Eating healthily over Christmas is one thing when you’re in the comfort of your own home but everything changes when you get a party invite. It’s so easy to overindulge when music and conversation distract you. Here are some tips to help you eat healthily at parties.

1) Read your napkin. If hors d’oeuvres are circulating, use a fresh cocktail napkin for each one. Before you reach for seconds, check your napkin for grease spots. If the paper’s soaked through or the spot is huge, make a different selection next time. 
 

2) Switch hands. A sneaky but surprisingly effective trick: Hold your drink in your right hand if you’re a righty, or vice versa. It will make grabbing food a bit more difficult – so you’ll eat less. 

 
3) Cross-examine. As friends pass you what they’ve prepared, exclaim, “That looks terrific! What’s it made with?” (Ask the same of the hostess at other parties.) You’re likely to get valuable information that’ll help you decide how deeply you want to dig in to a dish. If you’re at a buffet table inspect the food you pick up before you eat it. For example, go for food that doesn’t contain pastry and doesn’t shine (suggesting it’s covered in oil), 
 

4) Dance the night away. It’s gotta be the happiest way to burn off calories! With party disco dancing you will burning off abut 350 calories per hour (based on a 10 stone person.  Keep the fun coming and you may forget all about christmas pudding. 
 
5) Avoid wasting calories on alcoholic beverages. The average alcoholic drink contains 150-200 calories per glass. Indulge in just 2-3 drinks and you’ve drunk the equivalent calories of an entire meal. If you have these drinks, choose wisely. For example, instead of having a full glass of wine, try mixing half a glass of wine with sparkling water. This will help cut your calories in half. Another great way to cut back on the drinking is putting your drink down in between sips so you won’t be tempted to keep swigging without realising

 

6) Don’t linger at the buffet or in the kitchen. If you loiter in close proximity to all the guilty temptations, you’ll struggle to keep from unconsciously shovelling food into your mouth. Focus on socialising Remember one of the great things about the holidays is spending time with friends and family. During get-togethers spend the majority of time sharing conversation instead of sharing desserts. 
 

7) The key to resisting unhealthy foods and to a successful healthy eating Xmas is to eat little amounts often. This is because the hungrier you feel, the more likely your resolve will weaken – hunger makes you think more about food. Fill yourself up with plenty of healthy snacks every few hours. Drink lots of water to fill your stomach up, add a slice of lime and lots of ice. Herbal tea is also an excellent alternative to cappuccinos and lattes that are packed with calories.
 
8) Wear something snug and well fitted so you look great and feel good. Wearing well fitted clothes is a great way to remind yourself not to overindulge and stay on track with the healthy eating. So put on your little black dress or tight fitting jeans and start dreaming of a light Christmas.

 

This entry was posted on Monday, December 1st, 2008 at 1:00 am and is filed under Eating Out, General Health, Healthy Living. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.