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Holidays are exciting and make you see optimism everywhere, including on your plate. It is a moment of celebration that encourages overeating, sedentary behavior, and excessive consumption of calorie-rich foods.
The holiday lax may find you eating a lot of processed foods that are high in calories, added sugar, fat and salt. Before you know it, you’ve excused away weeks of unhealthy eating.
Many people tend to gain pounds over the holidays, which is mainly influenced by what they eat. The trouble is that the extra weight you might have noticed may be challenging to lose.
The best advice, of course, is to try to avoid holiday weight gain in the first place. Here are some foods to avoid during the holidays to prevent weight gain.
Foods to Avoid When Trying to Maintain Healthy Weight during the Holidays
- French Fries and Potato Chips
French fries and potato chips are categorized as fast foods that are easy and fast to prepare. The holiday celebrations make it convenient to enjoy French fries and potato chips with family.
Although whole potatoes are healthy and filling, French fries and potato chips are very high in calories and are linked to weight gain. They are unhealthy and fattening.
It’s best to avoid them and alternatively enjoy a plate of plain boiled potatoes.
- Pastries, Cookies and Cakes
Holiday celebrations involve a lot of baking and eating of pastries, cookies and cakes. They contain unhealthy ingredients like added sugar, refined flour and trans fat.
These foods are not very satisfying, and you will likely become hungry very quickly after eating these high-calories, low-nutrients resulting in weight gain.
Whenever you are craving something sweet, you can always substitute cakes, pastries and cookies with a piece of dark chocolate.
- Sugary Beverages
During the holiday season, sugary beverages like sodas, sports drinks, and fruit juices tend to be too available for you to take as much as you please. Sugar-sweetened drinks are very unhealthy since they are associated with weight gain and have adverse health effects when consumed in excess.
If checking weight over the holiday season is your goal, minimizing your intake of sugar-sweetened beverages should be your priority.
- Processed Meat
Processed meat includes meat manufacturers have fermented, dried, canned, smoked, and preserved. Some commonly processed meats include bacon, hot dogs, ham, jerky and salami.
Processed meat tends to be very convenient during the holiday season, especially the ready-to-eat type. These types of meat tend to be calorie-dense and are often high in salt and low in nutrients. They are associated with weight gain.
It is best to avoid excessive processed meat intake and instead enjoy lean protein sources like poultry, fish, and beans.
- Some Types of Alcohol-Especially Beer
When the holidays arrive, it can be easy to find yourself in continuous alcoholic parties. Some alcoholic beverages like beer are calories dense and generally high in sugar.
Heavy drinking is associated with increased weight gain. It is, therefore, best to drink alcohol in moderation.
When trying to maintain a healthful weight over the holiday season, it is essential to choose the right foods and avoid those that are calorie-dense but low in protein, fibre and other essential nutrients.
You may consult Dr. Jason Jones at our Chiropractic office at Elizabeth city, NC to learn more on top foods to avoid during the holidays to stop weight gain.
