Healthy Living

How to Eat Healthy During the Holidays

Don’t fall prey to holiday weight gain. Fend off the food frenzy with these easy, good-for-you eating strategies

How to Eat Healthy During the Holidays
Anson Smart
1 of 9 Next

Your Strategy: You bring a healthy dish to a gathering to ensure there’s something you can indulge in.

More Tricks to Try:
  • Eat the best-for-you offerings first. For example, hot soup as a first course — especially when it’s broth-based, not cream-based — can help you avoid eating too much during the main course.


  • Stand more than an arm’s length away from munchies, like a bowl of nuts or chips, while you chat so you’re not tempted to raise your hand to your mouth every few seconds.


  • Concentrate on your meal while you’re eating it — focusing on chewing your food well and enjoying the smell, taste, and texture of each item. Research shows that mealtime multitasking (whether at home or at a party) can make you pop mindless calories into your mouth. Of course, dinner-party conversation is only natural, but try to set your food down until you’re finished chatting so you are more aware of what you’re taking in.


  • 1 of 9 Next

    Related Solutions
    Advertisement

    REAL SIMPLE. REAL LIFE. Makeover Sweepstakes

    Enter to win a personal consultation with beauty, fashion, fitness, and cooking experts, a trip to Los Angeles, and $3,000 spending money

    Looking for Holiday Solutions?

    Join Real Simple and its editors for this holiday's best tips, gift ideas, recipes, makeovers, and more