Returning to Healthy Eating Habits After the Holidays
Once the holiday season is over, we have to gradually go back to our healthy eating habits. Even if we try to eat less before and after the holidays, it’s hard to go back, after so many treats and big meals. Nevertheless, we’ll give you some tips to do it.
First of all, forget about leftover candies and save them for next year. If you have too many, remember to buy less next time. Besides, there’s no need to get so many as if the world is coming to an end.
Returning to healthy eating habits after the holidays
Drink water and infusions
Did you have any digestive problems during the holidays? It’s probably because of the many toasts you made and the glasses of wine you couldn’t refuse.
Now, it’s time to replace all those drinks with water, the most important beverage for the proper functioning of our body. This is why it’s necessary to drink between 30 and 50 ounces of water a day. In addition, remember that fruits and vegetables contain great amounts of water. So, if they’re part of your eating habits, you may be meeting your water needs.
Another good choice are hot infusions. You can use aromatic herbs and spices, like cinnamon, mint, lemon or orange rind.
Make soups or purées
They’ll help you improve your digestion and are ideal against the cold. Buy some vegetables and boil them. You can also include a piece of chicken to boost flavor.
When everything is ready, grind the vegetables and add potato (if it’s too liquid). Then, you can add olive oil, seeds and chopped egg, and you’ll get a purée ready to enjoy. The soup will help you hydrate and eliminate fluids.
Add vegetables to all your meals: the key to returning to your healthy eating habits
Since they’re the key to a healthy meal, vegetables should be your main course, and you should eat at least 7 or 8 ounces of them. Furthermore, they’re low in calories and high in water, fiber, vitamins and antioxidant minerals. Hence, it’s important that you combine 2 or 3 different colors.
In addition, you can combine vegetables with all kinds of preparations, like legumes, meat or fish. You can season them using herbs and spices or stir-fry them with nuts. You can cook them the way you prefer: in the oven, raw, in a stew or as a purée. We recommend cutting them in sticks or a round shape, and then browning them in the oven for 20 minutes.
Eat fruit
No matter how old you are or the time of day, you should always eat fruit. It should be the whole fruit and at least 2 medium-size pieces a day. As a matter of fact, chewing is more pleasant than drinking the juice. Besides, the fiber in fruit will make the body absorb the natural sugar slowly.
Cutting fruit into cubes or slices, and adding cinnamon is a very good idea. You can also grill them to boost flavor and juiciness.
Add proteins to all your meals
It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality. It’s better to choose legumes, fish, eggs and lean meat, like chicken or rabbit. These are the most satisfying nutrients, so you should scatter them during the day. Besides, they’re good for your muscles. Thus, if you practice any sport, they’re really necessary.
You shouldn’t always grill them. You can cook them in the oven, in a stew, scrambled, etc. And, remember to use extra-virgin olive oil.
In conclusion, you should eat healthy food throughout the day and remember all the tips we just gave you. The important thing is to have healthy eating habits, according to your needs, lifestyle, social life, family and work.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Agencia de Salud Pública de Cataluña. (2019) Pequeños cambios para comer mejor. Barcelona: editado por la Agencia de Salud Pública de Cataluña.
- Aitor Sánchez. (2018) Mi dieta ya no cojea. España: 1ªed. Paidós.
- Carlos Casabona. (2016) Tú eliges lo que comes. España: 1ª ed. Paidós.