The way to stay healthy during the holidays isn’t so much to avoid fattening foods as it is focusing on a healthy lifestyle, local experts agree.
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Americans gain an average of one to two pounds, said Nikki Chittenden, a dietitian with Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle.
That doesn’t sound like much, but when those pounds don’t come off after the New Year, they begin to add up, she said.
“It typically doesn’t come off,” she said. “So if you add that up, 10 years down the road you’re 20 pounds overweight.”
More than one-in-three Americans are overweight, according to the Center for Disease Control’s website. Obesity leads to diseases like type 2 diabetes, strokes, certain types of cancer and heart disease, the latter of which was the No. 1 killer of Mississippians from 2007-13 according to the Mississippi State Department of Health’s website.
Excess food being around, along with other holiday factors, make it difficult to keep weight off between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“Because we’re in the South, there’s lots of socializing,” Chittenden said. “We have big families and so you have to go see both sides of the…family. In the South, when we get together, we eat. So I think that it’s just the traditional dressing, pies, desserts, lots of Christmas candy, breads…just the quantity being consumed.”
Joy Garrison, a personal trainer at the YMCA in downtown Columbus, cited a few more reasons for holiday weight gain, including the stress of the holidays, lack of sleep and changes in the weather.
“A lot of people go into a hibernation mode (in the winter),” she said.
Cold weather and less daylight make people less active — they’re more likely to stay in bed and not get up to exercise, she said. And it doesn’t help that when they are out around the holidays, they’re Christmas shopping or going to other events instead of the gym.
“And before you know it, all these things add up, and at the end of December, everyone’s gained a couple of pounds.”
But instead of avoiding foods they like, Chittenden said, people should be sure to eat a variety of foods. Start with a salad to be full on something healthy and then get the breads or desserts you like, she suggested. Don’t go back for seconds, and once done, stay away from the buffet table. Indulge just once, on Christmas Day itself, and stay hydrated, she said.
Alison Buehler is director of the Starkville-based Homestead Education Center, an organization that promotes natural foods for a healthier lifestyle. Her suggestions were similar to Chittenden’s — rather than focusing on what they’re not allowed to have, people should think about what to add to their diets. Add a smoothie full of natural fruits and vegetables, she suggested. For December, eat half of what you would normally eat to control portions. If you’re going to stay away from something, she said, stay away from low-fat foods that are often full of sugar. Have butter instead of margarine and water instead of soda.
“Use traditional food,” she said. “Use things that are flavorful naturally and then you’re body won’t crave sugar.”
Chittenden and Garrison agree that everyone should to drink more water.
“We need to drink as much — if not more — water in the winter, because lack of humidity means we become dehydrated more quickly,” Garrison said.
Above all, Chittenden said, don’t forget to enjoy the holidays.
“Just … get away from the idea that you have to diet,” she said. “It’s more about just having a healthy lifestyle and eating moderately. You know, life happens. Christmas happens. You want to sit down and you want to enjoy those good things with your family.”
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