10 Holiday Survival Tips – Food and Health Communications

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1. Enlist the help of a buddy to help keep you on track with exercise habits during the holidays.
2. Enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. Bundle up and go for a walk or try skating or sledding. Any extra activity helps.
3. Join an exercise class for fun and socialization while you stay fit. Community, health and fitness centers offer a combination of cardio and resistance-training opportunities, as well as group fitness classes and personal training.
4. Limit holiday baking to just one or two favorites and make those in small quantities. Holiday baked goods can pack a big punch when it comes to fat and calories.
5. Eat a high-fiber, low-fat breakfast each day. Whole grain cereal, skim milk and fruit provides a good start.
6. Choose a lowfat healthful lunch – low-fat soups and salads, baked potatoes with low-fat toppings, low-fat chili and low-fat pasta are all good choices.
7. Keep fruit with you for snacking so you do not get tempted by “mall choices.”
8. Limit alcohol consumption. Alcoholic drinks can be high in calories, and they can cause you to make poor food judgments. Choose water or club soda with lime at parties.
9. Eat a nutritious meal or snack before you attend events or parties. Try to eat a large lowfat salad before every meal so you will fill up on fewer calories.
10. Bring a nutritious dish to parties so you have something you can eat that is healthful. Raw veggies, fruit and salads make great choices.

Did You Know?
• A study by the researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases found that Americans gain an average of 0.4 to 1.8 pounds each year during their adult lives. Most of this weight is gained between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. (New England Journal Medicine, March 23, 2000)
Here are some more observations from this study:
• If you are already overweight or obese you might be more at risk for gaining more weight, up to 5 pounds, during this time.
• If you stay physically active during the holidays you may be less likely to gain weight.
• The weight you gain during the holidays is not likely to come off at a later time during the year.
Source:?www.nichd.nih.gov

Judy Doherty

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Art, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, 2 art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography studio where her love is creating fun recipes.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest in nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.