The holidays present a slew of notorious nutrition roadblocks, so use these secret weapons to master the buffet and/or potluck to keep your waistline (and morning-after guilt) in check:
- Seek out protein-rich foods, even the fattening ones, to fill you up quicker and longer. Skip the cookies and go for shrimp cocktail, hummus, and prosciuotto-wrapped asparagus stalks.
- Avoid casserole-like dishes (and many-layered dips). These are diet death traps, full of extra calories you wouldn’t eat on their own. Instead, fill up on fresh veggies with hummus or dip (spoon the dip onto your plate to keep it to one serving size).
- Contribute “approved food.” If you are bringing a dish to share, make sure it is one that is nutrient-rich and satiating, so you can always stick to that if the rest of the dishes are too rich or sugary. I usually volunteer to bring the vegetable plate, fresh fruit, or lean protein like shrimp cocktail or turkey/veggie roll-ups.
- When in doubt, eat the nuts. Full of heart-healthy fats, nuts will keep your hunger at bay. But be sure to take your serving and walk away – don’t hang out by the bowl and mindlessly eat away extra calories you aren’t even hungry for!
- Satiate your sweet tooth at the fruit plate. Apples, oranges, and pears are great this time of year – hit the fruit plate to ease a sweet craving, and leave the fudge for your cheat day. =)