With all the holiday festivities comes a lot of extra food, sugar and alcohol, and a lot less time for exercise. It can be challenging to maintain your weight and your health. Did you know that too much sugar may suppress your immune system? According to one study, consuming too much sugar curbs the immune system’s ability to fight bacteria by limiting white blood cells. This effect can last for a few hours.
The following tips may help you maintain a healthy immune system and help you stay fit and fabulous for the Holidays.
Tip #1 – Eat a healthy snack BEFORE going to a party. Party food may not be very healthy. When you eat healthy food prior you 1) provide your body with nutrition and 2) fill yourself up a little, so that you don’t go for as much of the unhealthy food at the party. Genesis PURE Greens, combined with Mila, Hydration and water is a great-tasting beverage you can take before your holiday parties that provide both nutrition and fiber to help fill you up.
Tip #2 – Drink a full glass of water before each alcoholic beverage. Alcoholic beverages are high in sugar, calories and, of course, alcohol. They are also very dehydrating. By drinking a glass of water before each alcoholic beverage, you’re hydrating your body, helping your kidneys flush toxins, and filling yourself up, so you don’t desire as much alcohol.
Tip #3 – Instead of taking a full helping of the variety of foods, take a very small portion. For example, instead of a big, heaping spoon-full of mashed potatoes AND yams AND stuffing AND a roll, take just a tablespoon full of each and a half of a roll. If you’re still hungry later, you can always go back for more.
Tip #4 – Use the same principle as Tip #3 for your sweets. Take just a small portion of several things you’d like to sample. Don’t be afraid to cut that pie piece into thirds or that fudge in half. While your brain might think, "That’s not enough!” it will thank you later when you don’t feel like you’re going to explode.
Tip #5 – Be sure to do a calorie-burning exercise EVERY DAY! Run up and down the stairs in your house a few times before work. Do some crunches or push-ups. Jump up and down on the trampoline for 5 minutes. It doesn’t have to be an hour at the gym. You just want to get your heart pumping, your blood moving and oxygen flowing throughout your body. This helps boost your metabolism and can help you burn off the extra calories you consume.
Additional Helpful Tips:
Use a smaller plate. The less food you can put on your plate, the less you will eat.
Eat a salad with your meal. Salad is roughage and helps move the other food through your digestive system. Be sure to nix the extra toppings, though, and go with a simple vinegar and oil dressing.
Choose sweets than contain protein. For example, chocolate covered almonds. Or, grab a handful of nuts with your pie. Protein helps offset the sugar in sweets and slows the glucose conversion.
Eat the dark meat of the turkey instead of the white. Dark meat contains more nutrients and healthier fats, helping keep you fuller for longer.
Have more yams and less mashed potatoes. Yams or sweet potatoes are considered complex carbohydrates and have a lower glycemic index than mashed. Enjoy the natural sweetness of baked yams and sweet potatoes instead of candied yams topped with marshmallows, which are full of added sugar.
Save the fruit salad for later. Fruit may be more beneficial and less taxing on the digestive system, if it is eaten alone. Have this as part of your dessert versus with your meal.
Choose clear, distilled liquor over beer, wine or sugary cocktails. Not only does sugar speed up the absorption of alcohol into the blood stream; but it also contains more calories. For example, a vodka and tonic would be lower in calories than a rum and coke.