In just a few days most of us will be celebrating Christmas. Christmas comes with a lot of yummy food like meat and yorkshire puddings but some people really go all out when it’s Christmas. They will have a whole table filled with delicious food and often a dessert to go with it. This is one of the main reasons people seem to gain weight in December.
Christmas doesn’t have to be a reason to gain weight. There are a lot of nifty tricks which can still make you enjoy Christmas and everything that goes with it. I’m here to give you a few of these tips to stay on the healthy path this Christmas.
1. Sharing is caring
Offer to share a part of your dinner with someone sitting close to you. If you dish up less than you usually do then you’re likely to go for a second plate. You’re having fun and the mood is great. Instead, try to offer some of your dinner to someone sitting close to you. Chances are that they’re up for some more and will accept you offer. This way you will have the satisfaction of dishing up the same amount as you normally would but you’ll still eat less. A lot of the times we dish up more than we really need so your body won’t miss this food.
2. Drink, drink, drink
A glass of water before your meal will help you eat less. Your body will feel full much quicker but you’ll still have the satisfaction of getting a taste of everything on the table. Additionally, you’ll probably also drink something during the meal which will help you even more. Just make sure not to dish up too much or you’ll end up feeling like your jeans could burst at any moment.
3. Enjoy the greens
Instead of putting more meat or potatoes on your plate try filling half of it with vegetables. I can already hear some of you gagging because you don’t like them but they don’t have to taste bad. Vegetables can actually be very tasty but you need to know how to prepare them so you like them. You can find a ton of ideas on Pinterest to help you with this.
4. Have an appetizer instead of dessert
Appetizers are usually made up of something small but often healthy. Choosing to have an appetizer instead of dessert could save you a lot of calories and sugar. While you would usually eat maybe a bowl of ice cream or a piece of cake, you would now be eating something like soup or garlic bread.
5. Keep chewing
Your body doesn’t immediately recognize that you’re eating, it takes about 15 minutes before your stomach starts digesting the food you’ve eaten. A part of the digestion is already starting when we chew our food. By chewing the food more than the small amount you usually would you’re helping your body digest it more easily. It’s self-explanatory that when you chew longer you will eat slower. Now, as you just heard, chewing will help you digest the food better but because you’re taking longer to eat your dinner your body will also have the time to signal that you’re feeling full. We usually eat a normal meal within 15-20 minutes but the digestion has only just started by then so your body had no way of telling you that it already had enough.
Sandra's little cottage 
Good Tips. 🙂
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