By: Dr. Keith Kantor
With office holiday parties coming up, many people end up only eating office snacks for dinner, and soon after feel terrible. What are the best snacks to eat? Most holiday parties now are heavy hors d’oeuvres which can seem like light snacks but these appetizer like items can pack in the calories unknowingly. I recommend eating the vegetable and fruit options first if they are available and then protein options. Examples of healthy snacks would be a fresh chopped vegetables and/or fruit, the best dip options include fresh guacamole or hummus. Protein options could be meatballs, naked wings, or a carved meat. Foods to avoid are excessive desserts or high sugar options, starchy casseroles, or crackers with processed meats and cheeses.
Any tips and tricks of holiday party eating?
• Focus on protein, healthy fats and vegetables. Load your plate with protein (turkey, ham, roast, etc.), non-starchy vegetables like greens beans, greens, carrots, broccoli, etc. and healthy fats like guacamole and hummus. Leave only a 1/4 of your plate for the starchy vegetables like potatoes, or other starches like bread or stuffing. This will bring the overall calories down for the meal and maintain steady blood sugars. If you are planning the meal opt for roasted vegetables instead of vegetable casseroles.
• Share dessert or get small portions of what is offered. It is easy to overeat all of the seasonal treats, take small portions to taste and try, not to binge.
• Go for the low sugar cocktails or alcoholic beverages and alternate them with a glass of water is possible. Wine and light beer is lower in calories compared to some of the sugar holiday mixed drinks. If you do drink mixers, go for a low or no calorie mixer like sparkling water, fresh lime juice, or a stevia based non-calorie soda.
• Drink plenty of water all of the time. Water is your body’s main nutrient. It naturally suppresses your appetite and transports necessary nutrients to your cells. If you are not drinking at least ½ your body weight in ounces of water per day, you are not adequately hydrated. This could lead to poor energy, weight gain, and headaches. Avoid artificially sweetened water, if you want to add some flavor try fresh lemon, lime, strawberries, or oranges. If you decide to have alcoholic beverages at a holiday party opt for wine or light beer instead of sugary mixed drinks and alternate the alcoholic beverage with a glass of water. An Alkaline Hydroxide rich water is best, is a better water that will effortlessly reduce acidity,( the OH- Hydroxide will search out the H+ which causes acidity and form water, H2O) which causes acidosis, which causes inflammation. Inflammation causes the insulin mechanism to work poorly, which will cause sugar cravings and weight gain.
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