The holiday season has just begun. It’s the season to be jolly indeed but there’s always this one thing that we are dreading. The feasts, the treats, they just seem to keep on coming with the merriment and so is the weight.
But this is not a hopeless case for diets and weight loss. All those food can be curbed from the danger zone to the healthy side. You can have turkey and desserts but still watch your diet and keep the weight off.
Holiday turkey
Let’s begin with the turkey. You can actually have your helping of turkey and not gain the pounds on your belly or thighs at the same time. The trick is to have less stuffing, less white bread, less mashed potatoes and other side dishes loaded with carbohydrates.
More turkey means more protein. Turkey is a lean meat and is great to avoid weight gain and regain. A high protein diet such as with lean meat, poultry and beans, coupled with low starchy carbohydrates, is ideal for weight control.
Another thing is the holidays wouldn’t be complete without our endless array of desserts on the table. But did you know that you can actually serve up some health benefits in those treats as well? Now, that is sweet!
Go ahead and have a slice or two of the seasonal pecan pie, pumpkin cheesecake and gingerbread to mention a few. Pecan pies are obviously made with pecans which have the most antioxidants than any other nuts. Plus, they contain plant sterols which lower cholesterol and monounsaturated fats which are healthy for the heart.
A half cup of the canned variety of pumpkin for your pumpkin cheesecake is loaded with three times more than the recommended daily value of vitamin A. Its bright orange color indicates a high level of carotenoids. It helps boost the immune system and prevent diseases.
Gingerbread is also no reason to be thinking of your diet. Ginger has a natural anti-inflammatory characteristic which can reduce muscle pain. It is very much a potent spice that aids in digestion that’s why it’s the perfect dessert course of a big holiday meal.
So, you may be thinking, “That’s nonsense. I have always put on weight with these same foods.” Maybe that is the case but more likely not because the real culprit here is overeating with or without us knowing it. Come on, would you rather allow yourself to look deprived and hungry on the holidays?
We all seem to be instantly programmed in the season to take pleasure in the goodness of sugar and fat, bite after bite and helping after helping. It just wouldn’t be the same of a holiday without indulging into delicious gluttony. But watch your calories by simply heeding to the sign coming from your gut and stomach, a tight pressed belly, and then carry on with your exercise and fitness schedule to keep your abs, bum and thighs in shape despite all the sugars and fats you gorged and stored.
