Home > Media Center > Patient Newsletter > November 2011 - Buffalo > Holiday Eating

Enjoy the Holidays, and the Food

The holiday season is infamous for adding a few pounds to the waistline, thanks to the parties, baking, gifts and celebrations with food that seem to be holiday trademarks. However, it is possible to enjoy the holidays without gaining the pounds.

People tend to gain weight because they are putting in more calories without burning them off.  They may have less opportunity to be active or workout with holiday events, or need to step up their activity to compensate for added calories. Our bodies maintain healthy weights at a certain number of calories. If you can keep your caloric intake and your exercise (calories burned) balanced, you will not gain weight.

Some helpful tips:

• Use Calories Wisely: Sugar calories burn faster leaving you hungry sooner, which leads to more eating. Whole grains stay with you longer so eating a whole-grain cereal or other whole-grain foods before an opportunity to snack might fill you up so you eat less junk food. In other words, some calories are more useful than others!
• Consider holiday eating a barter system: If you eat something more decadent, just take in fewer calories later. For example, if you can't resist baked treats at a party, eat a lighter dinner or eat a lower-calorie lunch before the party.
   Pick your battles: Some treats you eat simply because they are there, such as those that seem to be next to every office coffee pot during the holidays. You can try to avoid them altogether by making yourself busy and not going near them, or eat a small amount and then bring a light lunch, like non-fat yogurt, fruit and vegetables, to compensate for the calories of the treats. (You can choose to have a lighter meal when you get home.)  
• Substitute: You don't have to give up the joy of baking, but you can amend your recipes. There are many substitutions for fat and sugar in baked goods and a number of sites online offer either reduced-calorie recipes or lists of substitutions. For example: low-fat milk instead of whole; baking butter with canola oil in it instead of whole butter (for everything except butter cream icing that doesn't seem to work with the substitution); egg whites instead of whole eggs; and anything made with chocolate can be made lighter by using cocoa instead of solid chocolate. You can also give away much of what you bake to cut back on what's available to you to eat. 
• Think Fresh: When entertaining or bringing an appetizer to pass, don't overlook the vegetable platter as a good idea—after all, you're not the only one looking for healthy options to barter with. For the veggie trays, consider a non-fat dip. 
• Keep Moving: Don’t forget to keep up with – or step up – your exercise routine to keep the calories you burn level with the calories you take in. Adding exercise to your holiday routine also has the added benefit of lowering stress, which is another reason people eat more during the season.