Thursday, December 12, 2013

Do-able Healthy Holiday Party Tips {Guest Post}

{Today you have the privilege of hearing from my longtime friend, Kelli Gilbert. Kelli is a Registered Dietitian and lover of all things that involve food. She currently blogs at Food from My Thoughts where she shares many delectable recipes. I hope you enjoy her healthy holiday party tips!}


Hi you guys, I’m Kelli. And I love Christmas.

But seriously, who doesn’t? 

One of the best parts is going to parties, meeting new people, catching up with old friends and family. 

However, sometimes the parties can be a trap for overeating because you’re having such a great time and aren’t that concerned with paying attention to what you eat.  

SO, I’m going to give you a few tips on how to avoid eating more than your share when you’re at a party. 


1.) Realize that you are there for the people and fellowship, not the food.
            
This is a hard concept to grasp sometimes. 

Like last night, I was at a Cookie Swap. Clearly, we are there for cookies. BUT more importantly, we were there to make stronger connections between the women of our church and the lost friends that they may have brought with them. Not between us and the cookies. 

Even if you’re super excited about all the delicious food at XYZ party you’re going to, remind yourself that your family and friends are more important than that plate of little smokies.



2.) Step away from the food table.
            
That was clearly said in a loud speaker voice.  However, this is true. I know that I am more apt to continuously eat if I am within arms reach of the food table. So move away. Take your plate and step away. Make the decided effort to go away.



3.) Eat a healthy snack (or meal) before you go.
          
If you’re headed to a Cookie Swap and you know that there’s not gonna be any dinner, eat something before you go. Having a balanced meal or snack before you go can help you make better decisions later when you are standing around 30 plates of cookies. 

Your mother was right. 

Cookies are not a good dinner substitute.




4.) Drink water.
            
I love water. And I always have. It started a long time ago when I made a conscious decision to drink water instead of sodas. The logic behind how I did it is too much info for this post. BUT, drink water. 

Before you go. 

While you’re there. 

After you leave. 

Drinking water before you go will help you be hydrated and prepare your body to work best when you start feeding it food. While you’re there, drink water instead of punch or sodas. 

Save those calories for the food. Don’t drink them. 

Drink water after you leave to help clear out the extra salt and sugar that you obtained from the party foods. I promise you will feel better when you drink water all day instead of sodas.



5.) Bring something healthy to the party.
            
If you know that everything at the party is going to be full of sugar and calories, offer to bring a food to the party and make it something lighter and healthier. This will give you a good food option to choose instead of HAVING to eat all junk. I do this for almost every single event I go to for a few different reasons. 

1) I love to cook. 

2) I want to make sure there is a healthier option. 

3) I have food allergies. 

Like last night for example: I volunteered to bring white chicken chili to the cookie swap since they asked for people to bring soups. When I got there and started quietly asking people what the ingredients in their soup were, I ended up only being able to eat the soup I brought. 

The same can go for you at parties. If you bring something healthier, you know exactly what is in it and you know that it’s a better option for you to eat. 

You will feel better about that decision instead of chowing down on chips and dips.



And that’s it. Easy peasy lemon squeezie.

Enjoy the holiday season in a healthier fashion! I promise you’ll have just as much fun.

Much love,

KG, RD

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