Prevent Holiday Weight Gain

1.  Eat Before The Party
Skipping breakfast and/or lunch isn’t a good weight-maintenance tactic. Not eating until the afternoon may lead to bingeing later on. Go to a party hungry, and you’ll probably eat a lot more than if you ate breakfast and lunch. Make sure to stick to a reasonably sized breakfast with plenty of protein, which will help tone down the urge to stuff yourself later on in the day.

2. Bring Your Own Dish
Bring a healthy side dish, appetizer, or dessert that you can count on. This way you’ll have a healthy alternative to fall back on and a safe bet if you have food allergies or intolerances.

3. Chew Your Food Slowly
Eating slowly may not be easy when appetizer options are endless and you want to try one of everything before they’re gone, but it pays off to chew well and eat slowly. The faster you eat, the less time your body has to register fullness . Slow down and savor each bite of food.

4.  Choose Protein versus Sweets and Cheese
Protein can help maintain a healthy weight because high-protein diets are associated with greater satiety.  As an added benefit, it’s important for healthy muscle growth . Make sure to serve up some turkey or meatballs, or prepare animal-free alternatives like quinoa, lentils, or beans.

5. Fill Up on Fiber
Snack on vegetables and other high-fiber items like beans, lentils, and split peas.  This can help keep you fuller, longer. Give the vegetable platter a second chance with a healthy and tasty dip such as hummus or guacamole.

6. Help Yourself to Healthy Fats
Cutting out butter and polyunsaturated oils can slash calories. Not all fats are bad fats though. Not only do we need fat in our diets to provide energy and absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, it also helps us feel full. Get healthy fats from avocados (hey there guacamole!), nuts, coconut oil, and olive oil (in baked goods, on veggies, or in homemade dressings) . Bonus tip: Combining fat with fiber—like dipping veggies in guacamole—has been shown to increase fat’s power to make you feel full.

9. Snack on Veggies
Munching on vegetables has long been recognized as a way to protect against obesity. Mix pureed veggies into baked goods and casseroles, sneak them into potato dishes., and pop in extra greens with your smoothie. Adding veggies increases fiber, which helps make us fuller .

10. Ditch the Sugar
Holiday cookies, cakes, and pies are wildly tempting, but it all adds up to a lot of sugar that can really pack on the pounds and increase the risk for cardiovascular disease,diabetes, and obesity. Stick to sugar that comes in its natural form —in fruits, veggies, and whole grains.  And try stevia for a healthy alternative sweeter.

Healthy Snack Recipes

Lemony Avocado With Endive Dippers

Mash ⅓ chopped avocado with 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice and a pinch of kosher salt. Serve with endive leaves.

Coconut Popcorn

Toss 4 cups popped popcorn with 2-3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil and 1-2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast.

Celery Sticks With Hummus and Olives

Cut 3 ribs celery into sticks and top each one with some 3 Tbsp hummus (evenly divided) and 3 sliced kalamata olives.