The holidays are often a time when we enjoy consuming big meals, tasty treats, and flavour rich desserts. But if you’re not careful you can overindulge and throw off your internal system, resulting in headaches, sore muscles, weight gain, and toothache. If you think you may struggle to manage your junk-food intake this Christmas, don’t fret! With this quick guide, you can learn how to avoid some of the heavier junk foods and replace them with healthier alternatives that will still satisfy your holiday cravings, while keeping you on track.
Avoid Foods High In Preservatives
Those store-bought Christmas treats and desserts are often packed with artificial food coloring, sugars, and preservatives. Not only will they spike and crash your blood sugar levels, but they will also cause you to enter into that dreaded food coma that feels downright awful. Instead, try homemade gingerbread cookies with black molasses instead using of sugar, and try some sprouted whole-wheat flour instead of using white flour. You will be surprised at how good ‘healthy’ can taste!
The One Dessert Rule
When Christmas get-togethers come along, many of us are guilty of filling up our plates with all of the sweet and decadent options that can fit on one plate. Instead, try the one dessert rule. Practice some discipline by choosing only one to enjoy at each event. This will help you cut down the amount you put on your plate, along with all of the unnecessary calories you would otherwise consume.
Swap Out Festive Treats For Veggies
Instead of putting out calorie-heavy apps and snacks for family and friends who visit, put out some healthier options instead, like fruits and veggie trays. You can get just as much pleasure out of creating festive little Santa hats out of strawberries and grapes, or Christmas trees out of celery, tomatoes, and broccoli, as you can making a sugar-packed spread of treats.
Limit Alcohol & Sugary Drinks
We can all get a little carried away around the holidays. But you won’t be doing your body or teeth any favours if you don’t learn to limit your alcohol or festive punch intake to a reasonable level. Try alternating glasses of festive drinks with glasses of water. It will help to slow down your intake and also rehydrate your body and cleanse the sugar and acids from your teeth.
Eat Healthy First
Another great tactic for managing your junk-food intake this Christmas is to eat a healthy meal before heading out to a festive gathering. That way when you arrive, you will be satisfied and less likely to over-indulge on all the available junk food.
Your body and teeth will thank you if you follow these tips to help manage your junk food intake this Christmas season. If you fail to control your urges, come visit us at Carlingwood Dental to get a thorough cleaning and to help repair any damage all that sugar may have caused.
