Center Palo Alto, our expert therapists address the complexity of the human body-mind to provide deep grounding for as much spaciousness as possible, where love, presence, connection, and creativity can be felt and shared. May you move through 2019 with the true knowing of a life well lived and a body well nourished!

Artwork by Annette Miracchi