She Knows : Low Carb : Avoiding holiday cheats Avoiding holiday cheats
Tracy Anne Brooks
Wherever you go over the next few weeks, holiday party hosts will be tempting your taste buds with some of the season's finest… spinach dip and French bread bread, pastry hors d'oeuvres and all kinds of festive treats. It's the ultimate test for anyone watching what he or she eats. So, how do you stick to your low-carb lifestyle and avoid the post-holiday misery? Plan ahead.
"People tend to overeat and abandon their diets at social events,"says Dr Edward Abramson, author of Body Intelligence (May, 2005). "A lot of the rituals revolving around the holiday season focus on eating. You don't celebrate Thanksgiving without a big dinner. It's clearly socially acceptable and expected that you are going to overeat during the holidays."
But that doesn't mean you will.
The low-carb road may be the harder one to travel, but Pat Haakonson, author of Slow Carb for Life, suggests you skip the sweets and give yourself the gift of health for the holidays.
"You need to decide early how strictly you want to adhere to your low-carb regime," says Haakonson. "Eat things in moderation. We all overindulge during the holidays. We spend too much money, we eat too much and we drink too much. One of the things to do is to keep your low-carb portions reasonable."
Before heading to a holiday wingding, think
If you are attending a drink and appetizers party, have a low-carb snack before you go. Indulge in a handful of nuts, or a slice of cheese. Try celery with peanut butter, cucumber slices or zucchini slices. They'll help fill you up. And when you are at the event, be choosy.
"The things to avoid would be anything cooked in pastry, or on bread," says Haakonson. "Look for things like devilled eggs, or mushroom caps and hot crab dips. You can eat these things without worrying as much, as long as you are not using bread to dip."
And in keeping with the spirit of the season, alcohol is always high on the list of festive indulgences.
"A small, 4 oz glass of wine has about 4 grams of carbs," says Haakonson. "Depending upon what your target is for the day, you can have a glass or two of wine, watch your food, and it won't impact you terribly."
Most hard liquors do not contain carbohydrates, but watch the mixes. Check out the selection of low-carb beers and remember to bring your own booze. Pass on the eggnog -- it's high in carbs and contains sugar.
For a sit-down dinner party, choose your foods carefully
"Have the meat and load up on vegetables,” suggests Haakonson, reminding low-carbers to pass on the stuffing, bread and potatoes.
If all else fails, write it down. Keep a journal of the foods you have eaten.
"Increased awareness of what you are doing can help decrease the weight gain during the holiday season," says Dr Abramson. "If you think ahead, you can plan and minimize the amount of damage that is done to your weight control program."
Some related links and information for you...
Send this page to a friend
Subscribe to our magazine now and save!
See more low-carb recipes
LowCarb Energy magazine main page
Editor's pick: Eat Yourself Thin Like I Did!
About the author: Tracy Brooks is the mother of two young children and a television journalist. She has worked in television news for more than 10 years.
