With the holidays quickly approaching, the stress of what to eat might be weighing heavily on you (or not : ) ). Even if you’re planning on staying home for holidays and doing a virtual celebration, food is sure to be part of your tradition. So what should you do to stay on track?

First, remind yourself that it is perfectly fine to indulge on the holidays! As long as your diet is balanced the other 95% of the year, eating a few more calories than normal is not going to make or break your health. Especially on days like Thanksgiving, when the focus should be on the people you’re with – not the food on your plate.

Keep in mind that a bit of indulgence doesn’t mean shovel everything into your mouth as fast as possible! The holidays are much more enjoyable if you don’t leave that table feeling like a busted can of biscuits. So, here are a few strategies to help you best enjoy the holiday meals over the next few months:

If you use smaller plates (ie. salad plates instead of dinner plates) for your Thanksgiving meal, you’ll naturally serve yourself less food. And because our eyes are bigger than our stomachs, you’ll be more visually satisfied before you even start eating. This results in eating smaller portions in general and saving a little extra room for dessert (yay!).

This is the oldest trick in the book. Load up on a salad, green beans, roasted carrots, etc. However, this trick is only helpful if your veggies are not covered in cheese and cream. So those casseroles and mashed potatoes smothered in gravy – while delicious – don’t exactly fit this bill.

If drink alcohol or like to indulge during the holidays, we aren’t going to tell you not to have a glass of wine or two… or three! However, if you’re going to drink, savor it and drink it slowly. Have a plan for how much you’d like to have to enjoy yourself but also to not feel awful the next day. Remember, the creamy/heavy drinks tend to be the most calorically dense!

Whether you’re a meat-eater or vegan or anywhere in between, protein sources are more filling than a plate full of carbs. Have a ⅓ of your plate protein, ⅓ of your plate carbs, and ⅓ of your plate veggies (the ones you brought!). This will help you not only control your portion sizes but you’ll also not feel like taking a nap after eating. We often eat past the satisfaction and feel tired, uncomfortable, and overall not great.

Take small bites of food. Put your fork down between bites. Chew your mouthful more than 3 times before swallowing. Actually taste the food you’re eating. The slower you eat, the more likely you are to notice when you’re filling up and when it’s time to stop eating.

If you’re full before you’ve cleared your plate, stop eating! It’s ok if some food ends up in the trash at the end of the night.

Pies, ice cream, cookies, and cake might all be tempting, but that doesn’t mean you need to have full servings of all of them. Have a tiny bit of each of the desserts that catch your eye and, if you’re still hungry after trying a small portion, you can go back for seconds of the treats you truly enjoy.

Remember what the holidays are really about… taking time to be thankful, celebrate with your family, and simply enjoy each other’s company. Your COVID-19 Thanksgiving may look a little different but that doesn’t mean you can’t still take a break. You might eat more than usual and that’s ok. We can enjoy ourselves, eat a little more than usual, and still stay on track. Don’t be too hard on yourself and follow some of the advice I gave above while you approach your favorite foods on the holidays!

Finally, be kind to yourself! Six months from now, you won’t care about how much turkey and stuffing you ate this Thanksgiving. So while these are some great strategies to keep you feeling your best, they aren’t the most important thing to think about during the holiday season. Reach out to family and friends and let them know how much you care.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays everyone!

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