Holiday Eating Tips -- Nutrition Column

Whether you see the holidays as a glorious, sparkly time of year or as a drudgery of gift wrapping and slushy parking lots, you will likely be surrounded by loads of food and drink this month. As it turns out, most Americans only gain about one pound over the holidays, not the 5-10 pounds we often hear quoted, but even that will start to add up (1). Every woman’s magazine is going to have an article in its December issue called, “Holiday Eating Do’s and Don’ts,” that should actually be called, “It’s a Season of Food and You Don’t Get Any!” Their advice, “It’s a season of love and family, focus on that instead of food.” Yeah right, it’s the only time of year anyone makes homemade fudge and you want some. Here’s my advice on eating from the end of November until the beginning of January:

1. Eat the food you like. (I actually heard you gasp.) When the buffet table is full of peanut brittle, chocolate dipped pretzels (mmm, salty and sweet), cheesy potatoes, carrots, celery and some wilted salad from a bag, do you think you should just have a flavorless salad with fat free dressing? What if you allow yourself to have the food you want? Ask yourself, “Which of these foods do I REALLY want to eat?” and then enjoy it! Food is not “good” or “bad.” When people say that I wonder if the ice cream robbed a bank and the iceberg sings in the church choir. Seriously, food is amoral!

2. Don’t eat the food you don’t like. If you decide that you’re going to have a piece of fudge and then find out it’s gritty and doesn’t taste anything like you’d hoped, stick it under your napkin and toss it. Same goes for mashed potatoes that taste like wallpaper paste and all the not-so-delicious “gifts” the neighbors bring over. If the divinity’s not divine, don’t eat it.

3. Pay no attention to the advice to “Have a snack before you go to the party to avoid over eating.” Did you hear the sarcasm and falsetto voice as you read that? If you’re starving and it’s three hours until the party, then you should eat, but if you’re going to the party and will eat at your regular meal time, save the calories and savor your food. The snack isn’t going to be so satisfying that you will have no interest in that spinach dip.

4. Eat mindfully. Don’t eat the candy cane just because it’s there, don’t fill your hand with cashews and just munch away without tasting them. Slow down and pay attention to your food and to your feelings of hunger and fullness.

5. Finally, it’s OK to say, “No thank you.” It’s polite and appropriate. You don’t have to eat everything that comes your way.

1. http://www.nichd.nih.gov/news/releases/holidayweightgain.cfm acquired 11/16/11

Regan Wilson is a dietitian at Valley View Medical Center.  She came to study at SUU in the early 1990’s and earned a BS in psychology, after which she worked in social services for many years.  I returned to school and earned my degree in dietetics from University of Northern Colorado. She loves food and she also loves figuring out what makes people tick and what will motivate them to create healthier lives.  Being a dietitian is my dream job, but when I’m not at work I like to spend my time cooking, hiking, doing yoga, walking my dog and spending time with my husband.