5 Realistic Holiday Healthy Eating Tips (No Calorie Counting Involved)

This post is all about holiday healthy eating tips.

Have you been working hard to eat clean this year and are feeling concerned about ruining all your hard work during the holidays? Or are you possibly just wanting to learn some simple ways to make eating healthy through the holidays a bit easier?

I totally get it! I’ve felt the same way in the past, so you’re in the right place…

As a personal trainer and nutrition coach, I’ve really had to nail down my own healthy eating game during the holidays so I can lead by example haha. And what I’ve learned is that enjoying healthy holidays is totally doable AND more enjoyable!

So I’m excited to share with you some holiday season healthy eating tips that really WORK… And will also allow for you to enjoy yourself, without having to say no to every single treat!

This post is all about holiday healthy eating tips.

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Holiday Healthy Eating Tips

How can I eat healthy on the holidays?

Here are 5 insanely helpful nutrition tips for surviving the holidays:

Holiday Healthy Eating Tip #1:

Eat as clean as possible during every circumstance other than holiday parties and events.

Here’s what I mean by this… During your weekdays, and even weeknights during the holiday season, really strive to eat as clean as possible.

That way, when a Christmas party or fun event rolls around, you have more room to say YES to the goodies and tasty drinks, without feeling guilty about it.

Holiday Healthy Eating Tip #2:

Portion control is your best friend!

Remember this…. Your eyes typically are ALWAYS going to be bigger than your stomach. Especially when you show up to a party with a massive buffet of appetizers, desserts, and drinks galore!

Here’s how you do this…

If it’s available, grab a smaller plate (ya know, like the appetizer kind instead of the full-plate kind.)

That’s part one…. Now on to part two…

Secondly, remind yourself that you don’t have to have some of everything on the table.

Personally, I know that sometimes at a party I can have a little food FOMO and think to myself “well, it’s free… I need a little of everything!” 😂 Only to find myself feeling insanely full and miserable 20 minutes later…

Before you start filling your plate, skim the table with your eyes and pick some of your absolute most FAVORITE things! This are the things you’re going to put on your plate first.

Holiday Healthy Eating Tip #3:

Wait 30 minutes to get seconds.

Technically, it takes about 20 minutes for you to actually feel full from the food you eat… However, a lot of times what we do as starving humans is shove as much food as possible into our mouths within the first 5 minutes of eating…

Only to feel miserably full once the 20 minutes as up?

#AmIRight? 😂

So the trick is to wait about 30 minutes to get passed that 20 minute mark and fully ensure that you’re actually still hungry…

If you are at that point, go grab a *small* plate of a few seconds!

Holiday Healthy Eating Tip #4:

Above all else, get your protein in.

If all else fails and you end up munching on nothing but apple pie and Aunt Sally’s famous cheese ball, at least make sure to get your protein in as well. ☺️

If you get your protein in, your body can still use it to amazing things like:

• Build and replenish your muscles.
• Help your body recover from that day’s workout.
• Provide energy.
• Transport and store nutrients.
• And, because I know this may be one of the main reasons you’re here… Protein will help you stay looking good.

The way to do this is by putting a protein option on your plate first. That way you make SURE to get it in! Here’s a full list of protein sources to help you know what to grab.

Holiday Healthy Eating Tip #5:

Drink your water!

Water, water, water! I can’t say it enough! Make sure you have a gallon water bottle of some sort to ensure you’re drinking at least a gallon a day!

This is something to do every day of your life to assist in body fat loss and 500+ other benefits I won’t get into right now. 😅

But especially during the holidays, if you’re drinking lots of water, you’ll be more full, so you’ll naturally eat less junk.

It also helps big time to guzzle the water while enjoying those holiday spirits. 🥂

You can find more tips on maintaining your overall fitness and how to stay healthy during the holidays here.

Is it ok to eat unhealthy during the holidays?

Honestly this depends on your definition of “ok”! What are your goals? are you striving to be an all-around healthy person? Are you striving for body fat loss or to look better?

Your goals will tell you whether or not it’s okay to eat unhealthy during the holidays, and if so, how much!

Personally, I recommend letting yourself splurge some because… Ya gotta live life! And honestly, if you don’t, you may end up feeling irritated and/or binging when you finally do allow yourself to eat something unhealthy.

Moderation = key! Always!

Also check out these 10 Healthy Eating Hacks That Make Nutrition Insanely Easy for more simple ways to eat clean that make a BIG difference! And lastly, you’ll love these clean eating staples to keep around the house!

 

I hope these holiday healthy eating tips help you! Feel free to comment below if you have any questions!