It's already the end of the year! It's time to celebrate the holidays and prepare for the upcoming year. Many people are waiting for the New Year to make resolutions. Some may think about their health, nutrition, doing more physical activity and losing weight. Why not think about your resolutions now? If your health goals are important to you, it is important to prepare for the arrival of the holiday season to not regret the decisions made.
This text offers some tips to eat healthy during the holidays and not being one of those who blame the holidays for weight gain.
Always have enough protein at meals
In order not to be hungry quickly after a meal and to meet our nutritional needs, remember to have enough protein. Protein foods are found in meats, fish, dairy products, legumes, tofu, lentils, etc.
For a healthy, low-active adult with no medical condition, a serving of protein is approximately:
0-2% MF Greek yogurt: three-quarter cup to 1 cup;
Lean meats: a palm of a hand or a deck of cards;
Extra firm tofu: 1 quarter brick of 454 g;
Legumes: three quarter cup to 1 cup.
Limit alcohol consumption to a minimum
If you drink to accompany others, consider bringing flavored water or just drinking water. Do you really need to drink alcohol? ;)
Do not wait until you are too hungry before eating
The longer we wait before eating, the hungrier we become and often we eat larger quantities and more quickly. Take 3 meals a day. If you feel hungry between meals, listen to your hunger and eat a healthy snack.
Snack Ideas:
1 fruit + cottage cheese (or 0-2% MF Greek yogurt)
1 fruit + nuts
1 whole grain bread + peanut butter
Whole grain cereals with milk, etc.
All foods are allowed
We must stop categorizing food as good or bad, thinking that it is wrong to eat certain foods, that we are cheating, that we will have to move more to burn calories, etc. It is not the fact of eating sweets that makes you unhealthy. It's all about balance. So, yes, it is healthy to eat any food.
When we deprive ourselves of a specific food, we often put it on a stand. This can lead to a feeling of deprivation which can turn into uncontrollable cravings for the food. When we finally allow ourselves to eat it, often we take a much larger quantity than if we had not had any restriction at the beginning. Then the feeling of guilt can arise. This is the unfortunate cycle of deprivation.
It should be noted that it is important to nourish your body by eating a balanced diet, even during the holidays.
Have a balanced plate
According to the Government of Canada, a balanced plate is ½ plate (1 to 2 cups) of fruits and vegetables, ¼ plate of protein (about 2 eggs or 75 g of meat or ¾ cup of legumes, etc. ) and 1/4 plate of whole grain cereal products (about ½ to 1 cup of rice or 1 cup of pasta or quinoa, etc.) (1).
Get moving
Aim to get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (2).
For more ideas and to help you have a good nutritional plan to achieve your nutrition goals, contact me!
See you next time,
your dietitian, Karine Drouin, RD
References
1- Gouvernement du Canada. (Novembre 2022). Guide alimentaire Canadien. Retrouvé le 20 novembre 2022, en ligne au https://guide-alimentaire.canada.ca/fr/
2- Organisation mondiale de la Santé. (Octobre 2022). Activité physique. Retrouvé le 20 novembre 2022, en ligne au https://www.who.int/fr/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity