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Holiday Health Tips

Published December 22nd, 2020 by Dr. Daner

There are many good reasons why the holidays are thought of as “the most wonderful time of the year”. From late November to the start of the new year, we all celebrate life and holidays with our family and friends, giving and receiving gifts, and eating plenty of great food. The holidays can also be a time that leaves you feeling less than your best. Here are some of our tips to help you feel your best.

The Holidays and Nutrition

The holidays are often a time where people may put on a few pounds, obviously due to the copious amounts of food we consume. Desserts are a big part of that!! It is easy to consume too much sugar and find yourself feeling like crap due to a sugar crash. It happens to all of us this type of year. At my office at this time of year, generally every surface is covered with some kind of cake/pie/cookies brought to us by our wonderful patients. The trick to the holidays is to enjoy them responsibly! You can indulge for sure, but there are some things you can do to “limit the damage”.

My number one rule, especially pertaining to the food at the office, is to only try things that are “worth it”. That is more of a personal rule. What I mean by that is, I only eat things that are unique and homemade. For example, if Mrs. White bakes an apple pie, and Mr. Smith brings in Dunkin Donuts, I am only trying the pie. You can do this just to limit how much you eat.

Another important part of staying healthy during the holidays is staying hydrated! One can mistake thirst for hunger. That means you are eating outside of being hungry, which is never good. In that same regard, do not skip meals. Patients always tell me how they are not eating breakfast or lunch on Thanksgiving/Christmas, so they can eat more at their delicious dinner. This sounds good in theory, but it does not actually work that way. When your blood sugar drops, you are much more likely to overeat when you finally do. Chances are, you’ll crave more sweets with a lower blood sugar.

My favorite tip for the holiday eating season: PAY IT FORWARD. This means work out HARDER at this time of year. You will crave healthier food when you do this. I am not saying you cannot have any sweets, but this way you will have at least put in the work. You will be hungrier, but your body will be in a better position to utilize the food that you will be consuming.

Enjoy the holidays “responsibly”!!

To schedule your adjustment to help keep you feeling great, click here! Keep in mind we will have adjusted hours for the holidays: