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How to Eat, Drink, Be Merry AND Healthy During the Holidays
The holidays are here and with them comes an abundance of food and drinks that may not be so merry for your healthy eating goals.
“Holidays may be different this year with more friends and family that you missed over the past few years. That’s the main thing holidays are all about. Food is the side-show, but we can easily get carried away if we’re not careful,” said Chris Barrett, clinical registered dietitian and nutritionist at Hartford HealthCare’s Bone & Joint Institute.
Barret shared these six tips for eating healthy and still enjoying the holidays:
Don’t skip meals.
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Try to keep your eating pattern the same. People often skip breakfast to save calories so they can consume more during the holiday meal.
“If you do this, you will overconsume,” Barrett said. “You go to a place with food you don’t usually have, you’re very hungry and it sets you up for the perfect storm.”
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Be creative and try to incorporate healthier ingredients in a recipe. For example, Barrett suggested using 1% milk in potatoes rather than cream.
Add color to your plate.
Fill up on the healthier foods like fruits and vegetables, thinking of color to include foods with nutritional quality. Eat a balance of fruits, vegetables and carbohydrates.
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To read more visit Hartford HealthCare Health News Hub.
